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ISSN: 1763-9151 VOL.7 NO 1 &2
Editorial Comment
It is my pleasure to welcome you to our sixth edition of the International Journal Of Education,
Science, Humanities Mathematics and Environmental Studies (IJESHMES) which is a
publishing arm of International Council for Education, Science, Humanities, Mathematics and
Environmental Studies (ICESHMES). The ICESHMES is an international organization whose
members are drawn from scholars of repute in the fields of Education, Science, Humanities,
Mathematics and Environmental Studies resident in institutions and research centers across the
globe. The current world President, Professor Kleith Glyden is based in Canberra, Australia
while the editorial team is made up of seasoned scholars across the globe under Editor-in –Chief
who is currently based in Abuja, Nigeria. The concern for quality scholarly writings informed the
emergence of the journal. Apart from providing an outlet for publication of research findings,
this journal offers opportunities for professionals/experts to articulate their views or positions on
topical issues and emerging theories within the scope of the journal.
On this premise, therefore, papers are welcome from international communities and all regions
of the world; for which the Editorial Board is committed to publishing biennially (June and
September). We look forward to receiving your scholarly papers for publication in the Journal.
For more information, visit our website at: www.ijeshmesjournal.org
Once again, you are welcome on board!
Editor-In-Chief
International Journal of Science, Humanities, Mathematics and Environmental Studies
(IJESHMES, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
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Editorial Board Members
Editor-In-Chief
Professor A.B.C. Orji
Institute of Education
University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
Editors
Dr. F.N. Renth University of Kentucky (North America)
Dr. B.M.C. PuraKrash University of Singapore (Asia)
Dr. T.M. Batista Brussels College of Science and Technology (Europe)
Dr.Mrs. U. S. Anaduaka University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria (Africa)
Dr. Motzad Dayan Hebrew University (Middle East)
Consulting Editors
Prof. R.S. Putin University of South Dakota, USA
Prof.B.S.T. Aidoo University of Legon, Ghana
Prof. P.N. Okpala University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Prof. S. B. Pruitt University of East Anglia , London
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NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS
The Editorial Board of IJESHMES welcomes scholarly and well researched papers on topical
issues in Education, Sciences, Humanities and Mathematics at all levels of education system.
However, all contributors should adhere strictly with the following guidelines:
1. Papers should not exceed 12 pages including tables, diagrams and references on A4
paper.
2. Papers must be written in clear and coherent English or French languages
3. Papers must be submitted in typed triplicate copies in addition to electronic copies sent to
4. Abstract of not more than 150 words should be submitted alongside the articles.
5. Current American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style should be used. Please
avoid footnotes
6. Quotations of more than 40 words should be indented and typed single spaced with indication
of the quoted pages
7. Each paper must be accompanied by a non refundable vetting fee of N4000.00 or $30.00
made payable to IJESMES JOURNAL, First Bank (Nig) Plc. Acct. No: 2016891863
8. A final corrected e copy (in MS words, Times New Romans, 12-point font size, 2.5cm all-
round margin) of an accepted paper must be sent through an e-mail accompanied by a
publication fee of N25,000.00 or $200.00 made payable to IJESMES JOURNAL account stated
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Chief, IJESHMES.
9. Authors are encouraged to include their e-mail addresses and GSM numbers to enhance
communication.
10. All submitted papers become the property of International Council for Education, Science,
Humanities, Mathematics and Environmental studies (ICESHMES).
11. Failure to comply with the afore- stipulated conditions and format may lead to delay or
rejection of the paper(s)
12. Our current and previous editions are also available for sale at N2,000.00 or $15.00 per copy.
13. All correspondences should be sent to:
Editor-In-Chief, IJESHMES
University of Abuja,
P. M. B. 117, Abuja, Nigeria
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LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
1. Prof.Ramli, T.E
University of Malaysia, Sawarak, Malaysia.
2. Dr. I.A. Alade
Tai Solarin University of Education,Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria
3. Dr. F.K. Muhtaydeen
University of Malaysia, Sawarak, Malaysia.
4. Dr.I.A. Odunlami
Tai Solarin University of Education,Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria
5. Prof.H. Singh
University of India, Mumbai, India
6. Madu, Samuel
Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council, Abuja, Nigeria
7. Prof. P.O. Agogo
Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
8. Dr. O.A .Oguntamu
Tai Solarin University of Education,Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria
9. Charity Dooshima
Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
10. Dr. E.N. Igboegwu
Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Anambra State, Nigeria
11. Prof. A.B.C. Orji
University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
12. Dr. B.O. Ogunleye
National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
13. Joy Chioma Orji
Best Intellect International Academy, Gwagwalada,Abuja, Nigeria
14. Prof. McPaulin Martins
Alaska State University, Alaska, United States of America
15. Dr. Mustapha Jarumi
University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.
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16. Prof.Zulikar Mutembu
Uiversity of Capetown,South Africa
17. Dr. Yewande Ogunleye
National Open University of Nigeria
18. Prof. Mukumba Tergun
University of Cameroon,Yaounde, Cameroon
19. Dr. Niyi Adegoke
National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos
20. Dr. Dolly Feckers
Alaska State University, Alaska, United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guided Inquiry Strategy and Academic Achievement of Tenth Grade Physics Students in
Sawarak, Malaysia
Prof. Ramli, T.E & Dr. Muhtaydeen, F.K.…………………………………………………………………………………………
Community Partcipation and Institutional Effectiveness in Curriculum and Instructional
Practices
Dr.Alade, I.A.; Dr.Odunlami, I.A. &
Oguntamu, O.A...………………………………………………………………………………………..
