ABSTRACT.
This study
primarily investigated organizational factors as correlates of science
students’ academic performance in senior secondary schools of Lagos state.
Variables such as teachers’ qualification, availability of laboratory
facilities, utilization of school facilities, teacher-students attitude toward
the teaching and learning of chemistry, teacher/student relationship were
specifically considered to ascertain whether or not they have any relationship
with students’ academic performance in chemistry. A correlational survey design
was adopted for the study. A total number of 22 public senior secondary schools
constituted the population while 550 respondents (500 students and 50 teachers)
from ten of the schools randomly selected from Oshodi/Isolo local government
area of Lagos state made up the sample. Data were collected using the
“Organizational factors and science student academic performance questionnaires
(OFSSAP-A for the teachers and OFSSAP-B for the students) and analyzed with
Pearson product moment correlation statistics. The study found a significant
positive relationship between the five organizational factor variables and
academic performance of chemistry students. The study concluded that when the right work force along with the laboratory
facilities are in place, functional and utilized, effective teaching and
learning occurs. Based on the findings it was recommended that the stakeholders
in education industry should improve on the learning environment of students,
ensure that facilities are provided and utilized in all the senior secondary
schools and the curriculum implementers improves in their
relationships and attitude, it is most likely that student’s achievement in
chemistry will be highly enhanced.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstracts v
Table of contents vi
List of tables vii
Chapter
one
Introduction
1.1
Background to the Study 1
1.2
Theoretical Framework 6
1.3
Statement of the Problem 8
1.4
Purpose of the Study 9
1.5
Research Questions 10
1.6
Research Hypothesis 10
1.7
Significance of the Study 11
1.8
Scope of the Study 12
Chapter Two
Literature Review.
2.1 Science education in Nigeria 13
2.2. Purpose and goals for Science Education 16
2.3. Chemistry as a Science 18
2.4. Objectives of Chemistry Teaching. 19
2.5.
Organizational Factors 20
2.5.1.Teacher
Qualification and Academic Performance of Student
in
Chemistry 20
2.5.2.
Availability of Laboratory Facilities and Academic Performance
of Students in Chemistry. 27
2.5.3.
Utilization of Facilities and Students Academic Performance
in
Chemistry. 31
2.5.4 Students
Attitude Towards Chemistry Teaching and
academic
Performance Of Students In Chemistry 35
2.5.5
Teacher-Student Relationship and Student Academic Performance
in
Chemistry. 40
Chapter Three
Research Methodology
3.1
Research Design. 49
3.2.
Population of the Study. 49
3.3
The Sample 49
3.4.
Sampling techniques 51
3.5.
Instrumentation 51
3.5
1 validity and Reliability of the Instruments 51
3.6.
Data collection Procedure. 51
3.7.
Data Preparation/ Scoring 52
3.8.
Definition of Terms 52
3.9.
Procedure for Data Analysis. 54
Chapter Four
Results and Discussions
4.1 Introduction 55
4.2 Test of Hypotheses 57
4.2.1 Hypothesis I 57
4.2.2
Hypothesis 2 58
4.2.3
Hypothesis 3 59
4.2.4 Hypothesis 4 60
4.2.5 Hypothesis 5 61
4.3
Summary of Findings 62
4.4 Discussion of Findings. 63
CHAPTER FIVE.
Summary, Conclusion
and Recommendations.
5.1 Summary of the Study. 68
5.2 Implications 69
5.2.1. Implication of
findings for policy. 69
5.2.2. Implication of
findings for practice. 70
5.2.3. Implication of
finding for further studies. 70
5.3.
Recommendations 70
5.4.
