PROBLEMS OF TEACHING PRACTICAL BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IGBO ETITI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ENUGU STATE
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
PROBLEMS OF TEACHING PRACTICAL BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IGBO ETITI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ENUGU STATE
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research was to identify issues with teaching biology practicals in senior secondary schools in Enugu State’s Igbo Etiti Local Government Area.
According to Opoh (2008) and Onah (2002), biology practical is the scientific study of the life and structure of plants and animals, as well as their surrounding ecosystems, in a real or experimental setting.
Furthermore, the current researchers’ findings demonstrated that there are numerous strategies for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of practical biology in the educational system.
The first and second chapters provide background information for the investigation and a review of related literature, respectively. Chapter three described the research approach and overall study plan.
The fourth chapter focused on data presentation and analysis. Chapter 5 presented the study’s educational findings, recommendations, and summary. References and appendices were included.
Chapter One: Introduction
1.0 Background of the Study
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (2000), “problems” are things that are difficult to deal with or comprehend well. According to the Oxford advanced learner dictionary (2000) defined practical as an ideal, on approach or a course of action, right or sensible, likely to be successful.
Practical activity is highly vital to the efficient teaching of body in school. Every body citizen will be able to contribute more effectively in any life circumstance, he may speak out on topics that involve both biology principles and human welfare, such knowledge will out come from were bookwork, but from practical application of the materials learnt to real life situation.
Science is the study of the natural objects around us. Biology being a field of science included the study of living and non living objects. (Sajini, 2001). Similarly, the World Book Encyclopaedia (2000) defines biology as the scientific study of living things
. Traditionally, biology is separated into two branches: botany, the study of plants, and zoology, the study of animals. Sarojiet (2001) mentioned the following examples of biology’s usefulness:
(1) Scientific research and development of new tools and processes that have the potential to improve the quality of our lives,
(ii) Finding uses in medical, dentistry, veterinary science, agriculture, and horticulture.
(iii) Biotechnology encompasses topics such as genetic engineering and hybridoma technology.
(iv) Addressing ecological issues such as overpopulation, food storage, erosion, pollution, and diseases.
Practical biology is the scientific study of the life and structure of plants and animals, as well as their related environments, in a practical or experimental setting, rather than focussing on theory and ideals (Opuh, Eze, and Ezeagu 2008).
In the preamble to the international senior secondary school certificate Examination syllabus, the West African Examination Council WAEC (1998: 2003) emphasises the practical use of biology in secondary school teaching and learning. The curriculum was created to assess applicants in:
(i) Understanding the structure and function of living organisms, as well as an appreciation for nature.
(ii) Acquiring the necessary laboratory and field abilities to conduct and assess biological studies and projects.
(iii) Acquiring scientific skills, for example. observing, classifying, and interpreting biology data, etc. According to its previous edition WAEC Syllabus (2001), great importance should be given to experimental work and we control experiments. It was recommended that, whenever possible throughout the course, candidates be awarded practical application of what is being studied.
From the foregoing, we may conclude that biology practical lessons are critical for effective teaching and learning of biology in secondary schools. Akinpelu, in Aguokogbuo (2002), described teaching as a purposeful endeavour by a mature or experienced person to impart information, knowledge, skills, and so on to immature or less experienced individuals.
As a result, the national teachers institute NTI’s (2000) course book on education defined learning as the acquisition of new knowledge, ideas, skills, values, and experience that allows an individual to modify or alter his actions.
It also includes the application of newly gained knowledge or experience. It was believed that learning causes permanent change in the learners.
Secondary education, as described by the nation policy of education (2004), is the education that pupils acquire following the primary educational level but before the tertiary state.
According to the Post Primary School Management Board’s statistical rewards PRs (200), Igbo Etiti local government Area has six secondary schools.
