Science Education Reform Effort: Effect of Utilising Laboratory Method of Instruction on Students’ Academic Performance in Science
Keywords:
Laboratory, practical orientations, gender, academic performance.Abstract
Developing practical skills is fundamental to effective science education. This is a quasi-experimental research designed to investigate how students fare when teachers use appropriate laboratory methods for classroom instruction. Participants were 60 science education 200level undergraduates who were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups to have two equivalent groups. Two null hypotheses were postulated and tested. A researchers-made instrument tagged “Science Concept Achievement Test†(SCAT) was administered on all the research subjects after applying the treatment to the experimental group. Validation of SCAT was done through vetting by two experts who are professors of science education. The instrument was then pilot-tested to establish its internal consistency which yielded a reliability co-efficient of 0.73 using split-half method before actual usage. Data collected for the study were statistically analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test analysis. The results obtained showed that (1) Students in the experimental group performed better than their counterparts in the control group; (2) Females students performed better at tasks than their males counterparts in the experimental group. Recommendations made to teachers included the use of appropriate laboratory methods to facilitate science instructions and employ more girl-friendly approaches to help female students build more confidence in school science.
Â
References
Adedayo, J.O., “Improving STEM education in Nigeria: the challenges of science educatorsâ€, In the proceedings of the 52nd annual conference of Science Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (STAN) on Reforms in STEM Education, pp. 118-124, 2011.
Ajayi, P. O., Adedayo, J. O. “School Gender type as a predictor of students’ performance in science in Ekiti State Secondary Schoolsâ€, Research in Curriculum Studies (RICS), vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 83-91, 2011.
Badekale, A. Towards increased female participation in science and technology in Nigerian Schools, A book of reading of the World Council for Curriculum & Instruction, Jas Publishers, Akoka-Lagos, pp. 2006-2011, 1997.
Bajah, S.T. “Correlate teachers’ qualification with the level of attainment in a standardized test in physicsâ€, Journal of science teachers association of Nigeria (JSTAN), vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 191-198, 1990.
Federal republic of Nigeria, National Policy on Education, (NPE), 4th Edition, NERDC Press, Yaba-Lagos, 2004.
Betiku, O.F. Gender equality in science, technology and mathematic education (STME): Females and Males comparison, In Oviafor, Nwaokolo & Igborbor eds chapter in book “Refocusing Education in Nigeriaâ€, Da-sylva, Benin City, pp. 62-68, 2002.
Ganjang, D.M. “Availability of laboratory facilities and assistants as pre-requisites for science laboratory management: a survey of some secondary schools in Plateau state. In 36th conference proceedings of Science Teachers’ Association of Nigeria, STAN, 1995.
Kardash, C.M., Wallace, M.L. “The perceptions of science classes survey: What undergraduate science reform effort really need to addressâ€, Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 199-210, 2001.
National University Commission (NUC), “Ranking of Universities according to performance of their academic programmes in the 1999 -2000 accreditation exerciseâ€, In quality Assurance in Nigerian Universities, vol. 1, NUC, Abuja, 2002.
Okebukola, P.A.O. “An investigation of same factors affecting students’ attitude towards laboratory practical chemistry†Summary of research in science education, John Wiley: U.S.A. vol. 72, no. 3, 1988.
Okebukola, P.A.O. VLIR: The structural collaboration of Nigeria tertiary institutions in view of quality control, 2006. http//www.vlir.be/ virtual clearing house/higher education//html
Okeke, E.A. “The levels of understanding of physics among Nigeria School Certificate Examination candidatesâ€, Journal of STAN, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 181-190, 1990.
Omotayo, K.A., Olaleye, F.O. “Affective science teaching: a method to enhance qualitative science education in Nigeriaâ€, Medwell Journals – The Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 322-326, 2008.
Omotayo, K.A., Popoopla A.A., Adedokun, M.O. “Towards better integration and persistence in science teaching: implication for youth preparation for the labour markets’’, Journal of Educational Review, JER, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 395-400, 2009.
Orpwood,G.W.F., Souque,I.P. “Science education in Canadian schools. Science Council of Canada, Ontario, 1984.
Osborne,J., Simon,S., Collins,.S. “Attitudes towards science: a review of literature and its implicationsâ€, International Journal of Science Education, IJSE, vol. 25, no. 9, pp. 1049-1079, 2003.
Otuka,J.O. Laboratory safety practices for Nigeria secondary schools, Unpublished M.Ed thesis, Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria, 1994.
Owolabi, O. T. “Effect of laboratory works on students’ performance in physics in Ekiti state secondary schoolsâ€, Research in Curriculum Studies, RICS, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 220-227, 2011.
Schehtman,Z., Leichtentritt,J. “Affective teaching : A method to enhance classroom management,†European Journal of Teacher Education, Carfax, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 323- 333, 2004.
Woolnough,B., Allsop,T. Practical Work in Science, Cambridge science Education series, University Press, Cambridge, 1985.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
- Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
- It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
- The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
- The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
