IMPACT OF BIOLOGY LABORATORIES ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF STUDENTS

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IMPACT OF BIOLOGY LABORATORIES ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF STUDENTS

Abstract

The study investigated impact of biology laboratories on the achievements of students. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The non-randomized control group, pretest-posttest quasi experimental design was used for the study. A sample of 275 senior secondary II biology students from six secondary schools in Makurdi metropolis was drawn from a population of 2, 754 students and 20 schools using purposive sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.71. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviations to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was significant difference in the mean achievement scores (p = 0.00 < 0.05) of students taught Biology concepts using investigative laboratory strategy and those taught using expository method, in favour of the laboratory strategy group. In terms of gender, there was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores (P= 0.21 > 0.05) of male and female students taught using investigative laboratory strategy. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the use of investigative laboratory strategy enhanced students’ achievement in Biology than the expository method. It was recommended that Biology teachers should use investigative laboratory strategy in teaching Biology which provides students with an opportunity to carry out practical activities by themselves thereby enhancing their achievement. Also school proprietors should provide laboratory facilities to enable Biology teachers use investigative laboratory strategy in teaching Biology.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The outcry of several science educators and the general public concerning the persistent low achievement of students in the sciences cannot be overemphasized. This under achievement becomes eminent when one considers the performance of students in public examinations. Over the years, various reports have brought to lime light the fluctuating under achievement of students in Biology in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations conducted in Nigeria.

This poor trend is particularly evident in the performance of Biology students who over the years (2006-2010), have not recorded an average of 50% credit pass in the WAEC examination. Available information from the WAEC (2011) Chief examiner’s report recorded that the poor performance was more pronounced in the practical examination where students exhibited very poor science skill acquisition (Okoli, 2006). This poor situation does not augur well for Nigeria in general and educational career of science students in particular given the importance of Biology to our day to day life. This assertion is confirmed by Ogbeba (2009) who notes that Biology deals with the study of life and so it helps to make people aware of their health, environment and their body among other things. The subject is therefore of paramount importance to any nation including developing ones. Thus Maduabum (2005) notes that a sound working knowledge of biology is a prerequisite for entry into; medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, nursing, and science education (Maduabum, 2005). A sound theoretical and practical knowledge of biology is very necessary for the management of our natural resources,

provision of good health facilities for people, adequate food supply and favourable life environment (Ogbeba, 2009). Researchers such as Nwagbo and Obiekwe (2006); Samba and Eriba (2012) blame this poor performance on poor pedagogy.

Generally, some scholars have suggested the inquiry method as a more effective method for teaching biology in the senior secondary school (Berry, Mulhall, & Loughran, 2004). These scholars opined that one way of enabling students to learn and understand science and acquire science process skills is to teach science as inquiry.

However, Nwagbo and Obiekwe (2006) indicated that an overwhelming majority of biology teachers still prefer the traditional expository method of teaching and shy away from innovative activity-oriented teaching methods such as inquiry, discovery, laboratory approach, cooperative learning which are learner centred and have the potentials of improving students’ achievement. In the same vein, Orokpo (2009) laments that the use of traditional lecture method of “chalk and talk” has gained prominence in the teaching of biology with practical work relegated to the background.

However, the situation in most

Nigerian senior secondary schools is such that practical work is hardly conducted or at most times ignored. In some schools, practicals are conducted only once or twice just for the purpose of external examinations. This trend does not encourage acquisition of science process skills. What appears cloudy is whether the use of investigative laboratory approach could narrow gender gap in performance.

Gender has continued to be an issue of concern in science education research. Sinnes (2005) reveals that what both the feminist empiricist and the liberal feminist critics seem to agree on is that females in principle will produce exactly the same scientific knowledge as males provided that sufficient rigor is undertaken in scientific enquiry. On the other hand Aguele and Agwuga (2007) found that male students performed better than female students in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skill achievements. Oludipe (2012) has shown that there are no longer distinguishing differences in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skill achievement of students in respect of gender.

Ogunneye (2008) concluded that some cognitive gender differences were well established; girls have greater verbal ability (communication) than boys and boys have better visual-spatial ability (observation) than girls. It is note-worthy that these various researches Isiaka, (2009); Ogunneye (2008) and Oludipe (2012) have come out with different findings. Therefore there is need to give boys and girls exactly the same opportunity and challenges in laboratory investigation and expository method in this study to enable one ascertain if it could enhance achievement and as well close the gender gap in achievement in Biology.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The persistent poor performance in Biology among students makes it imperative to search for effective teaching strategies for effective teaching and learning of biological concepts. Over the years research studies have shown that Biology students performed poorly and they have blamed the poor performance on many factors including lack of use of effective methodology for teaching science in secondary schools. Also, the issue of gender disparity in biology achievement is still being debated among researchers. Considering the relevance of Biology in everyday life, there is the need to revisit the methods in use for teaching the subject in the senior secondary schools. This poor performance in Biology should be taken as a wake-up call to re-examine the methodologies in use, to prevent it from constituting a clog to the wheel of educational progress of many Nigerian students offering Biology. Therefore the problem of this study posed as a question is what is the effect of laboratory strategy on achievement of biology students?

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. Wha the difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy and those taught using expository method?

2. What is the difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study was guided by the following research questions:

1. To identify the difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy and those taught using expository method?

2. To know the difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy?

HYPOTHESES

The following hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance:

Ho. There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy and those taught biology using expository method.

Ho2. There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught biology using investigative laboratory strategy.

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