ABSTRACT
The study examined the effects of
the guided inquiry teaching strategy on the academic achievement of senior
secondary II students in respiration in Jos North Local Government of Plateau
State. The study used a quasi-experimental research scheme. A sample of 120
high school science students (SS2) was selected by random sampling from 2 urban
schools and 2 rural schools, including boys and girls, with 30 students each in
the experimental and control groups. . The research instruments included
subjects of the CAT Achievement Test. The CAT contained 30 multiple-choice
questions with four options (A-D) and 5 essay questions. The students were
divided into two groups. Experimental and control groups submitted respectively
to the research teaching strategy and traditional teaching strategy. The t test
statistics were used to analyze the data. The main findings revealed that
science students taught using the inquiry teaching strategy and performed much
better than their taught counterparts using the traditional teaching strategy.
As a result, the study concluded that the educational survey teaching strategy
produced significantly higher academic achievement for students in biology.
Therefore, the study recommends, among other things, that the use of the teaching
strategy of teaching through research be encouraged in all secondary schools
offering biology to their students in the states of Plateau and Nigeria. In
addition, the government must sponsor teachers to attend various workshops and
seminars on appropriate topics. Effective use of the teaching strategy of
research.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Biology is the
scientific study of interaction of chemical substances that constitute atoms or
the subatomic particles; protons, electrons and neutrons. It is an integral
part of the science curriculum both at the senior secondary school as well as
higher institutions. At this level, it is often called “general biology” which
is an introduction to a wide variety of fundamental concepts that enables
students to acquire tools and basic skills useful at the advanced level. One of
the objectives of science education is to develop students’ interest towards
science and technology. The development of any nation today depends greatly on
its technological and scientific advancement. Teachers are expected to device
ways of motivating their students to develop positive attitudes towards science
and science related disciplines (Sola and Ojo, 2007). Biology, in particular is
central to many of the scientific fields of human endeavors; therefore,
teaching ofbiology should be given serious attention.
Science teachers have
always recognized the importance of practical work as a means of introducing
learners to the scientific process of experimentation.To this end, the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the
International Union of pure and Applied Biology (IUPAC) have participated in
numerous international meetingsto promote inexpensive experimental based
teaching in biology. Inquiry teaching strategy is a style or teaching strategy
of teaching where the learner is seeking to discover and create answers to
recognized problems through procedure of making a diligent search, some time
with minimum guidance from the teacher (Callahan, et al 1995). Science process skills are based on scientific inquiry
and teaching science by inquiry involves teaching students science process
skills, critical thinking, scientific reasoning skills used by scientists
(Pratt and Hackett, 1998) and inquiry is defined as an approach to teaching,
the acts scientists use in doing science and it can be a highly effective teaching
strategy that helps students to understand concepts and use of process skills
(Yagger and Akcay, 2010). Inquiry teaching strategy is also a term used in
science teaching that refers to a way of questioning, seeking knowledge,
information or finding out about phenomena, it involves investigating data and
arriving at a conclusion (Sola and Ojo, 2007). In inquiry situation students
learn not only concept but also selfdirection, responsibility and social
communication. It also permits students to assimilate and accommodate
information. It is the way people learn when they are left alone.
Cheval and Hart (2005),
classify inquiry teaching strategy into three (3) classes, namely: structured
inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry. All these types of inquiry can be
useful to students to learn science when taught appropriately. Structured
inquiry is the most teacher-centered of the three types of inquiry. This type
of inquiry is commonly seen in science classrooms in the form of laboratory
exercises. The teacher provides fairly structured procedures for the inquiry
activity, and students carry out the investigations. Structured inquiry could
be described as the most traditional approach to inquiry (Cheval and Hart,
2005). The open inquiry on the other side is a type of inquiry which requires
the least amount of teacher intervention and is student centered. Students, in
this case, often work in groups and plan all phases of their investigations,
while guided inquiry falls in the middle of the inquiry instructional spectrum.
This type of inquiry is commonly used when students are asked to make tools or
develop a process that results in a desired outcome. For example, a science
teacher gives his seventh grade middle school students materials to create a
rocket but no instructions for designing the rocket. The students must use
their own knowledge and creativity to design the rocket so that it will launch
properly, fly a certain distance, and land without becoming disassembled. The teacher
provides the problem and materials and the students develop the rocket using
their own scientific process or procedure (Cheval and Hart, 2005). In this
study, guided inquiry will be used. Students will be given a set of topic and
materials to develop teaching strategy to find answers to the given problem.
The lecture teaching strategy is used primarily to introduce students to a new
subject, but is also a valuable teaching strategy for summarizing ideas,
showing relationships between theory and practice, and reemphasizing main
points.Biology activities deals with telling and showing, therefore, a
lecture-demonstration teaching strategy is a teaching technique that combines
oral explanation with “doing” to communicate processes, concepts and facts. It
is particularly effective in teaching a skill that can be observed.
Demonstration is
usually accompanied by a thorough explanation, which is essentially a lecture.