Relative Effectiveness of Group-Individualized Instruction and Lecture Method on Dtudents‟
Achievement in Secondary School Biology
Prof Haneet Singh & Dr. Malopthra Gandhi…………………………………………………….
Assessment of the Impact of School Facilities in North- Central Nigerian Colleges of Education
on the Attainment of National Policy on Teacher Education
Madu, Samuel……………………………………
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Effects of Inclusive Learning Environment On Students‟ Attitude to Basic Science in Gwer East
Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
Prof Peter Agogo & Charity Dooshima...................................................................................................... ..........
Effects of Cased-Based Learning Strategy on Nig erian Secondary School Students‟
Achievement and Attitude to Chemistry
Dr. B.O.Ogunleye…………………………………………………………………...
Pre-School Learning Experience Background and Classsroom Performannce of Primary School
Pupils in Nigeria and South Africa
Prof. Zulikhar Mutembu & Joy Chioma Orji………………………………………………………
Impact of Collaborative Intervention Programme on Pre-Primary and Primary School Teachers‟
Utilization of Research Findings in Ibadan, Nigeria
Dr. Yewande Ogunleye………….………………………………………………………
Effects of Thematic Instructional Strategy on Students‟ Achievement in Basic Science
Prof. Mukumba Tergun…………………………………………………………… ……….
Educational Dimension to Value Orientation in Nigeria
Prof. A. B.C. Orji & Dr. Mustapha Jarumi
Theft and Mutilation of Library Collections in Selected Nigeria University Libraries
Dr. Niyi Adegoke.……………………………………………………………….
Relationship Between Students‟ Mathematics Anxiety and Their Achievement in Selected
Chemistry concepts
Dr. E.N Igboegwu ……………………………………………………………..
Webbing Instructional Strategy and Academic Performance of Students in Reduction and
Oxidation (REDOX) Reaction
Prof. McPaulin Martins & Dr. Dolly Feckers……………….………………....................
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Guided Inquiry Strategy and Academic Achievement of Tenth Grade Physics Students in
Sawarak, Malaysia
By
Professor Ramli, T.E & Muhtaydeen, F.K.Ph.D
University of Malaysia, Sawarak, Malaysia.
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of guided inquiry strategy on academic achievement of low
achieving secondary school physics students in Sawarak region, Malaysia. The study is a pretest,
posttest quasi experimental in nature. The population is made up of 1,714 tenth grade science
students consisting of 1,018 males and 696 females from all the seventeen (17) senior secondary
school in the metropolis. Two schools were randomly selected through table of random digits
and were randomly assigned control and experimental groups using balloting. Ninety-one (91)
students identified as low achievers were purposively selected from the two sampled schools
based on the schools’ records i.e (students who consistently scored below average of 50% in 3
consecutive examinations in Physics). 48 students were in control group; lecture method was
used to teach them, while 43 students were in experimental group and taught using guided
inquiry strategy. The two groups were taught light concept for six weeks. Physics Achievement
Test (PAT) was used for data collection. A hypothesis was stated, there is no significant
difference in the academic achievement of low achievers in Physics exposed to guided inquiry
strategy and those exposed to lecture method. This hypothesis was tested using t-test statistic at
P≤ 0.05. The findings of the study showed that low achievers in physics of senior secondary
school exposed to guided inquiry strategy in the teaching and learning of light concepts
performed significantly better than those exposed to lecture method of instruction.
Recommendations based on the findings were made. This includes incorporating the use of
guided inquiry strategy into the main stream of pedagogy in the teaching of physics at senior
secondary school level.
Introduction
Physics as a science subject at the secondary school level is an important subject that is
required for the scientific and technological development of a nation. Physics is a vehicle for
achieving the long-term goals of science because it is instrumental to technological and socio-
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economic growth across the globe (Okytox, 2004). The role of Physics in the education of
scientists, engineers, chemists and practitioners of other physical and biological sciences are
enormous Olly (2003) and Grant (2008) asserts that physics occupy unique position among other
science subjects because of the numerous applications to which its concepts are being used to
improve man‟s environments. The teaching of Physics therefore, should reflect the processes and
methods of modern science, which could enhance technological development. The consistent and
steady increase in failure rate in physics within the last two decades attests to the fact that
physics teaching and learning among secondary school students has not been properly addressed
(Stephen, 2008). Review of past achievement in Physics had been low in public examination and
the situation appears to still remain the same till date (Kalija, 2014). The failure rate according
to Kalijah(2014), Onymas and Efuty (2000) were mostly attributed to improper exposure to
laboratory activities, poor science background and lack of problem solving ability and poor
method of instruction. This is supported by the assertion of Gotosky and Nzitok (2003) where
they attributed the deterioration in students‟ achievement in Physics to ineffective method of
teaching Physics. Based on this deplorable trend of poor performance, Physics educators had
designed some instructional strategies over the years to enhance students achievements in the
subject. For instance, Iroegbu (1998) designed Problem-Based learning strategy for better
achievement, problem solving and line graphing skills in Physics while Orji (1998)
recommended the use of problem solving and concept mapping strategies as well as cognitive
style to improve achievement. Slisky (2005) recommended Student- Centered method such as
guided inquiry as an instructional strategy for teaching and learning Physics.