Conclusion: 71
References
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Distribution of schools, population
and samples of teachers and students. 50
Table
4.1: Demographic Characteristics of
Teachers 55
Table 4.2: Correlation of teachers qualification
on chemistry students academic performance in public secondary schools 58
Table 4.3:
Correlation of availability of laboratory facilities and academic performance
of chemistry students. 59
Table 4.4:
Correlation of utilization of school facilities and academic performance of
students in chemistry 60
Table 4.5:
Correlation of utilization of school facilities and academic performance 61
Table 4.6:
Correlation of teacher-students
relationship and chemistry students academic performance 62
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
From the inception of the world, there has been a constant
interaction between man and his environment towards goal realization and this
interaction with both the human, physical and material resources gave rise to
an organization. Oxford advanced
learners dictionary defines an Organisation as a collection of people
working together in a division of labour to achieve a common purpose like the families, banks, companies, schools
and others. The school could be viewed as an organized environment
where educational curricular are interpreted; it can also be described as a
formal structured organisation which serves as a transitional stage in life
between family and the society (Olabode, 2002; Musa, 2004; Tabir, 2004).
The
school organization has the sole purpose of developing the intellectual, the
emotional and skillful aspect of an individual for the individual to be useful
to himself and his society; the objective of a school boils down to the
performance of the students’ academically and all round development of the
individual. In order to achieve the objectives of an organization some factors
come in to play. Some of the organisational factors that affect students’
academic performance in science discipline include: teachers and students
related variables like the qualification of the teachers, teacher-student
relationship and teacher/students attitude towards chemistry teaching and
learning respectively; school environment related variable like class size,
availability of laboratory facilities, utilization of facilities, school
location and so on.
School as a social organisation plays a
great role in the education of the citizens of any country. The overall
development of any nation to meet the technological demand of the globalized
society is inextricably tied to its level of scientific knowledge acquisition (Yara
P., 2009). Scientific knowledge is one of the dimensions of science. What is
Science?
Science is a way of explaining nature
and it originated from the natural philosophy in the 17th century. A
comprehensive definition of science states:
“Science….is a human enterprise including
the ongoing process of seeking explanations and understandings of the natural
world, and also including that which the process produces-man’s storehouse of
knowledge. Science is process and product” (NSTA, 1961).
Scientists confront nature in order to
unravel its mysteries by asking questions and designing experiments to test
their ideas or answer such questions; scientific knowledge is thereby created,
which can then be applied for good or bad (Ajeyalemi, 2009). He further stated
that Science has three dimensions: its knowledge, method and applicability and differ
from other discipline in the tentativeness of its knowledge, testability of its
tenets, the universality of its methods and non-obsolescence of its methods.
Science comprises the basic disciplines
such as chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. For science teaching, a
major universally- accepted objective is to make students scientifically
literate and it is the same for all science discipline. The objectives of
chemistry teaching in Nigeria senior secondary schools are to:”
(i)
Facilitate a transition in the use of
scientific concepts and techniques acquired in integrated science with
chemistry;
(ii)
Provide the students with basic
knowledge in chemical concepts and principles through efficient selection of
content and sequencing;
(iii)
Show chemistry in its
inter-relationships with other subjects;
(iv)
Show chemistry and its link with
industry, everyday life, benefits and hazards;
(v)
Provide a course which is complete for
pupils not proceeding to higher education while it is at the same time a
reasonably adequate foundation for a post-secondary course.”(Nigeria, 1985).
These objectives are closely related to the aims of
secondary educations in Nigeria – preparation for useful living within the society,
and for higher education (National policy of Education Nigeria, 2004).
The
stated objectives are not being realized in the lives of many Nigerians who
graduate from secondary schools every year. This may be accrued to certain
school organizational factors which in turn influence the students’ academic
performance. Many investigators have shown
that students in senior Secondary Schools are not very much interested in
science (Esiobu, 2005; Okonkwo, 2000) and also large numbers of students seem to
learn very little science at school, learning tends to be by rote and students
find learning of science to be difficult (Eyibe, 1990; Jegede, 1992; Salau,
1996) though Chemistry is a subject that is applicable in our homes
(kitchen, laundry, bedroom) and industries, it is Fun filled if we have a good
understanding of the concepts. As important as the subject is and in spite of
the effort of both the federal and state government to encourage chemistry
education, students still shun the subject (Jegede, 2003). This is also evident in a recent report by the Shelter
Right Initiative (Olubusuyi, 2003) that for eight consecutive years, between
1992 and 1999, Nigerian candidates trailed behind their counterparts from other
countries in the West African region based on performance in science subjects
conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
From personal experience, chemistry as
a science seems interesting but it is dreaded by most students, some see it as
an abstract thing, something that cannot be grasped, seen or understood; a very
difficult subjects filled with lots of calculations and if the teacher as well
as the school is not qualified and equipped to counter-act these disposition it
will only culminate in Poor Performances in the science disciplines in both the
internal and external Examinations.