Lecture teaching strategy according to Garba(1996), is a traditional teaching
strategy of transmission of knowledge; it is essentially a one-way process. The
current Nigerian classroom whether primary, secondary or tertiary institutions
level, tends to resemble a one-person show with a captain but often comatose
audience. Classes are usually driven by “teacher-talk” and depend heavily on
textbooks for the structure of the courses. Teachers serve as pipelines and
seek to transfer their thoughts and meanings to passive students. There is
little room for student-initiated questions, independent thought or interaction
between students. Therefore, the study is aimed at determining the effect of
guided inquiry teaching strategy and the traditional teaching strategys on
students’ academic achievement in biology
at the senior secondary school level. Guided Inquiry teaching strategy is
chosen in this study due to its scientific nature and it is student-centered
and it involves all scientific process.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Students’ persistent
poor performance in biology has been partly ascribed to inadequate teaching and
instructional teaching strategys adopted by teachers. In supporting this view,
Derek (2007), reported the seriousness of the deplorable performance of
secondary school students in biology and identified the persistent use of the traditional teaching
strategys of instruction as one of the major shortcoming affecting the learning
and higher achievement in biology . Many students find biology to be a
hindrance in attaining their aims and objectives. Donald, (2000) said students
wishing to read medicine cannot do so unless they credit biology. It is
therefore necessary to properly groom the students right from the secondary
level to enable them improve their academic achievement in biology. Poor
performance of students in biology, particularly biology, has assumed a serious
dimension as reported by West African Examination Council (1991). In the light
of this, science teachers need to seek suitable ways of tackling the current
massive failure in biology if they are to halt the drifts of science students
to art and social biology.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
The objectives of this
study are to:
1.
determine the effects of guided inquiry teaching
strategy and traditional teaching strategy on the performance of biology students
in senior secondary schools in Plateau state;
2.
determine the effects of guided inquiry teaching
strategy on the performance of students in biology in Plateau state;
3.
determinethe effects of guided inquiry teaching
strategy on theperformance of male and female students in biology in Plateau
state; and
4.
determine the differencein the
performance between urban and rural students in biology taught with guided inquiry teaching strategy
in Plateau state.
1.4 Research
Questions
1.
What is the effect of guided inquiry teaching
strategy and traditional teaching strategy on the Performance of students in biology
in senior secondary schools in Plateau state?
2.
What is the effect of guided inquiry teaching
strategy on the academic Performance of students in biology in Plateau
state?
3.
What is the effect of guided inquiry teaching
strategy on the performance of male and
female students in
senior secondary school in biology Plateau state?
4.
What is the difference in the
performance of students in biology in senior
secondary schools
taught with guided inquiry teaching strategy in Plateau state?
1.5 Null Hypotheses
The
following null hypotheses were tested:
Ho1: Guided
inquiry teaching strategyand traditional teaching strategy have no significant
effect on the
performance of biology
students in senior secondary schools in Plateau state;
Ho2: There
is no significant effect of guided inquiry teaching strategy on the academic
performance of biology
students in Plateau state;
Ho3: Guided inquiry teaching strategy hasno
significant effect on the performances of male and
female studentsin biology
in Plateau state;
Ho4: There
is no significant difference in the performance between urban and rural
students taught biology
with guided inquiry teaching strategy in Plateau state.
1.6 Basic
Assumptions
This study has the
following assumptions
1.
It is assumed that most biology teachers
in the secondary schools do not make use of appropriate biology teaching strategys
in secondary schools in Plateau state.
2.
It is also assumed that teachers are
employed to teach Biology without considering
their area of specialization, educational qualifications and training.
3.
It is assumed that teachers do not use
appropriate Biology teaching strategys.
4.
Learning by doing could enhance and
motivate students to improve on their performance in biology.
1.7 Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will help in the
following ways:
The biology teachers
will utilize the findings of this study in their biology classrooms; helping
students’ understanding of biology concepts through guided inquiry teaching
strategy. Students at the senior secondary school (SSS) level in Plateau state
and other states can be encouraged and motivated by this research.Active
involvement of students helps to develop self-confidence and positive attitude
to biology through this research.The study will provide information for
educational planners and curriculum designers in the Federal Ministry of
Education. They will support the use of inquiry teaching strategy in senior
secondary schools by carrying out effective quality assurance for teachers in
order to improve teaching/learning situations currently existing in senior
secondary schools in Plateau state.
It is
hoped that the
students will find Biology very
interesting as it
will equip them for job
opportunities in industries
in both private and public
sectors such as manufacturing and processing industries, industries related to
petroleum, chemical, ceramic, polymer, food, electronics, the
environmental, mining, pharmaceuticals and health- related
industries, agriculture industries,
government agencies, including
forensic science and patents, defence, education and research, and areas
related to biotechnology.
1.8 Scope of the Study
This study on Effects of guided inquiry teaching
strategy on academic achievement of biology
students is delimited to senior secondary schools in Jos north and Jos south
local government areas of Plateau state, Nigeria. The study involves senior
secondary two (SS2) biology students with a total population of five thousand,
nine hundred and thirteen (5,913).It is delimited to a consideration of the
effects of inquiry teaching strategy on students’ performance in biology in Plateau
state. ================================================================
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