The achievement momentum of students in the classroom teaching and learning of physics
varies according to some certain factors such as; students‟ background, teaching method and
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developmental level in terms of chronological and cognitive maturity. Such variations lead to
“labeling” students as under-achievers (limited learners), slow learners, dropout, all being
descriptions of weak and low ability group while the “talented” generalized as high-ability group
(Oxenhorne, 1992). Low achiever according to Shanmukappa,( 1978) is a student who scores 35
to 45 percent of total marks consistently for two years in an annual examination. Bharatidevi
(1982) states that, low achievers are those students who scored an average less than 50per cent
marks consecutively over two years in their previous examinations. Panchalingappa (1994)
described low achievers as those with a marked discrepancy between potential (as shown by
ability tests) and performance (as shown by grades or achievement test) scores. While according
to Reddy and Ramar (2003), low achievers are those whose ability is not quite so limited but
nevertheless who have more difficulty in learning than average students. Low achievers in this
study are regarded as students who score below average in three consecutive examinations.
Iroham (1991) observed that the present method of teaching physics whereby teachers use
lecture method only does not in any way provide for sequence of learning experiences. Lecture
method, traditionally referred to as didactic approach is defined as a technique in which one
person, usually the teacher, presents a spoken discourse on a particular subject . According to
Al-Ezaky (2009), many academics have accepted lecture method as a proper way of imparting
knowledge since the educational system puts so much premium on external examinations. This is
however a detriment to learning of science as asserted by Nubby (2007) that, effective scientific
teaching should be laboratory-centered and activity -oriented since one of the objectives of
science education is to develop student‟s interest in science and technology. The teaching and
learning of physics concepts should be done using teaching methods that are activity-oriented
such as discussion method, demonstration method, project method, fieldtrip as well as guided
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Inquiry teaching method. Lecture method is been used in this study to teach the control group.
The guided inquiry strategy is described by Sola and Ojo (2007) as a student – centered,
activity – oriented teaching strategy in which the teacher directs students through problem –
solving approach to discover answers to instructional topic at hand. Callahan , Clark and
Kelloough (1995) described guided inquiry as a style or method of teaching where the learner
with minimum guidance from the teacher seeks to discover and create answer to a recognized
problem through procedure of making a diligent search.
Objectives of Study
The objective of the study was to find out if any difference exists in the academic
achievement of low achievers in physics at tenth grade level when exposed to guided inquiry
strategy and lecture method.
Research Question
This study sought answer to the following research question;
1. Does guided inquiry strategy has any effect on the academic achievement of low
achievers in physics?
Hypotheses
The following null hypothesis was formulated for testing at P≤ 0.05 level of
significance;
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean academic scores of low
achievers in physics exposed to guided inquiry strategy and those exposed
to lecture method.
Methodology
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The research design for this study was Quasi-experimental and control groups using pretest
and posttest. The sample was drawn from a population of one thousand three hundred and
seventy seven (1,377) tenth grade physics students of the 17 public secondary schools in
Sawarak province, Malaysia as at the time of this study. Two schools were randomly selected
using table of random digits and were randomly assigned control and experimental group using
balloting. Low achievers from these schools were identified based on their teachers‟ record of
three consecutive exams in Physics which were students who consistently scored below class
average. Among 150 SSII science students in both schools, 91 students who consistently scored
below average of 50% in three consecutive exams were purposively selected from their physics
teachers‟ record. This is because they can be called low achievers according to Bharatidevi
(1982) and Ofonime (2007). There were 43 students in experimental group and 48 students in
control the group.
The instrument used for data collection in this study is Physics Achievement Test (PAT).
PAT test items were drawn from past objective questions of years 2000 to 2009. The PAT was
made up of forty multiple-choice questions covering the scope for the study. The test items with
the marking scheme were revalidated by three experts, one science educator, a PhD holder and
senior lecturer with Physics background of the University of Malaysia and two Physics teachers
who are M.sc holders in physics. A reliability co-efficient of 0.60 was found using the Kr-21
formula.
The treatment was administered to the experimental group using guided inquiry strategy
adapted from Bybee, Taylor, Gardner, Van, Powell, Westbrook and Landes (2006) retrieved
from http:// www.tregoe.org/ on 12th
Sept 2010 for the experimental group and Lecture method
for the control group.
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Lesson notes were prepared differently for both the experimental and control groups to
teach the selected physics concepts. Subjects in the experimental group were taught the concept
light by the researcher using the adapted guided inquiry strategy model ensuring that the teaching
procedure was in conformity with the direction of the model. This comprised laboratory work,
problem solving and discussions. The subjects were allowed to explore the concepts in question
through practical activities and problem solving and small group discussions. In the exploration
session, they were asked focusing questions meant to lead them to observe and discuss their
experiences. The teaching lasted for six weeks consisting of 6-double periods of 80 minutes
each. Posttest was administered after treatment. While the same topics were taught using lecture
method to the control group for the period.
Results
Research Question
Does guided inquiry strategy has any effect on the academic achievement of low achievers
in physics?
Table 1: Difference in Mean between Mean Achievement Scores of Experimental and
Control Groups
Variable N Mean SD Mean Difference
Experimental group 43 32.48 2.43
11.44
Control group 48 21.04 2.36
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Table 1 shows the mean achievement scores of experimental group and control group as
32.48 and 21.04 respectively. The difference is 11.44 in favour of experimental group. This
means that the experimental group achieved higher than the control group.
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean academic scores of low achievers in
Physics exposed to guided inquiry strategy and those exposed to lecture method.
Table 2: t-test Comparison of the Mean Academic Achievement Scores of
Experimental and Control Groups.
