Project – ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, BAYELSA STATE

                                           CHAPTER ONE                                            

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Problem

Instructional materials are teaching aids or materials used to illustrate the teaching process and make instruction more compressive to the learner. According to Franzer, Okebukola, and Jegede (1992) professionally qualified science teacher no matter how well trained would not be able to put his ideas into practice if the school setting lacks the equipment and materials necessary to translate potentials into reality.

The use of teaching aids or Instructional materials is an important tool in the teaching of Biology. The objective of any educational process determines the content, methods and materials needed for achieving such objectives. Different Instructional materials are used for different concepts in Biology.

An instructional material stimulates student’s participation in class, increase knowledge and affects the achievement of biology students. The use of inappropriate teaching materials results such as wrongly labeled charts results in several academic problems which according to Josiah and Okaoboh (2001) ranges from mass failure or under achievement in public examination to the gradual deteriorating situation in educational institution at all levels.

Instructional materials are seen as an improvement and great relief for teachers in impacting knowledge and making the message clearer, more interesting and easier for the learners to assimilate (Onasanga and Adegbija 2008).

Science explains the natural existence of man and his activities. Science could be seen as problem solving in order to improve the living standard of man. There are different definitions of science by different schools of thought; Owolabi (2004) defines science as an integrated part of human activities. It is seen as a dynamic human activity concerned with manipulating spherical world.

It is seen as “knowledge covering general truths and laws, obtained and tested through scientific methods as concerned laws with the physical world”. Science can be seen as the bedrock of national development. A nation that is not scientifically advanced is termed a backward nation.

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms. Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field composed of many specialized disciplines that study the structure, function, growth, distribution, evolution, or other features of living organisms. However, despite the broad scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts that govern all study and research:

Biological research indicates the first forms of life on Earth were microorganisms that existed for billions of years before the evolution of larger organisms. The mammals, birds, and flowers so familiar to us are all relatively recent, originating within the last 200 million years. Modern-appearing humans, Homo sapiens, are a relatively new species, having inhabited this planet for only the last 200,000 years (approximately). Stromatolites, sedimentary accretions formed by the actions of cyanobacteria, provide fossil evidence of life on Earth about 3.5 billion years ago.

Instructional strategies are techniques teachers use to help students become independent, strategic learners. These strategies become learning strategies when students independently select the appropriate ones and use them effectively to accomplish tasks or meet goals.

• Statement of the Problem

One of the main problems facing most secondary schools in the Nigerian society today is the relative decline in the academic achievements of the students especially in the sciences.

The poor achievements in biology could be attributed to some factors such as: – lack of use of apparatus as well as lack of fund to purchase material, Lack of facility for imparting knowledge. Inadequate equipment in laboratories where they exist. Lack of teacher’s zeal to make use of Instructional materials or improvise in the absence of standard materials.

Lack of students’ exposure to practical lessons and insufficient time for practical activities. Lack of interest in creativity in the part of teachers and poor teaching strategies. Large size of the classes, leading to inadequate or poor management of classes. Unqualified or inexperience teachers handling biology classes.

The poor achievement of students in biology has been associated with the use of poor methods of teaching, lack of interest and sometimes influence of gender. In view of these, researchers in science education have continually sought for better teaching methods that will enhance students’ achievement, promote their interest and bridge the gender gap in male and female students, achievement and interest in Biology. Opara (2011) noted that demonstrational teaching when fostered in different ways (demonstrated or undemonstrated) can ultimately and positively affects students understanding, achievement and interest in biology. Some other researchers have also suggested using different forms of inquiry in teaching. The problem of this study the effect of demonstrational instructional strategy is which method of inquiry (demonstrated or undemonstrated) when fostered by teachers would enhance students, academic achievement and promote interest in senior secondary school Biology.

 Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of demonstration instructional strategy on students academic achievement senior secondary school biology in Ekeremor  LGA. While the specific objectives are as follows:

1. To investigate the effect of demonstration instructional strategy on students academic achievement in senior secondary school biology in Ekeremor
2. To investigate the effect of demonstration instructional strategy on students’ academic achievement due to gender.
   • Research Questions

This research is guided by the following questions for which answers shall be provided in the research as follows:

1. What is the impact of demonstration instructional strategy on students academic achievement?
2. Is demonstration instructional strategy gender bias?
   • Research Hypothesis
3. There is no significant difference between the academic achievement of students who are taught biology using demonstration instructional strategy and those taught with conventional method.
4. There is no significant difference between the academic achievement of male and female students who are taught biology with demonstration instructional strategy.
   • Significance of study

There are different methods of teaching or instructing, some have better improvements on the performance of students just as students of different locality comprehend differently. In an environment where the wrong strategy of teaching is used, the students’ performance will be low.

This study will really be of help to the educational system as it will reveal the effects of demonstration strategy on student’s performance.

• Scope of study

The study examines Assessment of the Influence of Instructional materials in teaching and learning biology in senior secondary school, Bayelsa State. This study covers the secondary school students who offer Biology as a subject in Ekeremor  LGA.

1. 8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Time Constraints: One the challenges experienced by the researcher is the issue of time; the research will simultaneously engage in departmental activities like seminars and attendance to lectures. But the researcher was able to meet up with the deadline for the submission of the project.

Financial Constraints: Every research work needs funding; however lack of adequate funds might affect the speed of the researcher in getting materials for completion of the project.

1.9   DEFINITION OF TERMS

Effect:     A change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Instructional materials:         Instructional materials refer to the human and non-human materials and facilities that can be used to ease, encourage, improved and promote teaching and learning activities.

Student:  A person who is studying at a university or other place of higher education.

Interest:  The feeling of wanting to know or learn about something or someone.

Biology:   The study of living organisms, divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, origin, and distribution.

Project – ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, BAYELSA STATE