PROBLEMS MILITATING AGAINST
EFFECTIVE TEACHING PRACTICAL BIOLOGY IN
SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Science is a great enterprise which nations depend on,
in-order to advance technologically. Science therefore, is receiving much
emphasis in education because of its significance and relevance to life and
society. Biology as a branch of science and the prerequisite subject for many
fields of learning contributes immensely to the technological
growth of the nation. This includes medicine, forestry, agriculture,
biotechnology and nursing. The study of Biology in senior secondary school can
equip students with useful concepts, principles and theories that will enable
them face the challenges before and after graduation.
Biology
as one of the science subject is bent in making one to be conversation with the
environment he/she lives in appreciate the meaning of scientific life, to
develop unbiased mind and to be intellectually homes with serve as ideal to the
future citizen. Fortunately, it is a fact that Biology is the commonly chosen
science subject of most secondary pupils are confirmed by the west Africa
Examination council (WAEC) record.
The place of practical in teaching science cannot be over
emphasized, little wonder why Daramola
(2013), Opined that practical work has
helped students in knowledge acquisition, like Ogunniyi (2007), advocated
earlier that science, which would be taught in secondary schools, should be
technologically oriented, which means to teach science with its practical
application which strengthens the fact that in recent times, science teaching
has taken a new trend Science belonged to the laboratory as cooking belongs to
the kitchen and gardening to a garden. This is the state where science teaching
is best done in the laboratories. Ndu (2010), also emphasized the practical
teaching of science by saying that meaningful learning of science cannot be
achieved without practical aspect of science stressing that science disciplines
are not only the acquisition of facts but also embrace the processes. Woolnough
(1994) also found that majority of secondary school teachers indicated that
about 40% to 80% of the class time was spent in practical activities. Hodson (2002)
in his own work, classified the reasons given by teachers for engaging in
practical work into five major categories like to motivate learners by
stimulating interest and enjoyment, teaching laboratory skills, to enhance
learning of scientific knowledge, give insight into scientific methods, develop
certain scientific methods, these coincides with the classification of
practical work reported by Gott, Welford, and Foulds (1988) when they
identified five types of practical works like, inquiry practical, investigative
practical, skill practical, illustrative practical, and observational
practical.
Although
Abimbola, I.O, Dada, F.(2015) stated that some practical scientific experiences may be
acquired in everyday life, the most important part of the experience is through
practical work which gives the student the appreciation of the spirit of
science. Therefore, there is no adequate substitute for retention of facts and
which also makes learning more permanent because, practical work closely linked
with theoretical work help to maximize opportunity to practice those scientific
methods.
Practical activities in biology provide opportunities for
students to actually do science as opposed to learning about science. Nzewi
(2008) asserted that practical activities can be regarded as a strategy that
could be adopted to make the task of a teacher (teaching) more real to the
students as opposed to abstract or theoretical presentation of facts,
principles and concepts of subject matters. Nzewi maintained that practical activities
should engage the students in hands-on, mind-on activities, using varieties of
instructional materials/equipment to drive the lesson home. Nwagbo (2008)
stated that:
The
use of practical activities (approach) to the teaching of biological concepts
should therefore be a rule rather than an option to biology teachers, if we
hope to produce students that would be able to acquire the necessary knowledge,
skills and competence needed to meet the scientific and technological demands
of the nation.
The search for a more effective approach for the teaching and
learning of biology that will enhance the acquisition of process skills has
persisted over the years. This is because, the acquisitions of science process
skills are the bases for scientific inquiry and the development of intellectual
skills and attitudes that are needed to learn concept
Acording to Nwagbo (2008), a number of factors have been
identified as contributing to the non-acquisition of skills by secondary school
students which invariably lead to poor performance and one of the factors is
the teacher variable, that is, the teachers’ method of teaching. Furthermore,
Okoli (2006) indicated that many science teachers prefer the traditional
expository/lecture method of teaching that is, a teaching technique in which
one person, the teacher, presents a spoken discourse on a particular subject
and shy away from activity-oriented teaching methods which are student centered
(such as inquiry method, discovery method, investigative laboratory approach).
