CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The simple fact that the child is a human organism makes it possible for him after birth, to grow mature and develop into full grown adult. According to Isangedghi (2009), as the flowers of today were in the seed of yesterday, so are the men of tomorrow in the child of today. In every home, children are accepted and depending on their peculiarities and basic feature, most outstandingly in influencing the attention and care given are the individual’s sex, giftedness, handicap and problem tendencies.
In a related study, Mash (2003) stated that the sex of a child is a very important issue in the wider society and family, thus once a child is born, the first question asked is, what is sex? From the moment, people’s attitudes, expectations and indeed attention given depends on whether the child is male or female depending however on sex the parent had desired for the newly born child. In this consent emphasis is place on the sex or gender of individual in relationship to choice of subjects in specific and education in general. At this point, it is pertinent to give concern to the word’s “Gender” and “sex” and their usage in this study.
Gender Differences And Academics Performance Of Secondary School Students In Biology
The Word gender, according to Turnball and Ley (2012) is the condition of being male or female. It is also seen as one’s sex. Simplifying further, the researcher sees the males to be boys and men while the females are the girls and women.
Kimble (2005) stated that in order of importance must cultures tend to attach greater value to males and females, and that affects how they are attended. Relating the above to this context, it is a well-known fact that presently, education has been made assessable to children; not really considering the gender as it was in three to four decades ago.
The struggle to excel among the male and female over the years had drawn the attention of researchers to closely examine what the cases are in the education of male and female children. Among the outcome of their findings was the common issue “Gender and academic performance”.
Biology is the science which study living thing, living things have certain characteristic which distinguish them from non-living. Living things move, grow, respire, excrete, respond to stimuli, reproduce, feed and eventually die. The experts who are handling Biology are called Biologist. The wide range of knowledge available today and the discovery of physics and chemistry have helped Biologist to understand more about living organisms. Biology is of the three core subjects which are taught in secondary schools as an evolutionary development and man’s surrounding. Biology is divided into two branches, Zoology and Botany.
Nwosu and Nzewi,(1998), using observations and systematic experimentation in studying the universe. It helps the child to acquire.
- Relevant knowledge and appreciation of our universe and its phenomena.
- Process skill that sense as actualization.
Moreover, the nature of science demands the use of hands-on, minds on activities through which the learners will explore the environment and construct their aim concept of the universe as indicated by the science education objectives. These learners come from homes and communities where they interact with other people and things –education should therefore help to raise a generation of people that can think for themselves, solve problems make rational decisions, respect the view and feedings of others, respect the dignity of labour, appreciate the societal values and live as good citizens.
Gender Differences And Academics Performance Of Secondary School Students In Biology
1.2 Statement of the Problems
Biology is good science subject for both boys and girls in senior secondary schools. It is required not only for the promotion to the next class or for senior secondary school certificate but also forms the foundation on which future science depends.
The performance of students in this important subject has been poor in schools. This is why the researcher in this study6 looks to consider the effects of gender and academic performance of secondary school student’s in Biology in Onna Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The study was carried out to assess Gender differences and academics performance of Secondary School Students in Biology in Onna Local Government Area.
Specifically the study is designed to find out thus:
- i) The difference between the performance in Biology male students from urban schools and female students in urban schools.
- ii) The difference in performance in Biology between male students in rural school and female students in rural school.
iii) To draw governments attention to organizing seminars and workshops for teachers to show them the effect of gender and academic performance on our learners.
1.4 Significance of the Study
Specifically, the students, parent’s teachers and the general public will benefit from the study. The research is carried-out with the intention that data and information obtained will be added to the poor already existing knowledge in the area of achievement in Biology at senior secondary school. The research will bring to our awareness that every student, no matter the sex should have equal education.
The research will enable the students to show negative attitudes because in hinder their learning abilities.The research will help to advise the parents on how they should counsel their children for a good future career. The general public will benefit from this work as they will add gender and academic performance to the grantors causing failure among learners and use the recommendations to other problems.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypothesis were formulated to guide the study.
i) There is no significant difference in the performance in secondary school biology between male and female students in the performance in biology secondary school biology between male and female students in
ii) There is no significance difference in the performance in secondary school biology between male and female students in rural schools.
1.6 Limitation of the Study
Specifically the major limitation faced by research were that of duration and finance on duration the one semester allow for the study was too short to enable the researched cover wider area for investigation lack of finance also posed some problems as there was no much money to visit more school for data collection.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
This work is kept under controls by limiting it to Onna local government alone concern was on the senior secondary two students alone
1.8 Definition of Terms
The following term are defined as defined as used in this context
Gender: This is the classification of sex attributes to either male or female or it could be said as classification of humans by sex, example male or boy, female or girl.
Academic performance: This could be refers to as the outcome of the students after a test or an examination that is the result
Urban: This is an area pertaining to city, more populated and well developed.
Rural: An area pertaining to village; less populated and under developed.
