ABSTRACT: This study investigated the Effect Of Realia Materials Utilization And Academic Performance Of Students In Biology. A quasi-experimental research design was employed in the study. 1676 Biology students from the study area from the population of the study. Simple random sampling technique was used in selected of schools while stratified random sampling technique was used to select 200 respondents for the study. Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was the major instrument for data collection; the data generated from the Biology Achievement Test were analyzed using independent t-test statistics.
Effect Of Realia Materials Utilization And Academic Performance Of Students In Biology
The result showed that students taught Biology with the use of realia materials perform academically better than those taught Biology without using realia materials. The result also revealed that male students taught Biology with realia materials perform academically better than their female counterparts. It was therefore recommended that teachers should select and use realia materials always in school for the teaching of Biology as this will go a long way to develop their proficiency thereby increase students academic performance in the subject.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Societies all over the world have use education as an instrument for the administration of National interest and conservative. Education is an instrument per excellence for effective national development, it foster the worth and development of the individual salve and the general development of the society (National Policy on Education 2004). All these call for function education for the promotion of a programme needs to be relevant, practical and comprehensive while interest and ability should determined the individual direction.
Real materials which are educational inputs are of vital importance to the teaching of any subject in the school curriculum. Wales (2007) was of the opinion that the use of real materials in teaching will make discovered facts glued firmly to the memory of students. Savoury (2005) also added that, a well planned and imaginative use of real materials in lesson would do much to banish apathy, supplement inadequately of books as well as arouse students interest by given the students something practical to see and do, and at the same time encouraging them to remain those items seen in their memory.
He also said that, selection and use of Realia which are related to the basic contents of a course or a lesson, helps in-depth understanding of such a lesson by the students in that they make the lesson attractive to them, thereby arresting their attention and thus, motivating them to learn. Savoury (2009) maintain that using realia in class interaction will limit an imagination and stimulates the mind which will interned encourage creativity by involving the sense. Realia saves time as recognition of objects is immediate and so cuts out the need for lengthily explanations and drawing funny picture on the board.
Udoh (2009), agreed that Realia material makes learning to become real and immediate, he also added that the utilization of racial materials during the teaching and learning of biology a subject emphasizes understanding and practical education and discourage role learning. The utilization if the racial materials make access to education to be more equal and plentitude for all learners.
According to Sunday, (2007) Racial are real things or objects (as opposed to representation or models) as they are without alternation, they include coin, tools artifacts plant and animal among others specimen, exhibits, and cut-away objects are some of the classifications used for realia which have great value in vitality every subjects. It is very relevant in learning of science subject like biology, because realia materials make students to have interest in the learning of biology. Realia eliminate distortion in students knowledge on the topics being taught. He identify the relevant of realia materials in the teaching learning process which include:
(1) Realia materials makes learning to become real and immediate.
(2) The utilization of realia materials emphasizes understanding and practical education and discourages role learning.
(3) The utilization of realia materials make access to education more equal and prettified for all learn as.
(4) Real materials have power to increase rate of learning and at the same time allow teacher to use more time on other gainful activity.
(5) Learners are encourage to be involves in the process of learning. This intern enhances the achievement of behaviour objectives and gives instruction more scientific base.
Since the learners have seen the real materials of the lesson it become more interesting and cannot be forgotten in their memory. With this it against this background that, this research was conducted to investigate the effect of realia materials utilization and academic performance of Biology student in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
Effect Of Realia Materials Utilization And Academic Performance Of Students In Biology
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Student persistent poor performance in the subject of biology has been the main concern to all and sundry. It is a known fact that biology is a core subject required not only for placement into tertiary institution, but also form the foundation on which future programme of studies I science and technology is based unfortunately, for some years now, the performance of students in this subject (Biology) has been poor throughout the state beyond (Adebule, 2004).
This performance has been attributed to a lot of factors by which different researchers in recent years one of such factors is teaching method adopted by Biology teachers in teaching the subject. Experience has also shown that the use of realia materials in the teaching and learning of this important subject aids students to participate rigorously and about efficient learning experience.
However, this therefore made the researcher to carry out this study to examine is influence of the use of realia material and academic performance of student in Biology in Secondary Schools.
