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TEACHERS’
PERCEPTION ON DIFFICULT AREAS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY CURRICULUM
ABSTRACT
This study
sought to identify teachers’ perceptions of difficult areas in senior secondary
school biology curriculum in Lagos state of Nigeria. Based on a review of
literature, five research questions guided the study while three hypotheses
were equally tested. A survey design was used for the study. A multistage
sampling procedure involving simple random sampling techniques by balloting and
cluster sampling techniques were adopted to compose the sample of 120 biology
teachers in four Education Zones of Lagos State. A Structured Questionnaire
Titled Biology Topic Assessment Questionnaire (BTAQ) was used to collect data
from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard
deviation and one-way ANOVA to t-test the hypotheses at 0.05 levels of
significant. The analysis of the data yielded the following results: the
teachers find the teaching of chromosome, Evolution, Glycolysis, Germination,
Genetics and Skeleton difficult. Gender, academic qualification and location of
services of the teacher have no significant influence in the difficulty levels
of topics in the biology curriculum. It was recommended that in-service
training, constant workshops, higher degree programmes, provision of modern
instructional materials, use of computer and its softwares, re- equipping of
school library, using teachers past performance for promotions, frequent
supervisions by ministries, employing more qualified teachers, supplying
relevant textbooks, holiday tutorials and Biology laboratory are necessary for
improvement on the difficult topics. Suggestions for further research and
limitations were also given.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study
Science
provides a body of knowledge for use in addressing various forms of human,
material and environmental problems. It can also be viewed as composed of two
major complementary modes: accumulation of knowledge through exploration and
discovery efforts about the natural world, and the use of such knowledge for
human and material development. Science is studied and practised in all parts
of the world, including Nigeria. Nigeria is a developing nation with an
increasing demand for science based skilled manpower. The achievement of this can
start with the learning and application of science subjects as in biology,
chemistry, integrated science, and physics at secondary school level. Among
these science subjects: biology, chemistry, integrated science and physics
taught in Nigerian secondary schools, only biology was discussed. This is
because; the study was focused on biology curriculum.
Biology is
one of the senior secondary school subjects taught in Nigeria. Biology is an
integral science subject which provides contents in the training of students
who want to study medicine, nursing, pharmacy, forestry, fisheries and so on.
Requirement for a credit pass and above in biology is needed for science
related vocational discipline. Majority of senior secondary school students
choose biology in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations
(WASSCE) or National Examination Council’s Senior School Certificate
Examinations (NECOSSCE). Also, for some senior secondary school students,
biology is a subject of first choice because they find it to be an interesting
subject as a subject that is more related to nature. Biology is one of the
subjects in the national curriculum for senior secondary schools, first
published by the Federal Ministry of Education in 1985.
Biology
curriculum was first introduced in 1977. At that time the duration for
secondary school education was five years. The biology teaching was started in
class four and in class five the students took the West African School
Certificate Examination. In keeping with the dynamics of social change and
demands on education, there was the need to broaden the curriculum. The quest
for improving the method of teaching and learning of secondary school biology
began in 1982 by the Nigerian Education Research Council (NERC, 2005). The
Federal Government in collaboration with Esselte (Swedish non-governmental
organization) initiated the National Secondary Science and Mathematics Project
(NSSMP). They worked hand in hand with the federal government of Nigeria. The basic
aim of that project was to inculcate learning through the use of a wide variety
of instructional materials. The outcome of this was the emergence of the new
biology curriculum in 1985 published by the Federal Ministry of Education. In
this 1985 curriculum, many more topics in biology were introduced and the
number of years to be spent in secondary school increased from five years to
six years. It is the implementation of National curriculum for 13 Secondary
School Biology that the present study is designed to evaluate.
The biology
curriculum has a spiral arrangement of content. The content of biology
curriculum are: Concept of living; Basic ecological concepts; Plant and animal
nutrition; Variations and variability; Evolution and Genetics. Based on this
spiral arrangement, the concepts to be taught are arranged in such a way that
topics are repeated yearly, throughout the three years of the course; to cover
the 62 units in the biology curriculum. Any repeated concept is discussed in
greater complexity and depth as the course matures over the three year period.