Academic performance according to Adu, Ojelabi and Adeyanju
(2009) can simply be viewed as an outcome of all academic tasks or rigours of a
person which could be poorly or successfully stated. As noted by Ijaduola
(2008d), academic performance cannot be gingered in students if they are
discouraged so Teachers and other machineries are expected to meaningfully
contribute to student's academic performance.
The quality of science
teaching and learning has also been questioned over time by parents, science
educators, and the general public and even by the government (Adepoju, 1991;
Ivowi, Okebukola, Oludotun & Akpan, 1992; Okebukola, 1997). Science
teaching in Nigerian schools has been criticised because of the Poor Performance
of Nigerian students in science subjects relative to their counterparts in
other countries. This is evident from the Second International Science Study in
which Nigerian students came last in primary science and second to last in
secondary science among the participating countries of the world (STAN, 1992).
For many years, educators and
researchers have debated which school variable influence science students’
academic performance; as policy makers become more involved in school reform,
this question takes a new importance since their initiative rely on presumed
relationship between various education related factors and learning outcomes(Darling
– Hammond L., 1999). At the seventeenth
Lagos State Congress of All Nigerian Conference of Principals of secondary
Schools (ANCOPSS) held in December, 2002 an ad hoc committee was set up to
identify the causes of poor performance in the WASSCE. The committee was also
asked to suggest ways of improving the quality of education in order to enhance
better performance in both internal and external examinations in the state and
obtained information on students’ population as well as infrastructural
facilities; they identified possible factors militating against the enhancement
of quality education and better performance of students in both internal and
external examinations. Such factors include criteria for transition from
primary to secondary schools, unplanned school plant, inadequate provision and
maintenance of infrastructure, rapid student population growth, teachers’
qualification and experience, teaching-learning process, student-teachers
relationship, student-teacher ratio, school authority- teacher relationship,
student progression, among others (Adeogun and Osifila 2008)
A study by Jegede, Okota & Eniayeju
(1992) revealed some of the factors responsible for students general poor
performance in science, technology and mathematics, these factors include: poor
laboratory facilities, inability of teachers to put across ideas clearly to the
students and inadequate number of learning facilities in school as against
consistent increase in the number of students.
Most of the schools in Nigeria do not
have adequate facilities to produce competent scientists; some of the teachers
are not properly trained and in turn they are not helpful and resourceful to
the students; the knowledge they transmit to the students are mostly the
cognitive aspect of learning, they learn the theories without the actual
application of the theories to real life situation. Some schools that are
provided with the facilities do not utilize the facilities in teaching and
learning processes but only arrange it for students to use during external
examinations. Olakoya (2004), Uya (2004), and Ijaduola (2007) contended that in
an educational environment like secondary school, it is indisputable that
facilities such as furniture, laboratory equipment and material have great
influence in the teaching and learning process because without them the empty
buildings and structures no matter how attractive they are cannot be used for
educational purpose. Hence their availability and utilization are no doubt an
essential part of educational planning without which students’ academic
performance cannot be enhanced.
It was against the foregoing background
that this study was embarked upon to: establish the relationship between the
following school organizational factors - teacher qualification, availability
of science laboratory, utilization of school facilities, teacher/students attitude
towards chemistry learning, teacher-student relationship and academic
performance of senior secondary school students in chemistry.
1.2.
Theoretical Framework.
This study underlies
the following theories:
1.
Systems
thinking theory
2.
Human resources management approach.
3.
Guided
discovery theory
The system thinking theory: this
theory was originally proposed by Hungarian biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy in
1982 is relevant to this study. The theory hinges on the concepts of a system
being a series of interrelated and interdependent parts such that the
interaction of any part affects the whole system. The study adopted this theory
because academic performance is viewed in relation to several organizational
factors like teacher qualification, availability of facilities, utilization of
facilities, teacher/students attitude and teacher-student relationship; each of
these factors is an interrelated part who fulfill specific role that invariably
influence students’ academic performance which is a whole system.
