AI FOR PERCEIVED AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING AS BIRTHED BY THE AVAILABILITY OF INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS AND STUDENTS' INTEREST IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS IN ADO EKITI METROPOLIS

This study investigated the relationship between the availability of instructional materials and students' interest in studying physics at secondary schools. The research focused on physics students in public senior secondary schools in the Ado local government area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, it aimed to identify the instructional materials available for teaching physics and to examine whether using these materials in instruction influenced students' interest in various physics topics. A correlation design was used. The population comprised all Secondary School II students who studied physics in public senior secondary schools within Ado local government, totaling 1260 students. A sample of 126 physics students, representing 10% of the population, was chosen using basic random selection. Two research instruments were created: the Physics Students Achievement Test (PSAT) and the Students' Interest in Physics Scale (SITPS). These tools were evaluated by physics education experts at Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti, as well as science education specialists. Cronbach's Alpha reliability test showed coefficients of 0.81 for PSAT and 0.84 for SITPS, showing a good level of internal consistency. Students were divided into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group was taught physics principles through teaching materials. The study was guided by three research questions and a null hypothesis. Data analysis involved mean scores, frequency counts, percentiles, chi- square tests, and independent samples t- tests. The study found that students enlightened with instructional materials outperformed those in the control group (p < 0.05). The findings found that most instructional materials need repair but were still usable for effective physics training. Students expressed a strong desire to learn more about many physics' topics. The study indicated that instructional materials improve both academic performance and student engagement in physics. Teachers, curriculum developers, and educational stakeholders were given recommendations to encourage the integration of instructional resources into the physics classroom in order to improve learning results.