COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL. (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH)) PROBLEMS MILITATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BIOLOGY IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL. (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH)

ABSTRACT

This work focused on a Comparative analysis of academic performance of Biology in junior secondary school. (a case study of Enugu North). A panel data analysis of student performance in external examinations was carried out in this study. Simple Random Sampling Method was used to select 10 Senior Secondary Schools in Enugu North. Three research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. They were analyzed using the fixed and random effect models at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that there is a significant relationship between students-teacher ratio and academic achievement as well as the teachers’ years of experience. It can be seen from the results that students-teacher ratio has a significant influence on the performance of students in these selected schools and also, it further revealed that as the class size increases there is a decline in the performance of the students. Similarly, it can be seen also from the result that teacher’s years of experience also has a significant influence on the performance. This suggest that as the years of experience increases, the students are may likely perform very well. Also, performance across the schools decreased as the class size increased. On this note, it can be deduced that when the class size keep increase, learning process becomes difficult which in turn affects the performance of the students. From the comparison of the fixed and random effects models, the results suggested that the fixed effects model fits the data. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for government and stakeholders in education on how to tackle this ugly situation.

 

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL. (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH)

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND

Comparison of academic performance measuring of academic performance of student is challenging since student performance is the product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Education ought to be growing as a profitable industry with prime objective of maximizing profit by delivering high quality education that produces well educated, skilled mannered students according to needs and requirements of the dynamically growing market. There are two groups of students as generally perceived, that is those who improve and those who don’t improve. Students’ performance is also affected by different factors such as learning abilities because new paradigm about learning assumes that all students can and should learn at higher levels but it should not be considered as constraint because there are other factors like race, gender, sex that can affect students’ performance Hansen (2000).

Mishae (2001) explained the effect of age, qualification and distance from learning. Place on the students’ performance in his explanation concerns the readiness in doing a particular discipline in the school; for instance, a student that is not capable of doing sciences in the secondary school joins sciences because his/her friends are offering the subjects. Winston et al (2002) added that the academic performance of student is also coined in the student’s impatience (this time discount behavior).  Yuonne (1998) further elaborated that students’ academic performance is very much dependent on SEB (socio-economic background) as per his statement, secondary school students’ performance is with statically significant differences. Alexander (2001) explained that some of the practice adopted by secondary school administration can also influence their academic performance, such practices like organized study group, debate club, media and culture clubs etc.

According to Bello Lawal, an Abuja based educationist a member of the All-Nigeria committee of Principals of secondary school (ANCOPSS). The truth is that the reading culture in Nigeria is generally poor. To make it worse, these days, most of our students hardly read. Instead, they waste their precious time watching televisions or films, listening to music, playing to music, playing video/computer games.

Another educationist Mohammed (2009) attributed the dismal performance on the external examinations to the lackadaisical attitude of the government and its refusal to adequately fund the education sector. According to him, on several occasions we clamored for improved budgeting allocation to the education sector but all these have fallen on deaf ears. For instance, UNESCO recommends that 26 percent of any country’s budget should be allocated to the education sector but instead what do we have in Nigeria.

 

Government paying lip service to the education sector. Other countries who understand the importance of education have taken proactive steps to adequately fund their education sector. For instance, Ghana has allocated 29 percent to its budget education sector, even far more than the UNESCO recommendation. So, until these things are implemented, we would continue to mortgage the future of our children.

 

1.1    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Secondary school student’s performances in external examinations has been a nagging issues in Nigeria generally and particularly in Enugu North Local Government Area, Enugu State. Student performance in the West Africa Examination Certificate (WAEC) has revealed that many students are underperforming (Adu, 2006). Frequent incidence of leakages and examination malpractices on the part of the examination bodies may not be entirely unconnected with lack of dedication on the part of teachers, inadequate teaching materials, supervision, qualified staff, exponential enrolment, automatic promotion, low funding of education on the part of government, low level of commitment of students and inadequate provision, broken homes, emphasis on materialism on the part of parents, and incapability on the part of principals.

It is against this background that this study sets out compare students’ academic performance in Biology  in secondary School in Enugu North Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria, by selecting ten private and public schools in the area.

 

 

1.2     OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Based on the background and the problem of this study, the main purpose underlying the project is to compare the academic performances of the junior secondary school students in Business Education in external Examinations (A case study of Enugu North Local Government Area, Enugu State). Specifically, the purpose of the study tends to find out:

• To determine the factors responsible for poor performance of Biology students in the Senior School Certificate Examination in the selected secondary schools.
• Carry out a comparative analysis using the Logistic Regression Model and the Panel Data Model
• To examine the adequacy of these models in predicting students’ performance in Biology
• To recommend possible solutions for solving these problems.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions are used for the study:

• What are factors responsible for the difficulty in the teaching/learning process in these selected secondary schools?
• What are the major factors responsible for the poor performance of Biology Students in Senior School Certificate Examination?
• What strategy could be adopted to enhance better teaching and learning process in these schools?

 

1.4    HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

There are three hypotheses to be tested in this study. They are:

Hypothesis one

H₀: There is no significant relationship between the years of teaching experiences of teachers and performance of students

H₁: There is a significant relationship between the years of teaching experiences of teachers and performance of students

Hypothesis two

H_0: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ academic qualification and performance of students

H_1: There is a significant relationship between teachers’ academic qualification and performance of students

Hypothesis three

H_0: There is no significant relationship between teacher to students’ ratio and academic performance

H₁: There is a significant relationship between teacher to students ratio and academic performance.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The usefulness of the research work in educational system cannot be over emphasized if the result of the study is properly utilized. It is going to be a benefit to the students, teachers, parents and government. This would help to provide some information for curriculum designers and classroom teachers in order to utilize relevant approaches to enhance meaningful learning and teaching of Biology.

 

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study was based on the junior secondary school student’s performance in external examinations in Biology in Enugu North Local Government Area, Enugu State.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

For a proper project research to be carried out effectively, there should be some limitations along the line, these limitations include:

TimeConstraint: This is the time consumed by student’s carryout a particular project research topic.

First and foremost, for a student achieve his or her goals on project research, there should be an effective plan on how the materials needed can be gotten.

And this will be actualized by proper research which might involve moving from one place to another in search of these materials. By so doing time is consumed.

On the other hand, some students in a particular group may be giving excuses that the time fixed is not suitable for them, some may complain that they usually do their domestic work for their parent during the project research exercise, which may demand all attentions, comparison of academic performance

In order to balance the equation, they should be proper plans on time management.

Money: This involves that money needed for the project to be carried out in a situation whereby the money needed becomes high, some students in a group will be affect and this may hinder their chances of participating and finally terminates their work since nothing good comes easy without money.

Difficult Experiences: This is the experience we encounter from our group. Since everybody has his/her own personal character couple with individual schedule for daily activity, thing can never be done at the same time. Therefore, the time schedule for a particular group to carry out their project research varies

Insincerity of responding to questionnaire items: this is the inability of the supervisor did not explain properly the most essential things needed and how he wants the project to be done. The project writer may find it difficult to cope.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL. (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH)

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