INSTRUCTIONAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POOR PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY CHEMISTRY STUDENTS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

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INSTRUCTIONAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POOR PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY CHEMISTRY STUDENTS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

 

Background to the Study

Chemistry as a science subject plays a vital role in transforming the environment and improving the general quality of life. It is essentially needed for a nation’s technological development. As a core science subject, the proper teaching, and learning of chemistry in secondary schools facilitate students’ enrollment in many professional disciplines like Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Agriculture, Engineering Geology, etc.

Hence, there is a need for effective teaching and learning of Chemistry in Nigerian secondary schools. For teaching and learning Chemistry to be effective, the classroom environment has to be conducive to both teachers and students. Chemistry as an important science subject is taught in many secondary schools in Nigeria as a single subject at the senior secondary school level. Yet, despite all the benefits derived from Chemistry students’ performance in Chemistry at the senior secondary school certificate examination in the last few decades is still low. Ogu (1995), Balogun (1995), and Akinyele (1997), all noted poor academic achievement in Science and Chemistry in particular. Ugwu (2004), noted that in 2000 and 2001, of all the candidates who sat for the senior secondary school chemistry examination, more than half of the students performed very poorly in Chemistry that they could not use their results in Chemistry for further studies. Also, WAEC annual report (2006, 2007, and 2008), noted poor academic achievement in Chemistry which manifested in constant poor grades and repetition of classes. Thus, one tends to question why the general unsatisfactory academic performance in Chemistry among secondary school students. These poor performances in Chemistry have made some researchers study the problem with the hope of finding the causes and possible solutions.

According to Ali (1998), science education at all levels is plagued by very many kinds of problems which include, funding of science education; lack of adequate and appropriate instructional materials; lack of functional equipment; poor methods of teaching; inadequate trained science teachers and laboratories that exist in dilapidated buildings. Chemistry as a core science subject is not counted out from the under-listed problems. These problems lead to serious educational setbacks which invariably lead to a low rate of secondary school science achievement in Nigeria.

Ukeje (1984), said that geographical location is one of the most important differences between the educational conditions in urban and rural areas. This shows that geographical location influences academic achievement.  Online and Obiora (2001), maintained that gender is another major factor that influences the performance of students. He also states that boys outperformed their female counterparts in different school subjects. Haertel, Walberg, and Haertel (1981), Anderson (1982), and (Fraser 1981a, 1986a) traced the problem of poor academic achievement to psychological, sociological, psychosocial, and physical problems. Ukeje (1984), considering what should be the environmental factors affecting the performance of students, identified the factors as malnutrition which causes poor physical growth and mental development, diseases, injury, home background, culture, and socioeconomic status of parents. It is a clear assertion that a student’s home background influences his/her behavior and school performance. This is because some students are from broken homes where parents are separated, while others are from homes where the marriage is stable and happy, and parents live together happily to see to their children’s educational needs and school work. Children develop good learning habits and scientific thinking through practical and manipulative approaches while at home. This is because of the availability of ready materials like Newspapers, textbooks, Maps, Science journals, and Toys. In such homes, children devote more time to studies which is not done in broken homes where quarrels are all the time. Educational psychologists recognize that the home environment is among the factors that handicap a child in school and life or may be a source of strong special advantage. Skinner (1963), points out that to understand and improve our standard of education, learning is not done only in school. It is with the cooperation of the home and school environment that learning will be more effective. If one of them fails there will be a gap and the child will suffer. In the educational circle, the classroom environment is very important.

According to Oxford advanced learners` dictionary of current English (8thed) Environment is seen as conditions that affect the behavior and development of somebody/something or is seen as the districts, surroundings, circumstances, etc that influence a place, town, or people’s lives. According to Okonkwo and Ozurumba (1989), environment implies all the classroom conditions that facilitate teaching and learning, which include space, seat, air, equipment, and other man-made situations that galvanize teaching and learning. The environment is also seen as the total of all conditions that surround man at any given time on the earth’s surface. Anderson (1982), view the classroom as the interpersonal relationship among pupils, the relationship between pupils and their teachers, the relationship between pupils and with subject matters studied and the method of learning, and finally pupils’ perception of the structure and characteristic of the classroom. Talton and

Simpson (1987), views the classroom as a miniature community in which members interact and influence the behavior of others. According to Okonkwo and Ozurumba (1989), a classroom is a place where learners and teachers meet. It could be an art gallery, museum, workshop, display center, or special room where educational plans are carried out and research findings are tried out. The classroom can be seen as the powerhouse where the success or failure of the learning process is generated and sustained. Giddings and Fraser (1988), viewed classroom environment in terms of the shared perception of students and sometimes, the teachers in that environment. Model (2005), stated that the classroom environment should have the ability to create a conducive, congenial, and peaceful climate that allows meaningful learning in the absence of fear, stress, and tension in which the teacher and the students will be happy to stay and work.