The
human resource approaches: they
maintain that people are social and self actualizing. Hawthorne studies of 1962
showed that people’s feelings, attitude and relationships with co- workers
should be important to the management and they recognized the importance of
work group. They also identified Hawthorne effect- the tendency of persons
singled out for special attention to perform as anticipated merely because of
expectations created by the situation. His studies led to the emergence of
human relations movement which suggests that managers using good human
relationship will achieve productivity (Schermerhorn Jr. 1999); these are in line with the fact that
when teachers and students attitude are in order and a good relationship exist
among them, it will definitely lead to achievement in their academics.
Guided
discovery approach:
this is an instructional approach recommended for the secondary school
chemistry curriculum which is derived from both theories of Jerome Brunner
(1962; 1968) and Gagne.
Gagne
advocates guided-learning, which can take place either in the classroom,
laboratory or on field trip. Guided learning emphasizes a careful sequencing of
instruction “with maximum guidance in order to stress the importance of basic
association and facts in the eventual acquisition of principle and problem
solving skills (Kahle, 1979). Evidence from many researchers has indicated the
positive effect of hierarchically structuring knowledge, as recommended by
Gagne, on students’ achievement in many subjects, particularly chemistry (Ajeyalemi,
1987). After properly sequencing of the learning experiences, it is then
presented to the students by the teacher acting only as a guide and not as a
repository of knowledge. It is related, but still different from Brunner’s
discovery learning, which emphasizes learning through minimum teacher guidance
and maximum trial and error exploration by the learner. He concluded that “any
ideal or problem or body of knowledge can be presented in a form simple enough
that any learner can understand it in a recognizable form”(Brunner 1966). The
two approaches are distinguished by Shulman (1968) as follows:
Thus for Gagne, instruction is a
smoothly guided tour up a carefully constructed hierarchy of objectives; for
Bruner, instruction is a roller coaster ride of successive disequilibria and
equilibria until the desired cognitive
state is reached or discovered.
Gagne
was not only interested in learning of theory but also in learning by doing.
Accordingly experimental activities in science specifically should be based on
students’ prior knowledge, and that “they should have some novelty in them, so
that they do not become simple exercises in “following a procedure”, or in
“performing routines” This implies that in the course of chemistry teaching,
facilities should be provided for the students and they should be allowed to
utilize the facilities, carry out activities with the teacher acting as a guide.
1.3. Statement of the Problem
The current situation of high failure rate in the science discipline
in our senior secondary schools in Nigeria is a concern to all including the
government and the society at large. Research indicates that many students
found science to be boring, difficult and not interesting to them (Salau, 1995,
1996) Students participation in laboratory work, students’ attitude to chemistry
teaching, availability of chemistry laboratory materials among other factors
futher limits the academic performance of students in Chemistry (Okebukola,
1988).
Poor academic performance of students in
chemistry due to some organizational factors is a problem because the goal of
equipping students to live effectively in our modern age of science and
technology, as formulated in the Nigerian National Policy on Education (FGN,
1998) will become a daydream if it is not controlled and the citizens will not
be able to develop scientific literacy useful for coping in the modern
scientific and technological world.
Most chemistry educators regard practical
chemistry as being very important for various reasons which include motivation,
concept learning, development of skills and appropriate scientific attitudes; this
is in line with the objectives of chemistry education (Bradley 1999; National
Education Council, 2002) which is not being achieved due to some organizational
factors. Chemistry as a science subject is activity oriented and the suggested
method for teaching it which is guided discovery is resource based (NTI, 2007).
This suggests that the mastery of chemistry concepts cannot be fully achieved
without the use of instructional learning materials. Chemistry teaching demands
proper utilization of laboratory facilities, though students are rarely exposed
to practical work. Lee and Fraser (2001) reported that some science teachers
usually do not place much value on laboratory activities since they feel this
takes time away from teaching to cover the prescribed examination driven
curriculum. Akpan (1999) observed that lack of practical activities by
chemistry students has resulted in poor communication and observational skills;
which in turn resulted to students’ poor performance in chemistry and high
failure rate among the students in both external and internal examination
Morgil,Seçken & Yϋcel.(2007) submit that activities in many laboratories centered
on verification of what is already known rather than helping students to
develop process skills that could motivate them to stay longer on the task
thereby leaving the mastery of skills to chance. Experientially, this suggests
why many students just work to already given answers without concentrating on what
the teacher teaches and finally end up with Poor Performance in external
examination.