Igbo Etiti Local Government Area is located in Enugu (Nsukka). The area is primarily an urban settlement with a few rural communities. Some of the secondary schools in Igbo Etiti Local Government include Community High School Ekwegbe, Community Secondary School Ukop Ekwegbe, Community Secondary School Umuna, Community Secondary School Umunko, and Special Science Secondary School Ukhe.
1.1 Statement of Problem
Biology, being a science discipline, necessitates the use of skilled technicians and laboratory attendants. In few schools.
Laboratory attendants are school dropouts with no fundamental knowledge of how to prepare specimens for biology practical. In most cases, these laboratory attendants lack the technical knowledge required to operate, maintain, repair, or service the few pieces of equipment that have gone down.
According to Nwamonu (2003), pupils perform poorly in biology practicals, which leads to failure on biology examinations. Similarly, the WAEC Chief Examiners (1993) noted that a candidate’s performance in biology was below expectations. The report discussed the candidate’s flaws under the following subheadings:
(i) Poor spelling. (ii) Poor observation.
(iii) Inadequate mathematical abilities (iv) Poor deductive reasoning
(v) Misinterpretation of the question,
(vi) Insufficient knowledge of biology. The examiner complained that “many candidates were unable to correctly answer a single question in section A.” In most cases, they make wild assumptions and provide unconnected, sometimes illogical answers.
According to the weak academic (1999), the goals of practical biology are not being met to a satisfactory degree. He stated that poor academic performance in biology practical is caused by a lack of well-equipped laboratories, insufficiently qualified biology teachers, limited timetable hours, poor observation, poor drawing and labelling, and poor specimen comparison, among other factors.
The emphasis on the West African School Certificate to Benin City, Nigeria, also revealed that the biology laboratory was inadequate. As a result, pupils were not fully engaged in just practical lectures. The students just observed the teacher’s demonstration exercise.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Biology practical on students’ academic performance in Enguu Igbo Etiti local government area of Enugu state. Specifically, one would like to ask:
(i) Do female students appreciate biology more than males?
(ii) Which gender (male or female) performed better in the biology practical?
(iii) Is the biology laboratory properly equipped with the essential equipment.
(iv) Urban senior secondary schools perform better than rural institutions.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY.
Based on the study’s background and challenges, the project’s major goal is to research the problem of teaching biology practical in senior secondary schools (SSIII) in the Igbo Etiti local government area of Enugu state.
The study’s specific goal is to identify the challenges of teaching practical biology in senior high school in the Igbo Etiti local government area of Enugu State. We feel that the findings of the study will be significant given the ongoing improvements in biology teaching.
Significance of the Study
The practical activities in biology are intended to help students learn basic scientific abilities while also improving their performance and achievements. The study aims to identify the benefits of practical biology for kids, parents, instructors, the government, and the entire society.
If the outcome of this research is correctly initialised, it will;
(i) Inspire children to believe that science is both a product and a process by engaging them in hands-on biological activity.
(ii) Encourage parents to offer fundamental necessities for practical lessons for their children.
(iii) Convince biology teachers that practical lessons are crucial for good biology teaching and learning.
(iv) Make the government, through the ministry of education, realise the need of providing science equipment to schools and deploying qualified biology instructors to secondary schools; it is not a case of jack of all trades, master of none. Teaching has achieved professionalism and specialisation.
(vi) Assist the Nigerian society in its quest for greater technology and industrialisation.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY:
The research was conducted especially on senior secondary schools in the Igbo Etiti Local Government Area of Enguu State. The study’s scope is also limited to the issues of teaching practical biology to senior secondary school pupils in the area (SSIII).
RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
The following questions were developed to lead the study:
(i) How has biology practical influenced the academic success of senior high school biology students?
(ii) Do female students prefer biology practical over male students?
(iii) Which gender (male or female) performed best in the biology practical?
(iv) Is the biology laboratory well-equipped with all necessary equipment?
(v) Do urban senior secondary schools do better than rural schools?
(vi) What impact has biology had on successful learning?
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic