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A SURVEY OF
LABORATORY FACILITIES FOR TEACHING BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The study
tried to find out if laboratory facilities are available and used in teaching
biology. In carrying out this study, 60 respondents were selected from
different schools and Questionnaire on Science Practical Facilities in Schools
(QSPFS) was developed Percentage, mean and chi-square at 0.05 level of
significant were used to test the hypotheses. The results of the study showed
that there are inadequate laboratory facilities in senior secondary schools in
Lagos State and teachers have a positive attitude towards the conduct of
practical activities. The implication for policy and practice respectively
drawn from the study are that: inadequate science laboratory facilities will
hamper teachers’ job performance;teaching without laboratory facilities is an
abstract teaching which can cause poor academic achievement among students in
biology.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Background
to the Study
Within the
science education community and beyond practical work is carried out by
students as an essential component of science education program (Bajah, 2004).
Questions have, however, been raised by some science educators about its
effectiveness as a teaching and learning strategy. Practical work was generally
effective in getting students to do what is intended with physical objects, but
much less effective in getting them to use the intended scientific ideas to
guide their actions and reflect upon the data they collect.
According to
Abimbola (2008), the use of the laboratory method of teaching science in
general, Biology in particular has become a dogma among science educators and
teachers. On the one hand, they extolled the importance of the use of the
laboratory method in science teaching while on the other hand, they only pay
"lip service" to its use in practice. Science teachers do not usually
find it convenient to make laboratory work the centre of their instruction.
They usually complain of lack of materials and equipment to carry out practical
work. At the same time, it is possible that some of these materials and
equipment may be locked up in the school laboratory store without teachers
being aware of their existence.
The
conditions under which many teachers function do not engender any enthusiasm to
use the laboratory method of teaching science even where they know that these
materials and equipment are available. Class size in urban schools is getting
larger and this does not usually encourage teachers to use the laboratory
method to teach Biology. In some states of the country, teachers go for months
without salary owing to shortage of funds (Daramola, 2004). Biology teachers
who fall in this category cannot reasonably be expected to give off their best
to their students (Ndu, 2008).
Higher
institutions in Nigeria charged with the responsibility of training science
teachers at all levels, are increasingly turning out teachers without requisite
laboratory experience. In the view of Abimbola (2008), a common reason usually
given is shortage of laboratory facilities. Such trained science teachers
especially the Biology teachers usually lack the necessary confidence to
conduct practical classes with their students. Peirce (2008) opines that
government seems to have given up on their capacity to equip all school
laboratories. They have therefore resorted to designating selected schools as
"science schools" that they equipped with their meager resources. They
usually use the traditional help received from the Federal Government in
equipping school laboratories for these science schools.
According to
international standard, science laboratory for junior secondary science labs
should provide a minimum of 1,000 net square feet, while secondary school labs
should provide a minimum of 1,100 net square feet. Each laboratory and each
science classroom should be provided with an instructor’s or demonstration desk
with acid resistant top, sink and utility connections; however, when a science
classroom is provided and laboratory work only is planned for the laboratory,
the instructor’s or demonstration desk may be omitted from the science
classroom.
Fume hoods
should be installed in all laboratories where flammable or toxic vapors or
airborne particulates are generated. Eye wash facilities, fire blanket, and
safety deluge shower, portable ABC rated fire extinguishers, and master shutoff
controls for gas and electricity should be provided in all laboratories.
Gas outlets
should be placed in science rooms where required by the program. Middle and
high science rooms should provide gas only to the demonstration table.
Each science
laboratory should have at least one fixed or portable work station that
provides access to students in wheelchairs and all areas should be adequately
ventilated so that exposure to hazardous or toxic materials is eliminated.
Hoods shall exhaust directly to the outside and should be located away from
building air intake or other openings.
