CHAPTER
FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY, SUGGESTIONS AND SUMMARY.
5.1 Discussion of findings
This chapter discusses issues that
follow from the preceding chapters, evaluating, respondent view from the data
obtained in this research work.
Implications limitations and
suggestion for further study are discussed.
Research Question 1
Sought to ascertain in what ways the lack of qualified and motivated biology teachers are consequential to the teaching of the subject. The result (table 2) obtained revealed that 98% of the respondents agree that the inability of the teacher to explain the lessons very well is one of the consequences of lack of qualified and motivated biology teachers, while 2% disagree. 94% agree to inability to apply knowledge of biology in appropriate area of life, while 6% disagree. 97% agree to students loss of interest in biology, while 3% disagree. 94% agree to low practical knowledge of biology, while 6% disagree. 95% agree to tiring owing to the volume and ambiguity, while 5% disagree.
Consequently, it is
observed that all the items in table 2 are the ways in which lack of qualified
and motivated biology teachers affect the teaching of biology. 98% of the
respondents agree while 5% disagree. This tallies with Agunyegon (1980). He
noted that there exists a relationship between teachers qualification and
students performance.
Research Question 2
aimed at finding out the extent of conformity of teaching method and techniques in teaching biology in secondary schools with what is required. The result in table 3 revealed that 96% agree that the teaching method and techniques do not conform to what is required, while 4% disagree. 94% agree that it is far from requirement, while 6% disagree. 35% agree that it connect properly, while 65% disagree. 32% agree that it is appropriate while 68% disagree. 97% agree that it is out of place, while 3% disagree.
From the available
record, it is evident that the method and techniques used in teaching biology
in secondary schools do not conform to what is required.
This corroborates with the
WAEC Acting HRDH officer’s report (2001,2002,2003,2005), which held that
failure in biology is due to non use of the necessary methods and techniques to
impact the knowledge by teaching in order to ensure that learning takes place.
Research question 3
Probed the status and functionality of biology laboratories in secondary schools. The Result as seen in table 4 shows that 21% agree that biology laboratory is adequately equipped, while 79% disagree. 66% agree that biology laboratory is not adequately equipped, while 34% disagree. 75% agree that biology laboratory is poorly equipped, while 25% disagree. 72% agree that there is no separate biology laboratory, but joint science laboratory, while 28%disagree. 30% agree that there is separate biology laboratory, while 70% disagree. 54% agree that there is no laboratory at all, while 46% disagree. “21% agree while 46% disagreed”. This is in tandem with WAEC chief Examiners reports (2001, 2002, 2003,) on failure in biology which blames failure on the lack of adequately equipped laboratories for teaching through participatory demonstration of biology.Research Question 4
is an attempt to disclose how frequent and efficient biology practical classes are carried out in secondary schools.
Here, the result in (table 5) shows
that
2.
|
Demonstration of practical exercises:
|
|||||
(a)
|
Done by individuals
|
100
|
10
|
10
|
90
|
90
|
(b)
|
Done in groups
|
100
|
30
|
30
|
70
|
70
|
(c)
|
Done by the teachers only
|
100
|
60
|
60
|
40
|
40
|
3
|
Discussion of exercise and results after demonstration:
|
|||||
(a)
|
Consistently
|
100
|
21
|
21
|
79
|
79
|
(b)
|
Inconsistently
|
100
|
76
|
76
|
24
|
24
|
(c)
|
Once in a while
|
100
|
25
|
25
|
75
|
75
|
(d)
|
Not at all
|
100
|
72
|
72
|
28
|
28
|
Looking at table 5, the response to
the frequency of practical classes is as follows:
100% disagree to once in a week and
once in two weeks. 10% agree to once in a month and once in a term, while 90%
disagree. 30% agree to once in a while, while 70% disagree. 50% to not at all,
while 50% disagree.
As for who demonstrates the practical
exercise, 10% agree that it was done by individuals, while 90% disagree. 30%
agree that it was done by groups, while 70% disagree. 60% agree that it was
done by the teacher, while 40% disagree.
Discussion of exercise
and results after demonstrations was responded to as follows:
21% agree to consistently, while 79%
disagree. 76% agree to not consistently, while 24% disagree. 25% agree to once
in a while, while 75% disagree. 72% agree to not at all, while 28% disagree.
The result here is in contrast with
what it ought to be and quite distant from the view of Clough (1968). He
believes that the discovery method leaves the students to using their own initiative
to come up with tests and results in biology practicals. He further suggested
frequent and efficient laboratory demonstrations so as to carry both fast and
slow learners.
Research question 5 Aimed at finding out how well the schools are provided with infrastructural
facilities.
S/N
|
Item statement
|
No of respondents
|
A
|
A%
|
D
|
D%
|
1
|
Adequate
|
100
|
23
|
23
|
77
|
77
|
2
|
Inadequate
|
100
|
62
|
62
|
38
|
38
|
3
|
Not serious
|
100
|
81
|
81
|
19
|
19
|
4
|
No Interest at all
|
100
|
35
|
35
|
65
|
65
|
Table 6 reveals that 23% agree that
provision of infrastructural facilities to the school by the government is
adequate while 77% disagree. 62% agree that it is inadequate, while 38%
disagree. 81% agree that the government is not serious while 19% disagree. 35%
agree that government does not show interest at all while 65% disagree.