Variable N Mean SD Df t-cal P Remark
Female 15 30.06 2.84
41 1.51 0.65 *S
Male 28 31.28 2.33
*Significant at P ≤ 0.05
There is difference in the mean scores of the experimental and control groups. Table
2 showed that the p-value is 0.00 which is less than the level of significance of P ≤ 0.05 with df =
89. Therefore, there is significant difference between the posttest scores of the experiment and
the control groups in favour of the experimental group. Thus, the hypothesis is rejected. This
implies that the experimental group taught light concepts using guided inquiry strategy achieved
significantly higher than the control group taught the same light concepts using lecture method.
Discussion
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The significant difference found between the two groups is likely to be due to use of guided
inquiry strategy (an activity-oriented method) on the experimental group. If the treatment
administered had no effect, the two groups were expected to perform equally the same. Since the
experimental group performed significantly better, it implies that using guided inquiry strategy in
teaching low achievers improved their performances. The result confirms earlier findings of
James (1991) and Bilgin (2009) who recommended that students should be provided with
appropriate methods of instruction in science such as guided inquiry strategy in order to make
abstract concepts better understood and hence enhance achievement.
Conclusion
In conclusion teaching strategies that teachers use in science teaching have significant
effects on the low achievers‟ achievement at senior secondary school level. Guided inquiry
strategy facilitates meaningful learning of light concepts among low achievers at senior
secondary school level. More so, neither the male nor the female low achievers performed
significantly better than the other when taught light concepts using guided inquiry strategy at
senior secondary school level.
Recommendations
This study recommends that the teaching of physics should be conducted in such a way
that students learn meaningfully. The use of guided inquiry strategy seems to be appropriate in
that respect. It should therefore be incorporated into the main stream of pedagogy in the
teaching of Physics at senior secondary school level.
References
Al-Ezaky, A,A. (2009.) Classroom Teaching Behaviour and Secondary School
Science Achievement.International Journal of Research in Collaborative Teaching.18 (6),
15
(312 - 322).
Gotosky P.C and Nzitok. U. (2003). Effects of Videotaped Instruction on Secondary
School Students‟ Achievements in Physics. International Journal of the Science
Education 48, 1 & 2: 98-104.
Ali,A.(1998). Strategies Issues and Trends in Science Education in Africa. Onitsha: Cape
Publisher International Limited
Atadoga, M.M.and Onalopo, A.O (2008), A HandBook on Science Teaching Methods.
Zaria SHOLA Press.
Bharathidevi, (1982). Certain Psychological Factors of Adjustment Influencing
Achievement among School Children. Indian Journal of Psychology. 57:141-153.
Bilgin,I.(2009). The Effect of Guided Inquiry Instruction Incorporating a Cooperative
Learning Approach on University Students‟ Achievement of Acid and Bases Concept and
Attitude Toward Guided Inquiry Instruction. Academic Journals: Scientific Research and
Essay.4(10)1038-1046.
Bybee, R.W, Taylor, J.A, Gardener, A, Van Scotter, P. Pouell, J.C, Westbrook A;
Landes, N (2006). The BCCS SE Instructional Model: Origin, Effectiveness, and
Applications. Colorado Spring: BSCS.
Callahan, J.F, Clark L.H and Kellough R.d (1995). Teaching in the Middle and Secondary
Schools(5th
ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Grant, D.E. (1998).”The Effective Physics Teacher: The Concept and Scope of Physics for
Schools and Colleges”. Journal of Education Research,2(3)22-31.
Iroegbu, T.O. (1998). Problem-based Learning, Numerical Ability and Gender as
Determinants of Achievement in Line Graphing Skills in Senior Secondary Physics. An
unpublished Ph.D. Thesis University of Ibadan Nigeria.
Iroham, K.M. (1991). A Diagnostic Study of SSIII Students Conceptual Difficulties in Field
Aspect of Physics. Unpublished M.Ed Thesis University of Nigeria Nsukka.
James, T. (1991). Effectiveness of Inquiry Versus Lecture Methods of Teaching Biology in
Secondary Schools in Niger State. Unpublished M. Ed Thesis Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria.
16
Kalijah, M.S. (2000). Education, Training and Careers in Physics for Women in Malaysia.
IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics UNESCO. Paris France.
Nubby, A. F (2007). Teaching Qualitative Inorganic Component Analysis in Colleges Using
Multiple Methods. Journal of Behavioural Science 33(3), 99-98
Ofonime, F.N (2007). Effects of Constructivist-Based Instructional Model on Senior
Secondary Students Achievement in Biology. Proceedings of the 50th
Anniversary
Conference of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria. Heinemann Educational Books
(Nig) Plc.135-138.
Okytox, T.U (2004). Model Based Instructional Strategies as Determinants of Students
Learning Outcomes in Secondary Physics. An Unpublished Ph.D Thesis. University of
Illinos, USA.
Olly, B.D. (2003). Peer Tutoring-assisted Instruction. An Intervention for Increasing
Senior Secondary School Students‟ Achievement in Physics. African Journal of
Educational Research vol. 9 Nos 1 & 2..
Onymas, D.A and Efuty, O.T (2000). Enhanced Physics Education in Nigeria to Cope
with the Challenges of the present Millenium. International Proceedings of the Science
Educators‟ Conference held in Michigan, United States of America.
Orji, A.B.C. (1998). Effects of Problem Solving and Concept Mapping Instructional Strategies
on Students‟ Learning Outcomes in Physics. An Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis University of
Ibadan, Nigeria.