Mgbodile (2005), further stated that learning has been known to be influenced by the type of environment in which an individual learns. That is to say that the school climate determines to a large extent the morale, motivation, and commitment of teachers to school work and the zeal with which students purses their studies. Appleby (1990), observed that in the un-conducive type of environment, students distract, disrupt, and interfere with teaching and learning. They can develop the attitude of coming late to class, pinching one another, aggression, smoking, lies, truancy, use of drugs, all kinds of noise, walking in and out of the classroom, and being passively rude or unwilling to participate in the learning process. Nwosu (1997) and Okobia (1992), observed that an un-conducive environment leads students to sleep in class, vandalism, smoke, and mischief. Consequently, this hinders the physical classroom environment which hinders teachers’ effectiveness; students learning, and positive interpersonal relationships. In addition, the physical classroom environment includes the type of building, furniture, equipment, resources, materials for teaching and learning, quality of light, and space for movement and interaction. When the physical classroom environment is poor, it makes the classroom uncomfortable for teaching and learning, and living. Students in such an environment are disorganized, in friction and mischief. They develop a poor attitude to learning and this hinders the educational process, which leads to poor achievement. Eggen, Kauchak, and Jacobson (1981) opined that the organization of the classroom affects how easily students are managed as well as how well they achieve. Consequently, this hinders the teacher’s effectiveness, student/student interaction, and positive interpersonal relationship. More still, student/student interaction can hinder academic activities in a classroom environment.

Thus, Okonkwo and Ozurumba (1989), observed that peer influence has a tremendous impact on classroom behaviors. This is because peer help to set patterns of interaction among members. In a normal classroom, several intimate groups are formed with their norms, values, and belief system. This may create control problems in the classroom. Also, students’ inability to identify with the norms of their group may cause them frustration, confusion, and low self-confidence, and actualization. Rejection may lead to all kinds of behavior problems and motivation to persist in the face of a tough academic obstacle (Schmuck and Schmuck 1992). Osarenren (1999), observed that peer rejection reflection makes students deviate from the norms of the school and society at large. Often behaviors the youth considers normal for them and their peers, are seen to be deviant and abnormal by their parents and teachers. Also, classroom politics may hinder or enhance educational activities. Student leaders that are harsh and authoritarian are disliked by students. Students are mischievous in such an environment, while they cooperate with democratic leaders. Also in a classroom environment where students experience sexual harassment from their fellow students, such leads to immorality, which may cause dropout, teenage pregnancy, unplanned marriage,  sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS. This type of environment leads some students to change from one class to another class or even change schools. Also, authoritarian and pessimistic reproachful evaluations of students by the teacher seem to create friction in the class. Whereas, over-rigidity produces an unpleasant environment such that the majority of students become anxious, and over-permissive, which may result in students enjoying themselves by doing their own thing and not participating in the lesson.  Thus, Moos (1979), states that in a classroom, teachers who specify clear goals and encourage participation tend to promote students’ morale and feeling of personal accomplishment and tend to produce high work performance. McCraken & Richmond (1992), and Nussbaum (1992), observed that teachers at all levels of education are constantly and silently assessed and perceived as either credible or not credible by students. Cooper & Simons  (1999), states that students may like or dislike the instructor and learn from the instructor they perceive as credible as well as those they like rather than from those they dislike (Frymier, 1994). Teachers’ characteristics play a vital role in effective classroom management. For instance, Lassa (1992), opined that when a teacher has a fundamental disrespect for students’ natural behavior and thinking, the teacher’s mood to subordinate students’ interests naturally makes students feel bad. Where this exists, the environment would normally slow down learning and could affect students’ attitudes toward learning.

According to the Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary of current English (8thed), attitude is a way of feeling, thinking, or behaving towards something or somebody. Speaker (2005), expressed the importance of attitude, stating that feeling is as real, important, and a part of nature as knowing. He further noted that how a person feels is almost more important to others than what he knows. Attitude therefore can be positive or negative toward stimuli. Gardner (1975), Munby (1980), Ormerod and Duckworth (1975), Shrigley (1983), and Schibeci (1984), all opined that the development of a positive attitude to science and scientific process is among the major aims of science teaching. They think that the promotion of a favorable attitude to science is an important aim of science education. In harmony with the above, Klopfer (1971), provides a comprehensive classification scheme for science education aims using six different categories of attitudinal aims.

These he called the Test of Science-Related Attitude (TOSRA) (Fraser 1978). TOSRA is used for examining the performance of groups or classes of students to provide information about changes in attitude at a particular time. However, most of these research works were done outside Nigeria. The little one done in Nigeria lay much emphasis on geographical location, disease, culture, socio-economic status of parents, intelligence quotient, gender problems, and home background environment problems. Among all these factors identified, the influence of students` perception of the classroom environment seems to be absent. Hence, the need for this work.

Statement of the Problem

Students perceive the classroom environment differently because they have different classroom experiences. Differences in perceptions are usually more helpful than harmful. They provide the bases for a great variety of approaches to life in general and education in particular. The question is, do students’ perceptions of the classroom environment influence their academic achievement? Does it influence students’ attitudes toward Chemistry subject? Thomas Poffenberger and Donald Norton (1967), discovered that home attitude and teacher all play important roles in the determent of students’ attitudes towards school subjects. According to Ukeje (1984), poor academic performance could be due to home background, peer group influence, intelligence quotient, gender, and geographical location of the school. Ukeje (1984), further identified some factors, which affect the performance of students as malnutrition, disease, culture, socio-economic status of parents, and home background. Online and Obiora (2001), maintained that gender is another factor that influences the performance of students, some noted age as a big factor that can influence students’ performances and attitudes to learning.

However, most of the research works were done outside Nigeria, hence they cannot be generalized to the Nigerian classroom environment due to differences in the social-cultural, and socio-economic setting and levels of education. Among all other research works done in Nigeria, the influence of students’ perceptions of the classroom environment on their achievement and attitudes toward learning is not mentioned. Could this factor be responsible for students` low or poor Chemistry achievement in Nigeria? In other to

provide an answer to this question, this work becomes necessary and important.

 

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of students’ perceptions of the classroom environment on their achievement and attitudes toward Chemistry in senior secondary schools.

It is specifically established to find out

1: Students’ perceptions of the Chemistry classroom environment.

2: Influence of students’ perceptions of classroom environment on their achievement in Chemistry.

3: Influence of students’ perceptions of classroom environment on their attitudes towards Chemistry

 

 

 Significance of the Study

This study is significant in view that it will provide useful information on students’ perceptions of the chemistry classroom environment to educators, teachers, students, non-tutorial staff, guidance counselors, and the government. This study will help the government, teachers, educators, and guidance counselors to know the influence students’ perceptions of the classroom environment have on students’ achievement and students’ attitudes towards chemistry in secondary schools. To the government, teachers, and heads of schools, it will guide them in formulating rules and laws in the school system. It will help students to know and adapt to classroom environment variables. This will help in changing and improving the teaching and learning of Chemistry in senior secondary schools.

 

Scope of the Study

This study will be limited to senior secondary II students of chemistry in the Obollo education zone of Enugu State. It is also limited to some selected variables such as the Nature of the classroom environment, Instructional materials/equipment, Teachers’ quality, Method of teaching and

Student/student interaction.

 

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study

  • What are the students’ levels of perceptions of their Chemistry classroom environment?
  • What is the chemistry achievement mean scores of students who have negative, moderate, and positive perceptions of their Chemistry classroom environment?
  • What are the attitude mean scores of students who have negative, moderate, and positive perceptions of their chemistry classroom environment?

 

Hypotheses

 

The following hypotheses will be tested in this study at a 0.05 level of significance.

HO1:    The students’ perceptions of their Chemistry classroom environment have no significant influence on their achievement mean scores in Chemistry.

HO2:   The students` perceptions of their Chemistry classroom environment have no significant influence on students’ attitude mean scores in Chemistry.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POOR PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY CHEMISTRY STUDENTS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA. GET MORE CHEMISTRY EDUCATION TOPICS AND MATERIALS

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