To solve these lingering problems of high
failure rate in chemistry, one need to develop a realistic picture of what is
currently happening in the teaching and learning of science in Nigerian
schools, identify the factors that are limiting the academic performance of the
chemistry students and then try to develop a reasonable ideal picture for which
the nation can strive towards within the existing resource limitations.
1.4. Purpose of the study.
The research was designed to determine the relationship
between some Organizational factors and chemistry students’ academic
performance in Lagos state public senior secondary schools.
Specifically the study investigates:
1.
The correlation of teachers’ qualification
on students’ academic performance in chemistry.
2.
The relationship between the
availability of Laboratory facilities and the academic performance of chemistry
student.
3.
The correlation between the utilization
of facilities and chemistry students’ academic performance.
4.
The relationship between student’s
attitude towards Chemistry teaching and academic performance of students’ in
chemistry.
5.
The effect of teacher-student
relationship on the academic performance of students in chemistry
1.5
Research questions.
The study
sought to find answers to the following questions:
1.
Is there any correlation between teachers’
qualification and chemistry students’ academic performance in secondary
schools?
2.
Does availability of laboratory facilities
influence the academic performance of chemistry student in secondary schools?
3.
Will the utilization of facilities
influence the academic performance of students of chemistry in secondary schools?
4.
Does the students’ attitude towards
teaching of chemistry play a role in determining the academic performance of
chemistry student in secondary schools?
5.
To what extent will it be said that the
teacher-student relationship is showcased by the academic performance of
students in chemistry?
1.6 Research hypotheses:
1.
There is no significant relationship
between teachers qualification and student academic performance in chemistry.
2.
Availability of laboratory facilities
has no significant influence on chemistry students’ academic performance.
3.
Utilization
of facilities has no significant relationship with the academic performance of
students in chemistry.
4.
There is no significant relationship
between students’ attitude towards chemistry teaching and academic performance
of chemistry students.
5.
There is no significant relationship
between teacher-student relationship and chemistry students’ academic performance
1.7 Significance of the Study.
In an effort to
improve the Academic Performance of students in Science discipline and make
learning of science more attractive, this study makes
the following important contributions to knowledge and education:
To stimulate stakeholders to improve upon the isolated
variables which have been found to have direct relationship with students’
academic performance in chemistry with the view to enhance performance in the subject.
First, the school educators, curriculum
planners and classroom teachers are provided with detailed information about
the picture of science teaching/learning and practices in Nigerian secondary
school and realistic ways of improving the situation, considering the fact that
Teacher qualification and student academic performance are important criteria
in the development and implementation of both curricular and instructional
performance.
Secondly, the administrators are assisted
in the areas of staff recruitment. It provided some information on the
qualification of teachers that should be recruited into the teaching of
chemistry in senior secondary school to enhance students’ performance in the
Examinations. With the knowledge from the study the educators will place the
right work force and also create a platform for those who do not measure up to
standard by providing in–service training.
Thirdly the study will serve as an eye opener to the
students in the areas of cultivating a good relationship with their chemistry
teachers, viewing Chemistry as fun, an interesting and experimental subject
which will help them to learn faster and succeed academically.
Fourthly to provide the policy makers
and educational planners, administrators and school educators generally with
information on the areas that need to be amended, ensuring that laboratory
facilities are made available to schools; they are being adequately utilized to
ensure that chemistry is presented to the students as an experimental science;
this must not be compromised.
1.8 Scope of the study
The study is delimited to eight public senior secondary
schools in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State. The study was
streamlined to the relationship between the following school Organisational
factors: teacher qualification, the availability of the science laboratory and
equipment, adequate utilization of the facilities, students attitude towards
teaching of chemistry, teachers – student relationship and the student’s
academic performance in Chemistry.
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