IMPACT OF THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SCIENCE LABORATORY ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY.
ABSTRACT
This research work investigated the impact of the availability and use of Science Laboratory on the academic achievement of chemistry students in senior secondary schools. Three hypotheses were stated on impact of the availability and use of Science Laboratory on the academic achievement of chemistry students in senior secondary schools. Meanwhile, the research design is both survey and quasi-experimental research type. The sample consisted of one hundred (100) chemistry students randomly selected from five secondary schools in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos state. An instrument used was questionnaire. Simple percentage and chi-square methods were employed in analyzing the data. Results showed that the availability of science laboratories appeared as the predictors of student academic achievement. Also, that the availability of laboratory equipment, apparatus and chemical has a significant impact on the academic achievement of students in chemistry. Furthermore, the effective use of the science laboratories have enormous effect if student are given opportunities to manipulate equipment and materials in order to be able to construct their knowledge of phenomena and related scientific concepts. The study recommended that a well laboratory should be provided in our secondary schools for effective teaching and learning of chemistry so that the students have good knowledge of the subject and equipped them with current teaching and learning methods.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract vi
Table of contents vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study 1
- Statement of the Problem 4
- Purpose of Study 5
- Research Question 6
- Research Hypothesis 6
- Significance of Study 7
- Delimitation of the Study 7
- Definition of Terms 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction 9
2.1 The meaning and concept of science 9
2.2 The meaning and concept of science laboratory 13
2.3 The meaning and concept of chemistry 17
2.4 Impact of the availability of science laboratory on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in chemistry. 23
2.5 Impact of the uses of science laboratory on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in chemistry. 29
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Research design 34
- Population of the study 34
- Sample and sampling techniques 34
- Research instrument 35
- Validity of the instrument 35
- Reliability of the instrument 36
- Administration of instrument 36
- Method of data collection 36
- Method of data analysis 36
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction 37
4.2 Analysis of data 37
4.3 Analysis of bio-data 37
4.4 Analysis of hypothesis 39
CHAPTER FIVE: SLUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Summary 44
- Conclusion 45
- Recommendation 47
References 49
Appendices 52
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Science Laboratory is a place, building or room where experimental works are being carried out. In other word, Science Laboratory enables the pedagogy of science to be enhanced and played a vital role in confirming the theory which has already be taught in the classroom .This also arose the efficiency of teaching through practical work in chemistry. (Adeyebe, 2005):
Science laboratories have a very important role in the Education system for science students. Many researchers in the subject of science suggested that learning and teaching in science especially chemistry is enhanced and the understanding level is improved when students are engage in science laboratory for practical experiment. Science laboratories also enables the students to facilitates the meaningful learning in the subject of science especially chemistry and to able to construct there knowledge of phenomena and related scientific concepts.
Furthermore, the availability of resources inputs has no value for academic objectives as until they are actually used, therefore, the use of chemistry laboratory is very important for the achievements of chemistry education. Hanushek (2006) clarified it in the word: “And if the resource used is insufficient, the relationship between added resources and outcome is unclear.” This simple observation motivates a direct investigation of the relationship between outcomes inputs to schools.
The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) and also the 2061 project (AAAS, 1998) reaffirm the conviction that inquiry in general and inquiry in the context of practical work in science education is central to the achievement of scientific literacy. Inquiry-type laboratories have the potential to develop student abilities and skills such as; posing scientifically oriented questions (Krajork, 2001; Hofstein, 2005), forming hypotheses, designing and conducting scientific investigations formulating and revising Scientifics explanation, and communicating and defending scientific arguments.
Developing countries have thousands of chances available for their development in chemistry Education, but the situation in Nigeria is very dismal for the chemistry Education particularly at the secondary school level. First of all the availability of equipment, apparatus and materials are very less provided to schools. Most of the chemistry teachers are indolent and incompetency for their subject because they only have the bookish knowledge but very less professional ability and competency for teaching chemistry as compared to the teachers of the advance countries. The best of all is that the chemistry teachers do not use the laboratory with the available equipment, apparatus and chemicals.
