Problem Hindering the Effective Teaching of Biology in the Secondary Schools
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Problem Hindering the Effective Teaching of Biology in the Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study focused on the issues that impede successful biology education in secondary school settings. Three objectives were proposed: to highlight and discuss the importance of a well-equipped laboratory in the teaching of biology in secondary schools
to determine the impact of regular tests/assessments, both practical tests and problem-type tests, on students’ biology proficiency, and to determine the effect of the use of professional biology teachers (resources teachers) on the teaching of biology in secondary schools.
A total of 77 responses were collected and validated from enrolled participants, with all coming from chosen secondary schools in Ebonyi state. The hypothesis was investigated using the Chi-Square statistical program (SPSS).
Chapter one
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Science and technology have proven extremely valuable in man’s daily battle to control his immediate surroundings and create a healthy world. According to Jegede and Brown (2008), science and technology are the primary drivers of sound national development. According to Okeke (2007), science and technology are inextricably linked to national development and sustainability.
Science is the systematic process of obtaining testable information about nature and natural phenomena via diligent observation and experimentation. Technology, on the other hand, is the process of developing and implementing procedures to convert resources into material objects.
Most developing countries, as a result of the visible role of science and technology, are making frantic efforts to improve the study of science and allied science subjects in their schools.
For example, in Nigeria, the National Policy on Education states that admission to the country’s tertiary institutions should be based on a 60:40 ratio of science and arts-related subjects.
Biology education is critical for national growth, scientific research, and technological advancement. Without solid understanding and a healthy approach towards biology, the much-needed and lauded technological advance may not be realised.
For example, biology knowledge is applied in the manufacturing and processing industries, medical, food production, and pharmaceuticals, among other fields.
According to Osuafor and Okoro (2013), science education is essential for a productive life in any community. It is the centre for producing the resources required for any nation’s socioeconomic, scientific, and technological development.
Despite the fact that much has been said about factors that impede efficient biology teaching and learning and have resulted in a significant number of backward and low academic achievements among senior secondary school students in Ebonyi State and Nigeria as a whole.
The impact of students’ chronic bad performance in biology due to a variety of causes is that a greater number of them will fail to obtain decent grades that would allow them to attend a higher institution of study. This has been a subject of concern for well-meaning Nigerians, parents, governments, scholars, and scientific teachers.
Researchers in scientific education in Nigeria have continued to look for ways to improve the situation and ensure that students learn biology meaningfully. Biology is defined as the science of life, and it plays an important role in the lives of all people.
It covers a wide range of topics, including zoology, botany, ecology, genetics, morphology, anatomy, physiology, histology, microbiology, biochemistry, evolution, and more advanced cell biology and molecular biology, among others.
Apart from the interconnectedness that exists between these divisions, biology is closely related to other science subjects such as agricultural science, chemistry, geography, mathematics, and physics. 4
It’s no surprise that biology is used in a variety of specialised fields such as medicine, pharmacy, food production and processing, biotechnology, genetic engineering, agriculture and horticulture, agriculture and environmental protection, and the tourism industry, to name a few.
Given biology’s many disciplines and widespread use in every sector of human endeavour, as stated above, the relevance of biology in national economic development cannot be overstated. It is consequently critical that efforts be directed towards finding a final solution to the pupils’ academic poor performance in the subject.
To this purpose, experts have identified various characteristics as being responsible for successful teaching and learning, which undoubtedly leads to bad performance. These include the following: a lack of qualified and experienced teachers, a lack of educational instructional materials such as textbooks, visual and audio visual aids, laboratories, a conducive learning environment, overloaded syllabuses
A lack of interest on the part of the students, a poor teaching method/interaction pattern on the part of the teachers, a large class size/high teacher, and a family background.
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