School Facilities In The Teaching Of Biology And Students Academic Performance In Abia State

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the influence of school facilities in the teaching of biology and students academic performance in Aba North, Abia state. The study was specifically carried out to ascertain whether adequate classroom facilities promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary schools; ascertain whether an adequate availability of instructional materials enhances the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school; ascertain whether adequate provision of school laboratories improves the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school; and ascertain whether an adequate availability of school library promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of biology teachers of some selected senior secondary schools in Aba North, Abia state. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 41 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. While the hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation statistical tool, SPSS v23. The result of the findings reveals that there is a significant relationship between the availability of school facilities and students academic performance in biology. Therefore, it is recommended that Federal government should most importantly provide needed funding that supports state and local educational efforts and to help build and modernize educational facilities. To mention but a few.

Table of Content

Title Page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Table of Content
List of Tables
Abstract

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 Organisations 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

Chapter Five:

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
References
APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

The school is generally accepted to be a social agent that provides the environment upon which a child may be formally educated in order to attain educational goals. Human beings have unlimited capacity to learn but may however be limited by the behaviour patterns and facilities that the school environment offers. According to Umoh (2014) nature only provides the raw materials in form of potentials but it is the environment that determines the extent of development.

Ekanem (2011) has shown that the school facilities assist teachers in making their lessons explicit to learners. Eneh and Nkang (2011) in postulation theory of cognitive development have shown that learners in schools function at the operational stage of mental development, one of the characteristics of the students at this stage of development is that they hardly remember what they learn except taught in concrete form. It is when learning experiences are made in concrete form that learners can remember what they learn and one way of making learning experiences concrete is by teaching the students with school facilities such as, library, laboratory facilities and sporting facilities among others.

Akinfolarin (2013) identified school facilities are the major factor contributing to the teaching and learning effectiveness in the school system. These include equipped laboratories and libraries. Different studies conducted by Ayodele (2010) and Vandiver (2011) showed that a positive relationship exists between the utilization of facilities in schools and academic performance of students. Similarly, Miller (2012) asserted that the teaching of sciences could be made easy and interesting for students if the facilities such as laboratory facilities and library facilities in the school are available and utilized in the teaching and learning process. It is also noted that a well prepared instruction could be destroyed by non-availability or improper utilization of school facilities by the teachers. According to Boniface (2012) utilization of laboratory resources and library facilities in teaching assists the teachers as the manager of the instructional process in the arrangement of the mechanism of the presentation and also in planning the whole instructional process and limited or completely absence of these facilities could pose a serious problem in the teaching of sciences. Again few available ones are sometimes not utilized in the teaching-learning process making teaching to be in effective.

It will be against this background that it will becomes necessary to investigate the extent to which the utilization of school facilities influence the academic performance of students of Biology in secondary schools in Abia State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills and attitude from the teacher to the learners. In Nigeria for example, experience has shown that spoken words done in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective and inefficient in producing desired learning outcomes. Every year, when the results of public examinations are released, there has been mass failure in Biology. On the fore-going scholars like Ekong (2014) have emphasized that we learn and remember 10% of what we hear, 40% of what we discuss with others and as high as 80% of what we experience directly or practice. However, the question is could the mass failure be attributed to lack of school facilities to be used by teachers during the teaching and learning process? And could the availability of library facilities and laboratory facilities in schools enhance the academic performance of students in Biology. Finding answers to these questions and many more will summarizes the entire problem of this study.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The primary aim of this study is to assess the influence of school facilities in the teaching of biology and students academic performance in Abia state. Other aims of this study are:

Ascertain whether adequate classroom facilities promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary schools.
Ascertain whether an adequate availability of instructional materials enhances the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.
Ascertain whether adequate provision of school laboratories improves the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.
Ascertain whether an adequate availability of school library promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guide this study.

Does adequate classroom facilities promote the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary schools?
Does an adequate availability of instructional materials enhance the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school?
Does an adequate provision of school laboratories improve the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school?
Does an adequate availability of school library promote the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the availability of school facilities and students academic performance in biology.
Ha: There is a significant relationship between the availability of school facilities and students academic performance in biology.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will help to determine to what extent the availability of necessary facilities like, libraries, school building laboratories and textbooks in schools would facilitate effective teaching of biology as well as attaining high academic achievement of students. It would therefore inform stake holders in the education sector such as policy maker, government functionaries, academicians the need for the provision of these school facilities.

Finally, this study will serve as existing material for future reference and further studies.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study will be focused on the influence of school facilities in the teaching of biology and students academic performance in Abia state. The study will carried out among selected secondary schools in Aba North, Abia State.

I.8 Limitations of the Study

This study will be limited to educational facilities and its impact on academic performance on senior secondary school students. It shall not be focusing on junior secondary school students neither shall it be focusing on other impacts and academic performance and as such the results of this findings cannot be used on junior secondary school students performance and neither can it be used to solve other problems affecting academic performance.

This study will be limited to Ikolaban High School in Ibadan North Local Government of Oyo State. Results cannot be used in other parts of the country.

1.9. Definition of Terms

Influence:

The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Academic Performance:

Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects

Secondary School:

Secondary school is an educational institution where the second stage of the three schooling periods, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age takes place

School Facilities:

This refers to all provision which include physical materials or equipment within the environment of the school which help to facilitate effective teaching –learning process and educational goals.

1.10 Organization of the Study

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, abnd 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 educational facilities and their influence on the academic achievement of students in senior secondary schools in Ibadan using Ikolaban High school in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State as a case study. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.

5.2 Summary of the Study

In this study, our focus was to examine the influence of school facilities in the teaching of biology and students academic performance in Aba North, Abia state. The study is was specifically carried out to ascertain whether adequate classroom facilities promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary schools; ascertain whether an adequate availability of instructional materials enhances the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school; ascertain whether adequate provision of school laboratories improves the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school; and ascertain whether an adequate availability of school library promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.

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 of some selected senior secondary schools in Aba North, Abia state.

5.3 Conclusions

Based on the findings of this study, the researcher concluded that;

Adequate classroom facilities promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary schools.
An adequate availability of instructional materials enhances the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.
Adequate provision of school laboratories improves the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.
An adequate availability of school library promotes the effective teaching of biology and students academic in senior secondary school.

5.4 Recommendation

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

Federal government should most importantly provide needed funding that supports state and local educational efforts and to help build and modernize educational facilities.
The government and other education stakeholders should improve the quantity and quality of education facilities and the teaching staff in secondary schools so as to improve students performance.
Government should appoint school inspectors to inspect educational facilities in order to access their extent implementation, efficiency, and effectiveness with respect to students satisfactions and teachers performance.
The state government should develop more useful and reliable policies for provision and distribution of educational facilities and resources in the state. They should develop incentive programs of state funding in order to assist local school systems with their maintenance tasks, and provide free textbooks for the students. Or the cost of essential textbooks should be subsidized.
There should be a conductive teaching and learning environment, hence government should as a matter of urgency build more classes in secondary schools. Also there is the need to recruit more qualified teachers in all subject areas.

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