Slisky, B. (2005). Active Learning Strategies for the Physics Classrooms in the Third World:
Polosky: Breznev Publishing Coy
Oxenhorne, J.M (1992). Teaching Science to Underachievers in Secondary School. New
York : Globe Book Company.
Panchalingappa, S.N (1994). An Investigation in to The Causes of Underachievement in
Secondary School Mathematics and Science. Ph D Thesis Karnatak University, Dharwad.
Reddy G.L and Ramar R (2003) .Slow Learners. Their Psychology and Instruction.
Discovery Publishing House; New Delhi, India.
Shanmukappa, G(1978) An Investigation into the Causes of Underachievement of high
School Students. M.Phil. Dissertation Thesis, Karnatak University, Dharwad.
17
Solly, A.O. and Al-Quay, O.E. (2007). Effects of Project, Inquiry and Lecture-Demonstration
Teaching Methods on Senior Secondary Students‟ Achievement in Chemistry. Educational
Research and Review 2(6): 124-132 .
Stephen , W.S.(2008). Effective Teaching and Learning of Simple Machines in Primary
Science. London: Strathyde Press Ltd.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS IN
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES
1ALADE, Ibiwumi A. Ph.D; ODUNLAMI, I. Adeniyi Ph.D & OGUNTAMU, Olugbenga A.
Tai Solarin University of Education
P.M.B. 2118, Ijagun, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria
Abstract
People in different settings and in designated places are committed to specific developmental
goals, which revolve around their needs and welfare. They also collaborate with groups and
institutions around them to maximize productivity as they influence one another. Meanwhile,
despite the fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria (2014) through the revised National
Policy on Education encourages community participation in education, its impact on educational
curriculum practices is still underscored in some places. As a result of this obvious observation,
this study examined the extent of community participation on institutional effectiveness in
curriculum and instructional practices. The study adapted a descriptive survey. Three research
questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A sample of 350 participants were randomly
selected, and Community Participation in Institutional Curriculum Effectiveness Questionnaire
(CPICEQ) and School Effectiveness Rating Scale (SERS) were used for data collection. The data
were analysed using frequency count, mean and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The
findings revealed that there are significant correlation between community participation and
institutional effectiveness in some curriculum and instructional practices indicators considered.
The authors therefore recommended that there is the need to close the gap between communities
and educational institutions through suggested strategies in the study with a view to achieving
the respective goals of institutional curriculum and the participating communities.
Key Words: Community, Curriculum, Instruction, Partnership
Word Count: 214
Introduction
18
In the past, establishment of schools in Nigeria was the responsibility of missionaries and
the communities. During the period, schools were totally controlled by the agencies responsible
for their existence, and admissions were dictated by the extent of one‟s relationship with the
agencies and from that time, it was quite difficult to separate the involvement of parents in the
schools for the fact that the parents were the founders of the schools and therefore they assumed
the modern role of Parents‟ Teachers‟ Association (Ojedele & Adegbesan, 2012:2). The
experience then and even till date depict that the educational system as a social institution cannot
be separated from its existing community. From this sociological perspective, it becomes clear
that no boundary can be created to damage the interaction and the relationship between the
community and the school within their environment.
Education takes place not only in schools but also within families, communities and
society. As a result, Lawal, Oduwaiye & Muritala (2015) stressed that school and community are
two separate entities that depend on each for the attainment of their respective goals. Parents‟
Teachers‟ Association (PTA), School Based Management Committee (SBMC), Board of
Governors and Alumni are among the stakeholders in education and they are part of the
community. In Sarumi (2011), it is argued that community supports are critical to the positive
development of education and that all stakeholders in education: the family, the government,
Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and others have the greatest influence in educational
development.
Curriculum implementation and its instructional practices in educational institutions thus
lie in the hands of such institutions and the participating community. Curriculum, within
educational setting, could be likened to compass that gives directive on how to move to a
particular destination (Okewole & Adediran, 2013). The programme of studies, programme of
activities and programme of guidance often stipulated in the school curriculum have intended
behavioural outcomes, the attainment of which determines institutional effectiveness at various
levels of education. In fact, the extent to which teaching and learning are facilitated is often
determined by the participative roles of the stakeholders involved in curriculum and instructional
practices, and in this case community participation and instructional staff play prominent roles. It
is during curriculum and instructional practices in the school that formal knowledge is organized
for learners; meta-cognitive knowledge are developed; skills are acquired and goal-directed
practices are displayed. Also, in the process of instructional delivery, learners develop skills
19
which prepare them for the community survival and wider society; they gain intellectual habits
that not only improve their performance but also their effectiveness as learners.
Due to the fact that the present trend in Nigeria is the difficulty of the government at all
levels to take sole responsibility of financing her educational system coupled with the upsurge of
the expenses on education as determined by high growth in population and the world economic
crises at various times, the roles of community participation in curriculum practices in
educational institutions deserve more attention. Community participation in projects of
educational institutions become recognized when members of a community play active role in
the determination of school basic needs like resources, participation in decision making in
matters which affect the lives of the learners in school, and mobilization of all and sundry in the
community towards achieving the educational objectives. Lawal, Oduwaiye, & Muritala (2015)
noted that communities‟ and parents‟ involvement help achieve curriculum and learning
materials that reflect children‟s everyday lives in society.
