EFFECTS OF AVAILABILITY AND USE OF LABORATORIES ON STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN SCIENCE SUBJECTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Study’s Background
Science has been extremely important on a global scale for long-term and socioeconomic development, as well as for nation-state technological advancement. Because of the numerous challenges that they face, knowledge of science and technology is required in all countries and required by all people worldwide.
These challenges include, among other things, the emergence of new drug-resistant diseases, the effects of genetic experimentation and engineering, the ecological impact of modern technology, the dangers of nuclear war and explosions, and global warming (Alsop & Hicks, 2001; Minishi, Muni, Okumu, Mutai, Mwangasha, Omolo & Munyeke, 2004).
As a result, rapid changes have occurred in medicine, industry, communication, and agriculture. Science, as a development agent, plays an important role in bringing about these changes through technological advancement, national wealth enhancement, health improvement, and industrialization (Validya, 2003), which is why scientific and technological breakthroughs are usually the goal of any developing country like Nigeria.
The emphasis on science teaching and learning is on ensuring that teachers can not only teach the process of science but also subject scientific concepts to the sensory experience of the learners. This means that learners’ ‘hands’ and’minds’
must be engaged in scientific activities so that they can actively learn and thus participate in knowledge construction. Essentially, the emphasis is on activity-based science lessons that incorporate both best classroom and laboratory practices.
This approach to science teaching and learning in schools is intended to lead students to acquiring the necessary science process skills, life skills, and competence as enshrined in the revised edition of the (National Policy on Education (NPE) (FRN, 2013)
National core curricular for Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics, among other subjects. However, efforts to achieve the goals of NPE 2013, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), EFA, Science Education for All, NEEDS, and Vision 20:2020 face significant challenges.
The use of teacher-centered approaches to teaching, a lack of adequate and relevant instructional materials, inadequate classroom and laboratory and laboratory equipment, and other challenges face science teaching and learning. Laboratory equipment, for example. So long as science is both a product and a process, the laboratory is at the heart of scientific studies and/or science.
The availability of laboratory equipment, facilities, and materials is critical in determining the extent of best laboratory practices that will ensure learners’ acquisition of science process skills and competence in science concepts.
According to Abimbola (2001), one major concern in science education is the availability and effectiveness of specialized and relevant science equipment, facilities, and instructional materials. School laboratories that are well-designed, well-stocked, and safe for science teaching and learning ensure active practical exercises (Katcha, 2005). Laboratory work is an essential component of science education, and no effective science education can exist without it (Udo, 2010).
Laboratory practical are dependent on the laboratory’s level of equipping with relevant instructional materials and the teacher’s ability to use them effectively and efficiently. Due to the difficulties that teachers frequently face when conducting
practical in inadequately equipped laboratories, teachers have separated science lessons into practical and theory lessons or classes, and/or shifted practical work until the second term of the final year (Ekpo, 1999). According to Ekpo, any attempt to divide science into practical and theoretical lessons perpetuates the dichotomy, which is the polar opposite of what science is.
1.2 Problem Description
The persistent low level of science achievement among senior secondary school students in Nigeria’s various public examinations has piqued the interest of major stakeholders in education. Students’ performance in science has consistently been poor and unimpressive. Despite all of the significant efforts made by stakeholders at various levels, there has been very little improvement in student achievement.
Data from the two public examination bodies, namely [the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO), in their appraisal report on the SSCE, show that performance in Nigeria has been declining.
According to available records, there was a negative trend in student performance in the three sciences subjects from 2008 to 2012, with average performances of 56.01 percent in Physics, 46.30 percent in Chemistry, and 37.27 percent in Biology, in addition to an increasing failure rate in Biology and Chemistry (Sakiyo and Badau, 2015).
It was generally observed that the performance of candidates in WASSCE in Nigeria in the subjects and for the period reviewed was not particularly impressive, with the exception of Government, where the majority of candidates in Nigeria had credits or higher.
The main reason for this failure is that science learning and practice cannot be accomplished in an environment that does not place an emphasis on practical and hands-on activities in schools. Students are expected to engage in both theoretical and practical learning activities.
However, because science is an activity-based subject, effective teaching and learning cannot take place unless it is supplemented with practical activities. Practical activities must take up a larger proportion of the time allotted to science subjects than the chalk and talk method of teaching theoretical aspects. As a result, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of laboratory availability and use on academic performance in Kwara state.
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EFFECTS OF AVAILABILITY AND USE OF LABORATORIES ON STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN SCIENCE SUBJECTS
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