The Government is spending enough in the education sector every year but still low quality resources inputs are provided to schools. Overall, quality of education in Nigeria has a declining trend, particularly science education, that is reaching is lowest EBB; therefore, the need is to identify the factors responsible for the present state of affairs. Identifying researches on resources inputs around the globe, the discussion is broad in coverage and narrow in its focus when we emphasize the differential impact of the availability and the use of science laboratories on academic achievement of students at secondary school level in Nigeria.
The suffice to say that an overview of the current state of knowledge and investigation whether a great deficiency in the present usage of science laboratories leads to the wastage of resources and lower academic achievements of chemistry students in senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The availability and the use of science laboratories has become an important component of learning science subjects but it depends upon the degree to which is efficiently used. Only the availability of science laboratory is not a guarantee of students’ achievements until both the teachers and students actually use science laboratories facilities efficiently (Lewin, 2000).The proper use of laboratory and demonstration of experiments are the indicators of students’ achievements.
Science laboratories are important only when they are used in the school setting. If science laboratory are provided to secondary schools; there three possibilities that they remain unused, used inefficiently and used efficiently. Still, the standard of efficiently utilization of resources inputs have not been formulated in Nigeria.
Furthermore, science laboratories are provided to schools with the deficient quality and less quantity of equipment, apparatus and chemicals owning to be the impact of the availability and the use of science laboratories on academic achievements of chemistry students in Nigeria.
But most of our senior secondary schools do not have good Laboratory and where it is available; it may not be well equipped and effectively used. This brings about the arguments over the years that; science cannot be meaningful without worthwhile practical experiences in the school laboratory. It is on this note that the study aim at assessing the impact of the availability and use of science laboratory on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study therefore can be summarized as below:
- To find out the availability of science laboratory equipment, apparatus, and chemicals with the academic achievement of students in chemistry.
- To find out the relationship between the availability of science laboratory equipment, apparatus, and chemicals and their use in the teaching and learning of science.
- To identify the impact of the use of science laboratories on academic achievement of students in chemistry.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Is there any significant relationship between the availability of science laboratory and students academic performance chemistry?
- Is there any significant relationship between availability of science laboratory equipment, apparatus, and chemicals with the students’ academic performance in chemistry?
- Is there any impact of the use of science laboratory on the students’ academic achievement in chemistry?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
This study will focused mainly on the impact of the availability and the use of science laboratories on the academic achievement of students in chemistry. The hypothesis rises:
HO1: Availability of science laboratory has nothing to do with the academic performance of students in chemistry.
HO2: Availability of science laboratory equipment, apparatus, and chemicals as no significant impact on the students’ academic performance in chemistry.
HO3: There is significant impact of the use of science laboratories on the students’ academic achievement in chemistry.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.
It is believed that the result of these findings would help in achieving the following:
- Eradicate the misallocation and the deficiency in the use of science laboratory equipment, apparatus, and chemicals.
- Identify the extent of use of equipment, apparatus, and chemicals in the science laboratories at the secondary state.
- Help government to make policies that enforce the use of science laboratories at the secondary level of education.
- Orientate students at secondary school level on how to use science laboratory skills in performing experiments.
- Help the science teachers to know the importance of science laboratories.
1.7 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study focused mainly on impact availability and the use of science laboratory on academic achievement of the students in chemistry in Nigeria society using Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State as a case study.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS.
Some terms or abbreviations were defined for the purpose of the study. These include
SCIENCE: Is defined as the systematic observation of natural events or intellectual activity carried on by humans that s designed to discover information about natural world in which humans live and to formulate laws and principles based on these facts.
SCIENCE LABORATORY: Means a workplace for the conduct of scientific research; that is a place in which science experiments are taken place.
CHEMISTRY: Is the science of matter, its properties, structure, composition and its changes during interactions and chemical reactions.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: This means the outcome of education-the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals in class, in a laboratory or fieldwork.
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