Challenges Besetting The Effective Teaching And Learning Of Biology In Senior Secondary Schools
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Challenges Besetting The Effective Teaching And Learning Of Biology In Senior Secondary Schools
Introduction
Background to the Study
The term “science” refers to nature and is derived from the Latin word “scientia,” which meaning knowledge. It is a systematic effort that creates and organises information in the form of useful expectations and products about the cosmos.
It can also be described as the discipline of study that attempts to describe and understand the nature of the cosmos in its entirety or in part. For all humans, science refers to acts involving organised understanding of phenomena.
The system describes and explains natural occurrences through observation and experimentation. Science is seen as a huge industry on which nations rely for technological advancement. Science is so heavily emphasised in education due to its importance and connection to life and society.
Biology, being a part of science and a prerequisite subject for many disciplines of study, makes significant contributions to the nation’s technological advancement, including medicine, forestry, agriculture, biotechnology, and nursing. Nlewan (2005) defines biology as the study of natural occurrences and the environment that arise as a result of human curiosity.
Biology is the knowledge of living things that we have gained over time. In general, biology recognises the cell as the fundamental unit of life, genes as the fundamental unit of heredity, and evolution as the driving force behind the emergence of new species.
Biology education is the act of teaching and learning in order to impart or convey knowledge of biology to pupils (Okeny 2012). Educating people in science, particularly biology, is widely recognised as a means of encouraging economic development, alleviating poverty, and providing social welfare (Nwagbo, 2005).
Tunde (2011) defines development as the act of improving by expanding, enlarging, or refining a specific state or condition. To improve biology education in Nigeria, the government should provide adequate laboratory/teaching materials, qualified biology teachers
A good biology classroom environment, the use of good teaching methods by the biology teacher, a proper curriculum standard for teaching biology, and funding to the schools (Ameh, 1991).
Biology is the most often chosen science subject of most secondary school pupils, as evidenced by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) records. According to Okeke (2000).
Students who excelled in biology may pursue careers as doctors, nurses, chemists, dentists, biology teachers, medical technologists, food technologists, genetic engineers, microbiologists, biochemists, and other scientists. Biology originated in Europe, but today, all nations prioritise science and technology in their development efforts.
Effective biology teaching is a process in which a biology teacher uses all of the strategies available in the classroom to ensure that students understand biology and can respond positively during assessments or achieve good results.
Teaching effectiveness is demonstrated in teaching methods, classroom management, materials, and how students are handled. A good teacher always considers the individual differences of the students when presenting lessons and frequently checks the students’ understanding of his or her points to ensure that they understand the lesson.
Statement of Problems
Unfortunately, many students in secondary schools that provide biology struggle with the subject. Teachers are responsible for a greater percentage of this failure. Omode (2012) blames these problems on teachers, citing his sensitivity to the nature of biology when planning institutional activities.
As a result of the studies, it is critical to identify those factors that advancely affect the teaching and learning of biology education, as well as potential solutions/recommendations to address the identified challenges. This gap necessitates further investigation into overcoming the reported problems that impede successful biology teaching and learning in secondary schools.
Biology is regarded as one of the basic science courses, and it is thought to be the most attractive science subject for senior secondary school pupils. It has been discovered that effective teaching and learning of biology are highly significant, but the rate in which students fail biology in outcome times demonstrates that effective learning of biology has not been obtained.
According to Aganga (2000), many secondary schools, particularly public schools, lack sufficient professional teachers and biological equipment. As a result, there is a requirement to answer specific questions to reinforce their usefulness in teaching.
Despite the importance of biology, it has been noted that a large proportion of students fail biology; this is due to students’ behaviour, such as a nonchalant attitude in class, and some students are extremely stubborn.
Most of the teachers in these secondary schools are not certified in the teaching profession, but because of the word “corruption,” everyone wants his or her own person to be there, whether qualified or not; all they care about is money, not future.
Another issue that is likely to be viewed as a challenge to effective biology teaching is poor teaching methods. According to Oguihe (2010), most teachers lack teaching skills, i.e. they are unaware of the methods that they could use in teaching, and some walk into the classroom without first inducing the students and instead read the note alone without explanation or breaking it down.
This is likely to result in poor performance among biology students in secondary schools, which is ascribed to social and institutional factors.
Purpose of Study
The primary goal of this research is to look into the issues that prevent successful biology teaching and learning in senior secondary schools, as well as potential solutions to these problems.
The study will be led by the following specific research goals:
To identify issues that instructors face when teaching and learning biology in senior secondary schools.
To explore the social elements that influence the effective teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools.
To identify non-institutional factors that influence effective biology teaching and learning.
To propose/identify potential solutions to the difficulties that hinder good biology teaching and learning in secondary schools.
Research Questions
The following research questions will be used to specifically investigate the study:
What social factors influence the effective teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools in Njaba L.G.A.?
What institutional elements influence the teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools in Njaba L.G.A. ?
What non-institutional elements influence the effective teaching and learning of biology in secondary schools in Njaba L.G.A.?
What are the potential solutions to these challenges?
Significance of the Study
This research will be useful for:
Teachers: the findings of this study will allow them to use a variety of teaching strategies when teaching biology.
The findings of this study will help educational supervisors (government officials) to monitor school operations and ensure the usage of certified teachers.
To offer sufficient information regarding the availability of specialised biology equipment in senior secondary schools in Njaba L.G.A.
It will help students understand more about biology and urge them to choose and study the subject.
Scope of the Study
This study was conducted in Imo State’s Njaba local government area, hence the findings can only be generalised to the same selected secondary schools in the study region.
The survey research design, which comprises an investigation of the opinions of a group of respondents on certain subjects, was used in this work.
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