AKSU Journal of Communication Research (AJCR)

A STUDY OF NEWSPAPER USAGE AS TEACHING TOOL AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Author:  YUSUF BOLAKALE SULEIMAN, ISIAKA ZUBAIR ALIAGAN, PhD & KAMALDIN ABDULSALAM BABATUNDE, PhD

Abstract
The disruption by digital technologies notwithstanding, the newspaper still plays its functional role as a vehicle of knowledge in human society. This study examined the usage of newspapers as teaching resources among senior secondary school teachers in Kwara State, North central Nigeria. Anchored on Uses and Gratifications Theory, it employed structured questionnaire to generate data from a sample size of 278 respondents out of a population of 1029. Of the 278 copies of questionnaire administered, 276 were retrieved. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. It was found that despite its non-inclusion in the school curriculum, 178 respondents, representing 64.5% of the population used the newspaper for teaching and personal gratifications while 98 others, representing 35.5% of the population did not use the medium at all (either for teaching or other purposes). Therefore, the study recommends, among others, that newspaper reading be captured in the senior secondary school curriculum in Kwara State, to promote reading habits among teachers and students.