Community, which is seen by Adedokun (2010) as people in a designated place
committed to specific development goals, which revolve around their welfare and improved
living standard cannot be divorced from school system. From the views of Adekola (2006),
participation refers to the ability of individuals old or young, rich or poor to have an input into
the decision making process and play a vital role in improving the quality of life in the
environment. Educational institution is part of the environment. It is a place where curriculum
and instructional practices come into reality. Community participation thus is the ability to
control and manage resources to meet the social, cultural and economic needs of the populace
(Sofoluwe, 2004). In the context of curriculum and instructional practices of the school,
community participation is an attempt to bring the community members close to the school to
jointly carryout school‟s activities as a way of achieving the respective goals of the school and
the community. A good example in contemporary Nigeria is recorded by Robert (2008) when he
observed and stressed that participation of parents and the community contributed significantly
to the achievement of Universal Basic Education Programme.
For effective classroom instruction, the use of instructional materials cannot be ruled out.
It is not uncommon in some communities where initiatives are taken to support the school within
their domain in the provision of material resources and even human resources in term of
employment of some teachers they often pay from the purse of Parents‟ Teachers‟ Association
20
(PTA). This participative role helps the school in curriculum and instructional practices a lot. For
students to have better understanding of the instructional content, Adeyanju (2005) recommends
the use of instructional materials that the students are familiar with. Some if not most of such
materials are found in the local environment, and in most cases, community participation plays a
significant role. When the community takes part in school educational activities, they are
indirectly taken care of their own welfare because the products of the school curriculum that is
the learners are coming back to them to render respective services to the society. In line with
this, Abiona & Akoroda (2012) declared that for effective participation, the people should take
part in the planning, implementation, execution, utilization and evaluation of social amenities, or
facilities designed to improve their welfare. When people refer to social services within their
communities as “our school”, “our hospital”, “our market”, “our town hall”, they are implicitly
expressing enthusiasm and confidence in their community with strong feeling of belonging to it
(Anyanwu, 2002).
Moreover, when community actively participates in institutional curriculum and
instructional practices, that is community involvement. In order to consolidate the focus of this
paper therefore, community participation in curriculum and institutional instructional matters and
practices has route in Joyce Epstein‟s theory of community involvement. Epstein‟s theory
indicates that students succeed at high levels when the internal and external models of influence
intersect and work to promote success in the school. The external model postulates that students
learn and achieve more success when the internal context in which they live (e.g home, school
and community) work together to support and enhance academic success. The internal model
describes the interactions, interpersonal relations and patterns of influence that occur between
individuals at home, at school and in the community (Oyadele, 2014). When this interaction
occurs at the institutional level, like the school inviting family to parents day/children day or at
an individual level e.g parent/teacher conference, it implies that community participation in the
school process is very likely to determine institutional effectiveness.
The background information of this paper have thus attempted to enumerate the
participative role of community in institutional curriculum matters. The goal becomes clear that
any kind of school instructional practices that attempts to involve community in education is to
improve the educational delivery so that more children and youth learn better and are well
equipped for the emerging society. The community-school relationship and participation vary
21
from place to place. While such partnership have become common and recognized in some
places with a new to improving institutional effectiveness in curriculum and instructional
practices, in other environments, it has attracted much criticisms. All put together informed this
study.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study was to empirically examine community participation and
institutional effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices of Primary Schools in Ado-
Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
The specific purposes of the study are to:
(1) Determine the level at which Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Community members
participate in the provision of fund, employment of assisted manpower to supplement
government teaching employees, provision of infrastructural and instructional facilities
and maintenance of primary school facilities for effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices.
(2) Determine the impact of community participation on primary schools effectiveness in
curriculum and instructional practices in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun
State.
(3) Find out the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the primary
schools in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study:
(1) To what extent are community members in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of
Ogun State participate in the provision of fund, employment of assisted manpower,
provision of infrastructural and instructional facilities and maintenance of primary school
facilities for effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices?
(2) What is the impact of community participation in school needs on primary school
effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices in Ado-Odo Ota Local
Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria?
(3) What are the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the primary
schools in Ad-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria?
22
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were raised to guide the focus of the study.
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the impact of community participation in
school needs (CPSN) and primary school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices
in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between teachers and community members mean
ratings on the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the primary schools in
Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Methodology:
Research Design
The descriptive survey research of ex-post facto was adopted for this study in describing
the existing phenomena on community participation and institutional effectives in curriculum
and instructional practices without manipulation of any variables. The researchers did not have
direct control over conditions influencing subjects‟ behaviours. They only attempted to
determine the frequency of occurrence of the distribution of any the relationship among a variety
of variables.
Population and Sample
The population for this study consisted of all primary school teachers in public schools as
well as community inhabitants (members) in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun
State, Nigeria. From the population, a simple random sampling technique was used to select one
hundred (100) primary school teachers while purposive sampling technique was used to select
two hundred and fifty (250) community members (Parents and Guardians) who have children
and wards in the existing public primary schools in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of
Ogun State. In all, 350 was the total sample for this study.
Research Instrument
Two instruments were used for data collection. The first instrument is tagged Community
Participation in Institutional Curriculum Effectiveness Questionnaire (CPICEQ) designed by the
23
researchers was used for data collection. The CPICEQ was divided into two sections (A and B).
Section A is on the bio-data of the respondents while section B was also divided into three parts
– 1, 2, and 3 in line with the research questions. Section B has ten items responses rated on a 4-
point adapted Likert scale as appropriate. The respondents are to indicate their level of
agreement with each item by ticking any of the response categories identified in the instrument.