Nwagbo (2008) observed that such teacher-centred approach which places the
teacher as the sole possessor of knowledge and the students as passive
recipients of knowledge may not enhance achievement or promote positive
attitude to biology. Apart from teaching methods, gender is also implicated in
students’ achievement in science.
This project will concentrate on the
teaching of Biology and the problem of teaching biology practical in selected
secondary School in Akoko South East Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Statement Of Problems
The importance of practical in the
development and performance of students in science cannot be over emphasized.
Several researches stated earlier indicate the need for effective practical
lesson using appropriate equipment. Yet many biology teachers tend to avoid organizing practical
lesson to their students. Some of the reasons for poor performance of students
in examinations include poor science teaching due to teacher’s incompetence.
Furthermore, most secondary schools teachers of biology concentrate on meeting
the demand of West African Examination Council (WAEC) practical examinations.
This has drawn the attention of concerned individuals on the genesis or causes of
the situation.
There are evidence of effective
teaching of biology practical in School and this has affected the performance
of student in biology. This could be due to lack of equipment and materials or
lack of proper training of the teachers handing the practical.
Research Question
1. What are the problem facing teaching
and learning of biology practical in senior secondary school
2. Does teachers’ qualification has any
effect on students’ performance in Biology practical?
3. What is the attitude of students and
teachers’ toward teaching of Biology practical?
4. Is there enough equipment in the
laboratory for effective teaching?
5. What are the possible solution to the
problem facing teaching and learning of practical biolgy
Purpose Of The Study
This research study carried out in order to know the
major problems that are facing the teaching of biology practical.
The specific objective
are
1. To find out the problem students and
teacher facing in teaching biology practical
2. To determine if teachers’
qualification has any effect on students’ performance in Biology practical?
3. To investigate the attitude of
biology teacher towards Biology
practical?
4. To find out if there are enough equipment in the laboratory
for effective teaching of biology?
5. To profer solution to the problem
facing teaching and learning of biology
Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were
tested at 0.05 level of significant
HO1: there is no significant
difference on the effect of teachers’ qualification and student performance
in practical biology
HO2: There is no significant
difference between teachers’ attitude and students performance in practical
biology
HO3: There is no significant
difference between availability of laboratory equipment andstudents academic performance in practical
biology
Significance Of The
Study
This study is aimed at crating awareness on how vital
biology is, not only to the student but also to the public at large with
regards to health education. Improvement in science and technology medicine
e.t.c.
It is also aimed at making the federal Government see
the benefit of providing schools with proper and adequate laboratory, equipment
e.t.c
This study will also help in making adequate
preparation for the teaching of Biology practical
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Although,
covering a large population would have given more accurate information, this
study is based on only five selected secondary schools.
This is due to the fact the scope of the work to be
covered is too vast compared to the time within the writer’s disposal. I do
hope that the schools chosen on which the research is carried out, would serve
as a guide to giving a picture of the type of information needed.
If a large population were worked on as all the
different secondary Schools are expected to cover the same WAEC syllabus.
Definition Of Terms
PROBLEM –Means things that are difficult to
deal with understand that is there are some difficulties in which teachers are
facing while teaching biology practical in Schools for example lack of equipped
laboratory and inadequate equipment. One to these problems, teacher will not be
able to impact knowledge of biology practical into the student and the teaching
will not be effective
TEACHING – This is an act of imparting knowledge
to the learner in a conducive environment.
BIOLOGY – Is a scientific study of life’s,
study of living and non-living things, is a study of life and structure of
plants and animals. There are many branches of biology such as histology,
physiology, phraseology e.t.c
PRACTICAL – It’s concerned with the reality and
action rather than theory and ideas practical works impart good knowledge into
the life of learner because it deals with reality and it can not forgotten.