The contents of the senior secondary school biology curriculum places emphasis
on field studies, guided discovery, laboratory techniques and skills. The
curriculum for teaching biology in senior secondary schools emphasized the
relationship between living and non-living things; relevance of biology to
agriculture; the structure and physiology of organisms; some basic ecological
concepts; the use of natural resources; lands, plants and animals-their variations,
populations and implications, adaptation; theories of evolution and application
of the principle of heredity in agriculture and medicine.
The
objectives of secondary school biology curriculum have been derived from the
National Policy on Education first introduced in 1977 and revised in 1981, 1998
and 2004 (FRN,2004). The cardinal objectives are to prepare students to
acquire:
1. Adequate
laboratory and field skills in biology;
2.
Meaningful and relevant knowledge in biology
3. Ability
to apply scientific knowledge to every day’s life in matters of personal and
community health and agriculture.
4.
Reasonable and functional scientific attitude. Biology is the study of living
things. It is the study of life. Biology can also be defined as the study of
plants and animals. Content of biology curriculum The content of biology
curriculum are:
i. Concept
of living
ii. Basic
ecological concepts
iii. Plant
and animal nutrition
iv.
Variations and variability
v. Evolution
vi. Genetics
The objectives
of the biology curriculum have been adjudged as laudable according to Agu
(2006), Soyibo (2008) and Yabugbe (2009); and there is evidence to show that
even though many students find biology interesting, thereby registering for it
in the senior secondary schools, many of them obtain poor results, year in and
year out in it as shown by Okebukola and Akinbola (2008).
In the
recent past government and non governmental agencies in most developing
countries in the world, recognizing the importance of science and technology
are putting much in terms of resources and fund to encourage teaching and
learning of science in senior secondary schools. This justifies its inclusion
in the school curriculum, right from primary to tertiary levels in Nigerian
schools.
Biology has
come to take a vital place among the three basic science, more so since the
national policy on education requires secondary school students to offer at
least one basic science subject of secondary school level.
Nigeria
educational research and development council NERDC (1993) was organised because
of recurring annual poor performance of students in science, Workshop on
“Difficult concepts” in science and mathematics. It was then reported that,
some concept are difficult and claimed this to be responsible for students poor
performance.
The NERDC
classified the reasons for the perceived difficult biology curriculum to be:
student related reasons, teachers in the field reasons, learning environment,
nature of concepts and resources materials. Emphasis was also placed on
teachers misconceptions, poor knowledge of subject matter, non currency of the
teachers in the field. Poor teacher made tests and teaching methods as factors
responsible for poor students performance in examination.
Biology learning
and teaching in secondary school includes many factors which are determinants
of learning quality. These can be classified as affective and cognitive
factors. For the cognitive domain, reasoning ability, information processing
and academic achievement are among the most studied constructs. Under the
affective title, some well-defined constructs are included. Those among the
most frequently emphasized factors of the affective domain in the science and
biology education literature are attitude, self-efficacy, anxiety and
motivation. As an affective factor, giving more importance of motivation for
science education over the other affective today’s world. Biology learning
includes understanding biological organization from molecules to ecosystems. To
understand systems and their organs are one of the most important steps of
learning the organization of life. So, to learn and teach organs as a school
subject are important task for biology teachers.. Although learning and
teaching biology begin at elementary grades, under the title of biology, they
begin to occur in secondary school years. Motivational preparedness of teachers
as mediators of curriculum to teach and learn any subject matter of a
curriculum and related perceptions on the subject matter are important to reach
aims of a curriculum, because every curriculum is needed to be considered in
instructional level and teachers are important factors in this level, above
scenario moved the researcher into difficult areas in senior secondary school
(SSS) biology curriculum from the perception of the biology teachers.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
Several
research works carried out on curriculum in Nigeria particularly in lagos State
have revealed the nonchalant attitude of teachers in the secondary schools towards
certain areas in biology curriculum. One of the major goals of science
education in Nigeria is to produce scientists for national development (FRN,
2004). In spite of Nigerian government’s desire to promote science education
programme in the country, the quality of science students produced by the
secondary schools seem to be deteriorating. In the particular case of biology,
one is led to observe that despite the importance of biology as a science
subject, evidence have shown that students are not doing well in this subject
at both West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and
National Examination Councils’ Secondary School Certificate Examination
(NECOSSCE).In Nigeria today, teachers attitude and students lack of interest
have been reported to be major factors responsible for students perceived
difficulty in sciences. teachers attitude towards science(biology) can either
motivate students or discourage them, such recurring annual poor performance of
students. There is therefore a problem of which concepts did teachers find
difficult to teach. Then what could be responsible for this? Could it be
Teachers academic qualification?, teaching experience? or gender?. Could it be
that teachers themselves neglect or do not teach some areas in the class? Are
the methods the teachers use in teaching some areas in biology inappropriate?