From the analysis so far,
it can be seen that the government provides infrastructural facilities to the
schools, but the Provision is inadequate. Effective teaching and learning can
not take place without the required infrastructural facilities.
5.2 Conclusion
This research worked
centered on the factors militating against the effective teaching of biology in
secondary schools in Ikwo local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Based on the
research questions illustrated under discussing of findings, a lot of results
demonstrate that the factors militating against the effective teaching of
biology in secondary schools in Ikwo local government area are:
v Lack of qualified and motivated
biology teachers.
v Non use of appropriate teaching
methods and techniques to teach the subject.
v Lack of adequately equipped biology
laboratories in secondary schools.
v In-frequent and inefficient biology
practical classes and inadequate provision of infrastructural facilities in
secondary schools.
Addressing them will reposition
the status of biology in Nigeria. As the core of life, science and studies,
teaching of the subject needs to be effective. This will improve the
performance of all that study or apply biology in life and works.
5.3 Educational implication.
It is evident that the essence
of teaching is that while the teacher is teaching, the learner should learn.
But where this and hedge is broken and teaching is ineffective there is bound
to be a miscarriage of purpose. Not only that student do not learn what they
should learn owing to ineffective teaching, but that their performances in
exams and excelling in the disciplines in biology are affected. These results
in the release of half baked students. Many students have lost interest in life
science courses because biology was not effectively taught to them. The
findings imply that there is great responsibility to that part of the teachers,
students and government in repositioning the status of biology.
5.4 Recommendations
Based on the findings of this work,
the researcher recommends the following to ensure effective teaching of biology
in secondary schools.
1. Government and private school
proprietors should engage qualified biology teachers with a minimum
qualification of NCE.
2. There is need to organize regular
training and retraining of the biology teachers to enhance effective teaching.
3. Government and School proprietors
should be sponsoring their teachers to attend conferences, seminars and
workshops so as to update their knowledge and to embrace the advancement in
biology.
4. Teaching profession generally should
be made to be attractive and lucrative, through an enhanced salary packages and
other mouth watering incentives.
5. There is need to have teachers with
degrees such as 1st Degree, Masters degree, PHD holders and even
professors who majored in biology education to teach the subject in our
secondary schools while the salary and other benefits enjoyed by their
colleagues in the university and other higher institutions of learning should
be extended to them, this will go a long way raising students with good
biological foundation.
6. Biology teachers should ensure that
they use appropriate teaching methods and techniques whenever they are teaching
the students.
7. Supervision/Monitoring of schools by
government agencies should be re-invigorated with sense of commitment and
seriousness while earring students and teachers should be punished.
8. Government and school proprietors
should as matter of urgency provide adequately equipped biology laboratories in
our secondary school.
9. There is need for government at all
level to make adequate budgetary provision in our education sector.
10.
Biology
practical classes should be frequently and efficiently conducted by the
teachers while students should be made to participate effectively in the
demonstration exercise in the laboratory and proper assessment and evaluating
measures employed.
11.
Government
and private school proprietors should supply basic infrastructural facilities
to carter for the needs of the teachers and students. These should be adequate
to enhance the conditions around the residential, administrative, academic and
recreational facilities of the school.
5.5 Limitations of the study
Some difficulties were encountered
during the course of this study such as difficulty in convincing respondents
that the information needed from them was strictly for academic purpose and
nothing more. So much time was spent to establish rapport with the respondents.
Owing to time constraint and limited resources, the research could not cover
wider area. The fact that only ten (10) schools were used further limited the
representative quality of the data collected. Also the researcher could not go
further than the limit of his finance. Despite all this problems the method of
data collection yielded very well. The sources were resourceful.
5.6. Suggestions for further studies
1. Assessment of the effectiveness of
teaching methods and techniques for teaching biology.
2. Influence of biology laboratory on
the performance of students in SSCE biology.
5.7. Summary of the study.
The aim of this study was to investigate
the factors militating against the effective teaching of biology.
The following questions
were formulated to guide the study.
1. How does the lack of qualified and
motivated teachers affects the teaching of biology in the secondary schools?
2. Do methods and techniques used in
teaching biology in secondary school conform to what is required?
3. Are there adequately equipped biology
laboratories to demonstrate the experiments outlined in the subjects scheme of
work?
4. How frequent and efficient are
biology practical classes conducted?
5. How well are the schools provided
with infrastructural facilities?
The research design adopted was
descriptive survey design. The area of study was Ikow Local Government Area of
Ebonyi State. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire, the data
analysis was in percentage and in a frequency table.
In the study, the follow findings were
made from the result:
i.
Lack
of qualified and motivated teachers militate against the effective teaching of
biology
ii.
Methods
and techniques used in teaching biology in secondary schools do not conform to
what is required.
iii.
Schools
lack adequately equipped biology laboratories.
iv.
Biology
practical classes are infrequent and students participation in the
demonstration of practical exercises is low, and there is no effective
discussion of issues from the practicals.
v.
Schools
are not adequately provided with infrastructural facilities
Finally, the researcher
stated the implications, recommendations, limitations and suggestions for
further studies.
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