In Nigeria
settings, the white paper on science laboratory requires secondary school
laboratory to have a standard room size /dimension Lab size-36.5ft.x20ft with
capacity to accommodate a group of 25 students in a practical class with
entrance hydrolytic door. Laboratory stools at least 25 Stackable seminar
chairs should be of suitable height to provide ample leg space under the table
and should have broad leg area for stability. Floor with non-skid tiling resist
strong acid and alkali, but also resist scratch, fading, ageing, and strain
resistant. It is free from solvent and non-toxic. Teacher’s table and chair
must be slightly higher in height than routine school furniture for better
monitoring and demonstrations. Marble plate and ceramic plate not only resist
strong acid and alkali but also resist starch, fading, ageing, high
temperature(below1200c) and stain resistant. Proper drainage with covered
dustbins below the table with proper electric points, fitted with water supply.
Water supply Lab must have at least four outlets and four wash basins. Fire
Extinguisher at least one meant for all types of fires. White boards and
magnetic white boards located at suitable height to be easily visible.
In 1988, a
report published in the Florida Science Teachers Magazine, Spring Edition,
1988, by Phillip Horton entitled "Class Size and Lab Safety in
Florida" documented that over 55% of the science classes had enrollments
teachers considered to be "potentially unsafe" for lab work. The
average class size in these "unsafe" classrooms was 31 students. Of
the 45% of the science classrooms teachers considered to be "safe",
the average class size was 23 students. One high school teacher surveyed had
two classes where the number of students was within the designed enrollment
capacity and three classes where enrollments exceeded the room capacity.
Contrasting the number of accidents between
the first two periods and the last three class size does make a significant
difference in traffic flow, individual monitoring, and understanding of the
students!" The facts are clear, increasing the number of students in a
science laboratory increases the likelihood of accidents. A high pupil/teacher
ratio constitutes a threat to laboratory safety.
There was
little evidence that the cognitive challenge of linking observables to ideas is
recognized by those who design practical activities for science lessons.
Tasks rarely
incorporated explicit strategies to help students to make such links, or were
presented in class in ways that reflected the size of the learning demand. The
analytical framework used in this study offers a means of assessing the
learning demand of practical tasks, and the effects on students’ academic
performance.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The roles of
practical class in science subjects during teaching and learning process are
often been overlooked in secondary education. The attitude of schools towards
science practical have not been positive in the recent times as a lot of
schools have science equipment which have never been used or are hardly used.
In some cases, school laboratories are underequipped while some schools do not
even have science laboratories and this may be the reason for general poor performance
in science related courses (Esan, 2005).
Practical
work follows the basic principle of Learning by doing. Students get opportunity
to actively participate in the learning process. But difficulties in organizing
practical classes for students have made the learning abstract (Ojo, 2009).
Some teachers have been discovered to be good in theoretical aspect of teaching
but they often fall short of expectation when it comes to practical aspect due
to their unfamiliarity with nature of the work.
1.3 Purpose of Study
The purpose
of this study is to find out if:
1. Practical facilities are adequate in
senior secondary schools based on Nigerian minimum standard.
2. Teachers have a positive attitude towards
the conduct of practicals.
1.4 Research Questions
The
following questions guided the study:
1. Are there adequate laboratory facilities
in senior secondary schools?
2. What are the teachers’ attitudes towards
the conduct of practicals?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The
following hypotheses guided the study:
1. There are inadequate laboratory
facilities in senior secondary schools
2. Teachers have a negative attitude towards
the conduct of practicals
1.6 Significance of Study
The finding
of this study should be taking as positive contribution to plant planning in
secondary school. The study will also encourage the state ministry of
education, state primary education board, the Heads of private schools and
school managers in provision of science facilities that will stimulate a high
level of participation in the students in practicals and increase their
knowledge of the subject matter since knowledge is better appreciated from
active participation.
This study
will also allow students know the importance of practicals in biology and this
will help to improve their participation in the class.
The
curriculum planners will use the result of this study to evaluate the existing
curriculum in line with the available facilities in the biology laboratory, with
a view of reviewing same to meet the realities on ground and setting obtainable
curriculum for biology practicals in senior secondary school.
This study
will bring to fore the attitude (positive or negative) of teachers towards the
conduct of biology praticals in senior secondary schools.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study
covered senior secondary schools in Orile Agege Local Council Development Area
of Lagos State. Both secondary and primary source of data were available for
use.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The
following terms have been defined operationally as follows:
Perception:
the way you think about or understand something
Laboratory:
has to do with performing experiment
Attitude: a
state of mind or disposition
Practical:
of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory
and ideas.
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