Utilization of Local Resources and the Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study was carryout to examine local resources utilization and the learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Three research questions were formulated to guide the study. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was all the SSS 2 Biology students in all the secondary schools in the study area.
The sample size of 120 students were randomly selected from six schools using simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire tagged “Local Resources Utilization and the Learning of Biology Questionnaire (LRULBQ)”. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentage.
The result revealed that students in Uyo Local Government Area utilized local resources in learning Biology to a great extent.
Also, students in rural area utilized local resources more than those in urban area. Finally, students in private schools utilized local resources more than those in public schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Science is a bedrock on which the modern day technological development depends on. The science of Biology is broadly regarded as the study of living and non-living things. Teaching of Biology to the understanding of students is a challenging and an interesting endeavour demanding seriousness and carefulness from biology teachers.
Benavent (2011) opined that no matter how good the teacher may be in his or her subject, he/she cannot do much without the use of instructional materials in interpreting a particular concept to the understanding of the learners.
According to Udo, (2017) a common goal of teachers everywhere is to make lesson presentation to be alive and lasting in the memory of the learners. He further maintained that the use of teaching aids as supportive elements to text and verbal presentation has gain ground tremendously in the educational practices in this present area. Over the years, many researchers have recognized instructional materials as an important variable in the teaching /learning process especially in science technology and mathematics education.
Bajah (2004) observed that the pure of ready – made materials goes a long way with many difficulties including high cost, scarcity, non- user friendly, and difficulty in maintenance. Sometimes due to these problems, our laboratories and resources rooms are empty of these ready – made resources. He also opined that when we do not have the standard equipment (ready – made) the improvisation of these resources from our local environment is perhaps the only solution to obtain the much needed science equipment in our educational institutions in order to achieve the objectives of science education in Nigeria.
Local Resources are instructional materials gotten from the immediate surrounding (environment) which are used to facilitate and support teaching and learning process. Heineck (2012) defined resources as teaching aids used to enhance teaching and learning. It is then shown that for effective teaching / learning of Biology, effective usage of available local resources will be necessary.
Esu (2014) sees local resources as all resources within the reach of the teachers and learners which are employed to facilitate teaching and learning. Nollova (2014) asserted that resources aids are what help. The students to realize their learning objectives. He also opined that local resources act as tools which can easily be used by a teacher to correct wrong impressions and to illustrate things and concepts that learners cannot forget easily.
Therefore local resources are valuable assets in learning situation because it makes lesson practical and also help the students to retained the knowledge they obtained with the used of local resources than the one they obtained without local resources. Such local resources include: soil sample, ice blocks, seeds, grasses, water, flower, waterleaf, fruits, toad, fish etc.
According to Diamond (2014), local resources are very familiar to both the teacher and the students. They are easy to understand and manipulate, they are easily available in whole and by improvisation. They are cheap and some can be grown, fabricated and brought to the class by the learners themselves.
Heineck (2012) stated that the used of local resources enable the learners to actually learn what is relevant to their real condition. He also opined that local resources are one of those resources which are essential to support and strengthen the educational quality.
Based on this background, the researchers find it needful to examine local resources vitalization and the learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Biology is one of the important science subjects of which its knowledge is require in all aspect of live especially in the medical field in spite of the great important of Biology to man, the teaching and learning of this important subject as well as the academic achievement of learners is experiencing some failure. The poor performance of students in this important subject has caused so much concern/worry to the educational stakeholders.
The cause of this poor performance has been attributed to so many factors such as student’s attitude toward learning, poor teaching methods, school location, teachers’ factors, home background of the students, poor or lack of instructional resources utilization, unfamiliarity with the instructional resources. It is against this background that the researcher finds it needful to examine the extent to which local resources are utilized in the learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to examine the utilization of local resources in the learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. Specially, the study aimed at:
(i) Examining the extent to which students utilize local resources in the learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.
(ii) Examining the extent to which students utilize local resources in the learning of Biology in urban and rural secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.
(iii) Examining the extent to which students utilize local resources in the learning of Biology in public and private secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study;
(i) To what extent does students utilize local resources in learning of Biology in secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.?
(ii) To what extent does students utilize local resources in learning Biology in urban and rural secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.?
(iii) To what extent does students utilize local resources in learning Biology in public and private secondary schools in Uyo L.G.A.?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study shall be beneficial in the following ways:
(i) The findings of this study shall reduce abstraction in Biology thereby concretizing learning.
(ii) It will also serve as a guide to teachers on the effective use of local resources during the teaching/learning process.
(iiii) It will revealed to the government the need to provide local resources to the school system.
(iv) It will serve as a reference manual for subsequent researcher on related topic.
1.6 Delimitation of the Study
This study focused on local resources utilization and the learning of Biology among SS2 students in Uyo L.G.A.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
The following are the challenges which the researcher come across.
(i) Financial constraint due to the cost of transportation in visiting the sampled schools for the study.
(ii) Time constraint was also one of the problems that limited this work due to the fact that the researcher had other schools activities to attain to as at the time of the research.
(iii) Long distance between the schools visited by the researcher also posed some problems because some of the schools were located in the rural area. Due to these limitations, the researcher was unable to use all the schools in the study area. She therefore sampled some of the schools for the study.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms were defined as they are utilized in the study for more understanding of the work.
(i) Local Resources: These are the raw materials like beans seed, flower, fish among others, gotten from the immediate environment which are used to support teaching/learning process.
(ii) Utilization: This simply means the process of making use of items for teaching/learning process.
(iii) Learning: This is the outcome that indicates the extent to which a student accomplished in an examination or test (that is the grade or score of the study).
(iv) Biology: Biology is the scientific study of plants and animals
(v) Gender: This is the state of being either male or female.