The instrument was validated by experts in policy matters and some educational programmes‟s
curriculum implementation who scrutinized it for relevance, suitability, adequacy and wording
for clarity. This was done to ensure the face and content validity of CPICEQ. Thereafter 25
copies were administered to people outside the scope of the study once and Cronbach Alpha
coefficient was determined to be 0.81 which means that the CPICEQ is 81% relevant as an
instrument designed for adequate and appropriate data collection for this study.
Also, the second instrument named School Effectiveness Rating Scale (SERS) with
twenty-five items indicating whether school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional
practices were as a result of the community members‟ participation in the five components
identified in research question 1 was also used. Yes or No response option was required from the
respondents. SERS was also validated by some experts in Educational Management and
Curriculum Studies. Twenty five copies were equally administered for reliability and Cronbach
Alpha Coefficient of 0.75 was obtained as the reliability index (value).
Method of Data Collection
The researchers with the help of some research assistants who were briefed about the
focus of the study were involved in data collection. The respondents were visited randomly in the
public primary schools and the communities located within Ado-Odo Ota Local Government
Area of Ogun State. The data collection lasted for about two weeks.
Method of Data Analysis
Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the data collected. Frequency
counts, percentages, means and standard deviation were used for the analysis of descriptive
results in the research questions, while Multiple Regression and Pearson‟s Moment Correlation
were used as appropriate to answer one of the research questions and the research hypotheses as
appropriate. The level of probability set for acceptance or rejection was 0.05 level of
significance.
24
Analysis and Results
Research Question 1:
To what extent are community members in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of
Ogun State participate in the provision of fund, employment of assisted manpower, provision of
infrastructural and instructional facilities and maintenance of primary school facilities for
effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices?
Table 1a: Joint contribution of the Components of Community Members Participation in
School Funding, Employment of Assisted Manpower, Provision of Infrastructural and
Instructional Facilities and Maintenance of Primary School Facilities for Effectiveness in
Curriculum and Instructional Practices
Model Sum of
Squares
Df Mean
Square
F Sig
Regression 27,165.04 4 9,401,203
5,044,269
.000 Residual 1,583.273 346 3.006
Total 264,523.24 350
R = .715 R2 = .511 AdjR
2 = .511
As shown in table 1a, the joint effect of community members participation in the area of funding,
employment of assisted manpower, provision of infrastructural and instructional facilities and
maintenance of primary school facilities on effectiveness in curriculum and instructional
practices was significant (F(4,346=5,044.269, R = .715, R2 = .511, AdjR
2 = .511, P< .05. About
95% of the variation was accounted for by the independent variables while the remaining 5%
was only due to chance and 51.1% was the joint effect of the community participation in school
activities for effective curriculum implementation activities.
Table 1b: Contributions of Funding, Employment of Assisted Manpower, Provision of
Infrastructural and Instructional Facilities, and Maintenance of Primary School Facilities
in Community Members Participation for Effectiveness in Curriculum and Instructional
Practices.
Model Independent
Variables (Predictors)
Un-standardized
Coefficient
Standardized
Co-efficient
Rank T Sig
25
B Std.
Error
Beta
Constant -01.123E -01.283 -.016 .804
Funding .613 .081 .215 2nd 32.010 .000
Employment of Assisted
Manpower
1.102 .013 .613 1st 72.212 .000
Infrastructural and
Instructional Facilities
.412 .020 .058 3rd 28.321 .000
Maintenance of Primary
School Facilities
.312 .020 .020 4th 2.140 .000
As shown in table 1b, all the four components of community members participation made
relative contribution to school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices. Also, their
contributions are relatively significant in this study. The ranking of their relative significant
contributions are presented in the following order: Employment of Assisted Manpower (B=.613;
t=72.212; P<.05), funding (B=.215; t=32.010; P<.05), Infrastructural and Instructional Facilities
(B=0.58; t=28.321; P<.05), Maintenance of Primary School Facilities (B=.023; t=2.140; P<.05).
All the four components of community members participation predicted and determine school
effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices.
Research Question 2
What is the impact of community participation in school needs on primary school effectiveness
in curriculum and instructional practices in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State,
Nigeria?
Table 2: Impact of Community Participation on Primary School Effectiveness in
Curriculum and Instructional Practices.
S/N Item Strongly
Agree
Agree Disagree Strong
Disagree
Total
1. Fund provision by community
members enhances school
effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices
- 190
(54.3)
70
(20.0)
90
(25.7)
350
2. Employment of assisted manpower by
the community members improves
school effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices
60
(17.1)
180
(51.4)
60
(17.1)
50
(14.4)
350
3. Provision of infrastructural and
instructional facilities by community
members influences school
effectiveness in curriculum and
70
(20.0)
160
(45.7)
90
(25.7)
30
(8.6)
350
26
instructional practices
4. Maintenance practices of primary
schools by community members make
high contributions to school
effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices.
10
(2.9)
70
(20.0)
230
(65.7)
40
(11.4)
350
5. School effectiveness in curriculum
and instructional practices is not often
determined by community
participation
30
(8.6)
70
(20.0)
180
(51.5)
70
(20.0)
350
The values in parentheses are in percentage
Table 2 (Item 1) shows that 190 (54.3%) of the respondents agree that community participation
in school funding enhances school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices while
70(20.0) and 90(25.7) disagree and strongly disagree respectively. Also, on employment of
assisted manpower by the community, 60(17.1) and 180(51.4) strongly agree and agree
respectively; 70(20.0) and 160(45.7) strongly agree and agree on provision of infrastructural and
instructional facilities by the community which influences curriculum and instructional practices.
