Effect Of Team Teaching On Secondary School Students Achievement In Biology

Abstract

This study was carried out on the effect of team teaching on secondary school students achievement in biology in Anambra State. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprised of some civil servants in Oshogbo. In determining the sample size, the researcher purposefully selected 39 respondents and 35 were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables, and mean scores. The hypotheses was tested using Chi-square Statistical tool. The result of the findings reveals that the extent is team teaching used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State is low. The study reveals that team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes. The study reveals that team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State. Furthermore, there is a significant difference exist between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods. Therefore, it is recommended that There is dare need for biology teachers to develop interest in using team teaching approach for teaching general metalwork subjects in the class room. Students should always be allowed to participate actively in class by interacting freely with the teacher and their colleagues as this will improve their academic ability and performance in biology.

Table of Content

Chapter One:

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Research Hypothesis
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Limitation of the Study
1.9 Definition of Terms
1.10 Organization of the Study

Chapter Two:

Review of Literature

2.1 Conceptual Framework
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.3 Empirical Review

Chapter Three:

Research Methodology

3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population of the Study
3.3 Sample Size Determination
3.4 Sample Size Selection Technique and Procedure
3.5 Research Instrument and Administration
3.6 Method of Data Collection
3.7 Method of Data Analysis
3.8 Validity of the Study
3.9 Reliability of the Study
3.10 Ethical Consideration

Chapter Four:

Data Presentation and Analysis

4.1 Data Presentation
4.2 Analysis of Data
4.3 Answering Research Questions
4.4 Test of Hypotheses
4.5 Discussion of Findings

Chapter Five:

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
5.4 Suggestion for Further Studies
References
APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Education for work began many years ago; in vocational education, individual are formally prepared for the world of work. Education differs in both concept and status in different nations of the world. In Nigeria, programs are offered at schools, at post-primary level, the technical colleges, the polytechnics, and colleges of technical education at post-secondary school level. According to Udo (2004),education is designed to develop skills, abilities, understanding, attitudes, work habits and appreciation that confer knowledge needed to enter and make progress in employment on a useful and productive basis, pre-vocational subjects offered at the post- primary level include Basic Science, Practical Agricultural, Home Economics, and Business Studies Federal Republic of Nigeria, ( FRN, 2004 ).

Team teaching is traditionally a pedagogic approach or process in which more than one teacher are involved in instruction within a classroom. According to Robinson and Schaible (1995), in team teaching a group of teachers, working together, plan, conduct, and evaluate learning activities for the same group of students. Team generally comprise staff members who may represent different areas of subject expertise but who share the same group of students and a common planning period to prepare for the teaching. For the instructors, who so often work alone, team teaching provides a supportive environment that overcomes the isolation of working in self-contained or departmentalized classrooms. Team teaching leads a better student performance in terms of greater independence and assuming responsibility for learning.

Team teaching is a method of coordinated classroom, teaching involving a team or two or more teachers working together with a single group of students. By working together with the same class, teachers can observe and critique each other‘s teaching and assessing pedagogy, supporting each other to enhance the learning outcomes of students. Collaboration is the key to team teaching. It is an interactive process that enables teachers with diverse expertise to support each other to improve practice whist providing quality education to students with range of academic and social needs. Why does team teaching matter in academic achievement and retention of students in Biology?
Academic achievement of student is very crucial and vital in team teaching because from the students‘ evaluation, their results will tells how effective team teaching reflected on their academic achievement. Teachers provide substantive instruction to all students on a daily consistent basis. Neither is considered the main teacher of the class; they are equals‘ (Murawski & Dieker, 2008). The intention of team teaching has been to meet the needs of all students‘ academic achievement and to ensure all students reach their potential (Ablye- Taylor, 2014). There are essential requirements that are required to benefit from team teaching; energy and an uplifting demeanor are crucial. Researchers have stated that team teaching is producing positive impact upon the performance of the students in technical colleges, (Syh-Jong, 2006).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Implementation of Biology in colleges is plagued with several problems including the choice of the right teaching strategies. This has resulted in poor performances of the students in their examination particular in Biology. Biology covers a wide range of discrete aspects, topics or specialized areas that a single teacher in the present dispensation finds it a bit difficult to teach very effectively. It is a general shop or industry subject designed to equip learners with students in many areas. Majority of teachers teaching the subject are specialized in one or two component areas of the subject. It is only recently that Biology has been took seriously as a teaching subject in just few of institutions offering programs of studies in teacher education. Until enough of these teachers are provided for the schools, adequate steps are in need to be taken to make effective use of the existing facilities in the implementation of Biology Curriculum. Team teaching appears to be the most likely option in resolving the instructional problem.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main aim of this study is to examine the effect of team teaching on secondary school students achievement in biology in Anambra State. Other aims of this study are:

To determine the extent team teaching is used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State.
Determine whether team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes.
To determine whether team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State.
Ascertain whether there exist a different between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

To what extent is team teaching used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State?
Does team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes?
Does team teaching affect the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State?
Does any significant difference exist between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses will validate this study:

H0: Team teaching does not affect the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State.

Ha: Team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The result of this study would be of great benefit to the Biology students, teachers, school administrators, curriculum planners and the society.

Specifically the result of this study will help the Biology students for them to expose to different instructors with specialized skills and experience in General Biology to increase the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain in their academic achievement and retention. The result of this study will equally assist the students when they have opportunity to expose to effective teaching strategies, for them to be more effective and efficient in their academic achievement and retention. They will acquire the needed practical skills, basic and scientific knowledge, and attitude that will make them become self-reliant and self- employed graduates.

The result will also help Biology teachers to be able to account for teaching strategies, plan and methods for effective teaching. They will be able to appropriate the use of the material resources in teaching relevant concepts as stipulated in the course content. In other words, teachers gain more insight in the skill, experience, teaching method and arrangement of available resources in line with the curriculum content which will makes their lesson real and more fascinating through the cooperation ideas.

The study will help the school administrator, government, to have precise information about effectiveness of team teaching approach for the teaching of Biology, for them to employ more professional and skillful teachers for teaching General Biology. It will also guide to acquire relevant teaching materials related to the course content.
In carrying out instructions, the instructors (Teachers) must ensure that instructional process is systematically planned and executed using appropriate materials (Ekang, Igbo, Onyemachi, Nwachukwu, Olaitan, 1994). Therefore this study will help the curriculum planners to keep abreast the relevant teaching strategies for each course content in Biology in the course of their planning. The society will in turn benefit when the unemployment among school leavers will be reduced. They will promote industrial and economic development of the country.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study focuses on the effect of team teaching on secondary school students achievement in biology in Anambra State. Specifically, this study focuses on determining the extent team teaching is used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State, determining whether team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes, determining whether team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State, and ascertain whether there exist a different between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods. The respondents for this study will be obtained from biology teachers in some selected secondary schools in Anambra State,

1.8 Limitations of the Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Biology:

Biology is the natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their physical structure, chemical processes, molecular interactions, physiological mechanisms, development and evolution

Team teaching:

A team, of instructors working purposefully, regularly, and cooperatively to help a group of students learn.

1.10 Organization of the Studies

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study, sample size determination, sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations:

5.1 Introduction

This chapter summarizes the findings on the effect of team teaching on secondary school students achievement in biology in Anambra State. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.

5.2 Summary of the Study

In this study, our focus was on The effect of team teaching on secondary school students achievement in biology in Anambra State. The study is was specifically carried out to determine the extent team teaching is used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State, determine whether team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes, determine whether team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State, and ascertain whether there exist a different between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods.

The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 35 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent were Biology teachers in some selected senior secondary schools in Anambra State.

5.3 Conclusions

In the light of the analysis carried out, the following conclusions were drawn.

The extent is team teaching used in the teaching of Biology in Anambra State is low. Team teaching enhances students participation in Biology classes.
Team teaching affects the academic performance of Biology students in Anambra State.
There is a significant difference exist between the academic performance of students taught with team teaching method and those taught with convention methods.

5.4 Recommendation

Based on the responses obtained, the researcher proffers the following recommendations:

There is dare need for biology teachers to develop interest in using team teaching approach for teaching general metalwork subjects in the class room.
Education planners should incorporate the use of team teaching approach not only in the secondary school curriculum but also in all tertiary institutions curriculum.
Biology teachers should always adopt the components of team teaching approach. This will enable them to cater for diverse learning styles of students in their classrooms and hence, improve their academic achievement and development of practical skills.
Students should always be allowed to participate actively in class by interacting freely with the teacher and their colleagues as this will improve their academic ability and performance in biology.