ABSTRACT: This study find out influence of Environmental Resources and the Teaching and Learning of Science Subjects in Secondary Schools. To guide the researcher, two research questions were formulated. The study adopted a survey research design. Sample size of two hundred and twenty four (224) respondents were randomly selected for the study using simple random sampling, major instrument for data collection was environmental resources questionnaire for both teachers and students. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentage statistics to find out extent of utilization of environmental resources in the teaching and learning of basic science. Result revealed that textbooks, maps, models, handlens, live insects, live snails, flowers and other are mostly used by teacher and students for effective teaching and learning of science subjects in the study Area. Based on this findings, it was recommended among others that government should provide laboratories and library materials for effective teaching and learning of basic science. It was also recommended that live objects within the environment should be fully used in teaching and learning of basic science.
Environmental Resources And The Teaching And Learning Of Science Subjects In Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
There is a growing assertion that environmental resources have strong relationship with the teaching and learning process in schools. This is predicated on observation that a group of children with nearly the same intelligent quotient (IQ) may show a glaring disparity when exposed to the same instructional materials. The cause of such disparities puzzles even the teacher who is supposed to provide readymade answer to such disparities. What the child learns in his environment prepares him for his formal education. Thus, the role of environment as it applies to academic orientation of the child is highly indispensable This has been identified by many scholars and educationists such as Mege (2014), Lyon (2001) and Chuma (2012).
According to Umoh 2006), nature only provides the raw materials in form of potentials to the child but it is the environment that determines the extent of development of the child. In furtherance to the in menace of low academic performance which had been on the high strain in Nigeria academic system and had eaten deep into the quality of students and eventual leaders produced into the Nigerian economy. Bloom and Offiong (2002) in trying to justify this, claim that environment exert a powerful effect in the growth and development of a child. In assessing the teaching-learning resources in the environment on the level of students’ academic performance, researchers consider some factors availability of instructional materials amongst others that could tailor the level of students’ academic performance. The environmental resources which may include school size, school type. school structure, school location, parental education and occupation are deem fit to affect students’ academic performance. Hence environmental resources remain an important issue that should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.
“Bandele (2003) noted that the importance of environmental resources in the school cannot be neglected. He added that at any educational level, the quality of education depends upon several factors such as school laboratories, school library resources availability and utilization of instructional materials, teachers’ qualm and motivation amongst other. Similarly, Okumbe (201 1) asserted that some environment resources that affect the learning and teaching process include the home environment, peer group, classroom environments and the field/laboratory environment. This becomes a concern to the researcher and it forms the background for the studs of environmental resources and Learning and teaching of Basic Science in primary science.
Environmental Resources And The Teaching And Learning Of Science Subjects In Secondary Schools
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Promotion of knowledge and skills in academic endeavour for national growth and development is the priority of nations. The schools, educators, industrial and researcher are now very concerned with the relevance and contributions of learning environments to the students’ cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills to the world of work (Nsa, Offiong, Udo and Ikot: (2014).
However, parents and stakeholders in education have complained on the poor academic performance of students in internal and external examinations as announced by the Head of National Office WAEC that only 43.56% of the candidates had five credits and above, including mathematics and English in the 2016 May/June result. According to the head of National office (HNO) of WAEC, he further said that 118, 101 results representing. 7.41% were withheld due to examination malpractice (Fapohunda, 2016). Reasons range from poor and ineffective teaching personnel to inadequate or non-availability of facilities in schools, location of the schools, family resources, school type amongst others as asserted by Umoh (2015) and Amos (20)6). This therefore raised the question: could the environmental resources such as schools location and school laboratory influence the students learning Basic Science in Secondary Schools? To provide answer to this question, the researcher investigated into environmental resources such as school laboratory school libraries and learning and teaching of science in Secondary Schools in the study area.
