Abstract: The study Teaching Resources Improvisation and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Biology. Research hypotheses were formulated and tested. The population consisted of all SS2 students in the public secondary school in Etinan Local Government Area which is estimated to be two thousand and seventy five (2075). One hundred and twenty senior secondary two (SS2) students were randomly selected from six secondary schools in Etinan Local Government Area. A quasi-experimental research design was employed in the study. Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was the instrument for data collection. Statistical tools used were mean, standard deviation and t-test.
The findings showed that students taught using improvised teaching resources achieved academically better than those taught without and that there was no significant difference in the academic achievement of male and female students taught using improvised teaching resources. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made toward improving students’ academic achievement. Prominent among these recommendations include: Resourceful teachers should utilize local materials from the environment in teaching biology concepts in secondary schools. Seminars, workshop and conferences should be organized for science teachers especially biology teachers to ensure that techniques of improvisation form an internal part of in service training.
Teaching Resources Improvisation and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Biology
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Learning and teaching is the concern of a trained teacher. But learning is a complex process. It can however be defined as a change in disposition, a relatively change in behaviour over-time and this is brought about by experience (Adeyanju, 2007).
Learning can occur as a result of newly acquired skill, knowledge, perception, facts, principles, new information at hand etc (Adeyanju, 2007).
According to Agun (2003), learning can be reinforced by the teacher with teaching resources improvisation of different variety because these learning aids stimulate, motivate as well as arrest learner’s attention for a while during the instructional process. The source explained that teaching resources are instructional materials and devices through which teaching and learning are done as far as biology as a subject is concern in schools.
Okunrotifa (2007) have examples of teaching resources to include visual aids, audio aids, audio-visual aids, real objects and many others. The visual aids are designed materials that may be locally made or commercially produced. They come in form of wall charts, illustrated pictures, pictorial materials, puppets and models. There are also audio-visual aids. These are teaching machines like radio, television and all sorts of projectors with sound attributes.
Akanbi (2008) specifically notes that whenever teachers taught with some teaching resources, their students get more stimulated because the learning aids used make the learners (students) to become more attentive. In addition, students positive attitude generate more interest for the lesson they teach. As a result, students participate better in class activity. This in-turn enhanced academic achievement of students in biology in secondary school.
In the opinion of Agun (2003), there is need for teachers to improvise teaching resources for effective delivery of lessons effectively in the classroom. Accordingly, the dwindling of economic fortune of the country makes it imperative that biology teachers should improvise teaching resources using resources available within the local environment. Most educational institutions cannot afford to depend on imported materials; hence, there is need for teachers and their students to improvise teaching and learning materials. For example, scale models of human anatomy, such as the human skeleton, muscular system and nervous systems can be used to show students what parts of the human body looks like up close. This is by engaging students by providing 3-dimensional models related to the current area of study in biology. This can enhance effective teaching and learning of biology thus improves academic achievement of school students in the subject.
Teaching resources improvised by the teachers, when used in the teaching-learning process have strong impression on the minds of the students. Its effect on the students helps to bridge the gap between reality and abstract. According to Ogunbi (2001), when teaching resources are improvised by the teacher and use effectively, it makes learning more interesting and lively. It also helps to retain interest of the learners during the delivery of biology lessons in the classroom.
As put forward by Akanbi (2008), improvised teaching resources are relatively cheaper than the imported or standard resources. They are easily available for use by biology teachers. Also, improvisation of teaching resources by the teacher creates an opportunity for students to participate in the provision of teaching materials. It affords students the opportunity to exhibit such creative skill while participating in the provision of some of the teaching resource use for the delivery of biology lessons. This will aid greatly in their academic achievement.
With these background and more, the study examine teaching resources improvisation and academic achievement of secondary school students in biology in Etinan Local Government Area.
Teaching Resources Improvisation and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Biology
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Biology as a subject is activity oriented and resource-based. This is inadequate utilization of learning resources within the learners’ environment by biology teachers. This suggests that the mastery of biology concepts cannot be fully achieved without the use of learning materials in teaching the subject. So the teaching of biology without learning materials might result to poor academic achievement and lack of interest in the subject among students.
It should be noted that many biology teachers lack the skills and basic tools for designing and producing of teaching resources. They also lack the will or determination to improvise teaching resources and the culture of improvisation has not been well developed in our teacher education programme. This has greatly resulted in poor academic achievement among biology students. The study therefore, attempts to investigate the influence of improvised teaching resources on academic achievement of biology students.