Well, this research is an attempt to answer the above questions.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The main
purpose of this study is to identify the difficult content areas in secondary
school biology curriculum that science teachers find difficult to teach. It
also sought to determine whether teachers academic qualification, teaching
experience and gender as factors responsible for perception of difficulty which
leads to poor performance of students in science courses (biology).
Specifically, the study was directed at finding out;
1. The areas
in biology curriculum which senior secondary biology teachers find difficult to
teach.
2. Whether
academic qualification and teaching experience of teachers, are factors which
influences the area of difficulty in senior secondary school biology
curriculum.
3. Whether
gender of teacher, is a factor which influences the area of difficulty in
senior secondary school biology curriculum.
4.
Strategies to be employed in solving the problem of difficult topics found in
the senior secondary school biology curriculum.
1.4 Research
Questions
The
following research questions were raised.
1. What
content areas in the senior secondary school (SSS) biology curriculum do
teachers find difficult to teach?
2. To what
extent does academic qualification of the teachers influence perceived area in
biology curriculum?
3. To what
extent does gender of the teachers influence perceived area of difficulty in
senior secondary school biology curriculum?
4. What
strategies to be employed in solving the problem of difficult areas found in
senior secondary school biology curriculum?
1.5 Research
Hypothesis
The
following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study
H01:
Teachers` gender has no significant influence on the perception mean scores of
the teachers in the senior secondary school biology curriculum.
H02:
Teachers academic qualification has no significant influence on the perception
mean scores of the teachers in the senior secondary school biology curriculum.
1.6
Significance of the study
The
researcher was compelled to engage in this study work of difficult content
areas in the secondary school biology curriculum, by the present alarming
increase in the failure of biology subject by students in senior school
certificate biology examinations.
As earlier
noted, the knowledge of biology prepares students for various fields like
medicine, pharmacy; agriculture etc. For instance, if the problem of cells,
genetics, mitosis and meiosis are dealt with as regards to heredity and cell
division, the people in the society will be able to choose the best life
partner and be aware of cell divisions in them during embryonic formation in
the area of reproduction. Disease among the population will be prevented and
also living condition will improve. The suggestions will be of great help to
the teachers and students in those areas of difficulties.
Moreover, the
findings of the study will be of immense benefits to biology researchers and
book writers in biology. It will also help institutions preparing teachers of
biology to be familiar with important data for planning biology course for
potential and present biology teachers in our secondary schools.
Governmental
bodies entrusted with curriculum planning will know where to amend while
planning biology curriculum when this work must have been completed by the
researcher. And this will eventually lead to a sustainable development and
improvement in the teaching of biology in schools.
1.7 Scope of
the Study
The scope of
this study was delimited to thirty biology teachers in Lagos State. This work
was also limited to gender, location, academic qualifications and experience as
factors that influence teachers perceptions of difficult areas on the senior
secondary school biology curriculum.
This work
also intended to provide possible remedial strategies that may be employed as
means of alleviating the perception problems and the difficult contents of the
biology curriculum.
1.8
Definition of terms
1.
Perception: conscious understanding of something.
2. Teacher:
a person who teaches, especially one employed in a school.
3.
Difficult: hard, not easy, requiring much effort.
4.
Curriculum: the set of courses, coursework and content, offered at a school or
university.
5. Biology:
study of all life or living matter.
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