Meanwhile in all, very low positive response on the contribution of maintenance practices by
community members to improve curriculum and instructional practices were recorded 10(2.9%)
– strongly agree; 70(20.0%) – agree, while others disagree and strongly disagree. Similarly, in
item 5, only 30(8.6%) and 70(20.0%) strongly agree and agree that school effectiveness in
curriculum and instructional practices is not often determined by community participation. On
the whole, while community participation in primary school needs and progress have been
applauded by the respondents in item 1 to item 3, not much impact of the community has been
felt by the schools sampled on maintenance.
Research Question 3
What are the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the primary schools in
Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Table 3: Challenges Affecting the Level of Community participation in Primary School
Needs.
S/
N
Item Strong
Agree
Agree Disagree Strong
Disagree
Total
1. The Community through Parents‟ 110 200 20 20 350
27
Teachers‟ Association do not have
enough fund to provide adequate
financial assistance for the school.
(31.4) (57.2) (5.7) (5.7)
2. There is usually poor responses
from some rich members of the
community when asked for
financial support.
40
(11.4)
270
(77.2)
20
(5.7)
20
(5.7)
350
3. There is no cordial relationship
between the school management
team and the community leaders.
10
(2.9)
10
(2.9)
220
(62.8)
110
(31.4)
350
4. The school does not make enough
awareness of their needs to the
community.
20
(5.7)
30
(8.6)
210
(60.0)
110
(31.4)
350
5. Government policy restricts the
level of community intervention in
the school.
- 30
(8.6)
270
(77.1)
50
(4.3)
350
The values in parentheses are in percentage
The results in table 3 reveals that the major challenges affecting the level of community
participation in primary schools needs are non-availability of enough fund through Parents‟
Teachers‟ Association (PTA) (table 3, item 1); the responses from rich members of the
community when asked for financial support is generally poor (table 3, item 2). Notwithstanding,
there is cordial relationship between the school management team and the community leaders
(table 3, item 3); the schools often make enough awareness of their needs to the community
(table 3, item 4), and government policy does not restrict the level intervention in the school
(table 3, item 5).
Testing of Research Hypotheses
Research Hypothesis 1
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the impact of community participation in
school needs (CPSN) and primary school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices
(SECIP) in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Table 4: Community Participation in School Needs (CPSN) and School Effectiveness in
Curriculum and Instructional Practices (SECIP).
Variable N Mean Std. dev Df Cal. R-
value
P-value Decision
28
CPSN 350 15.42 3.10
348
0.562
.000
Significant SECIP 350 8.12 1.59
Table 4 shows that the calculated r-value (0.562) is greater than the critical value (.000) at 0.05
level of significance and degree of freedom 348. The P-value (0.000) is less than the alpha level
of significance (0.05). Thus, the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant
relationship between community participation in school needs and school effectiveness in
curriculum and instructional practices is rejected.
Research Hypothesis 2
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between teachers and community members mean
ratings on the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the primary schools in
Ado-Odo Ota Local government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Table 5: Relationship between Teachers and Community Members Mean Ratings on the
Challenges Affecting the Level of Community Participation in the Primary Schools.
Variable N Mean Std. dev Df Cal. R-
value
P-value Decision
Teachers 100 20.82 5.12
348
0.719
.000
Significant Community Members 250 15.21 3.21
Table 5 shows that the r-value (0.719) is significant at 0.05 level and degree of freedom is 348. P
value of 0.000 <0.05. This also implies that there exists a significant relationship between the
teachers and community members means ratings on the challenges affecting the level of
community participation in the primary schools surveyed.
Discussion
As presented in table 1a, the joint effect of the components of community members
participation (R=.715), show a positive correlation with school effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices. The adjusted R2 value of .511 implies 51.1% total contributions of the
community members using the components as working tools. The implication of this is that the
participation of community citizens play significant roles in school progress and its curriculum
implementation. This finding is similar to the assertion of Ojedele & Adegbesan (2012) that the
community also concerned themselves with decision making in the schools, academic discipline,
29
planning and implementation of curriculum in the schools. On the relative contributions of the
components of community participation on school curriculum and instructional practices which
are indeed significant in this study (table 1b), it means that community people play their parts in
the employment of teachers through the Parents‟ Teachers‟ Association, financing of at least
some of the schools projects, provision of infrastructural and instructional facilities within their
capacity and maintenance of primary school facilities. This finding corroborates that of Lawal,
Oduwaye & Tukur (2015) who recorded significant community participation on school
effectiveness in Ilorin-South Local Government Area of Kwara State. The findings of this study
equally confirmed the findings of Ahmed (2009) who discovered that where community
participate in the provision of school facilities, there is tendency to guarantee administrative
effectiveness which is an indication of school effectiveness.
In addition, the community under review is considered to have impacted on the life of the
schools surveyed. Perhaps in the area of infrastructural facilities, the community has helped in
the provision of land for the schools‟ buildings, sports field, expansion of classrooms, laboratory
equipment, library facilities and others. Also, since the respondents applauded the impact of
community participation on school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices (table
2), their economic participation in funding is also consolidated as in table 1a and table 1b.
However, their participation on school maintenance is still rated very low. Also, the respondents
make it clear that school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices is not necessarily
often determined by community participation, though they have a stake in school affairs.
As found out in this study, the two major challenges affecting the level of community
participation in primary school needs are poor financial status of the community members and
poor responses from some rich members of the community when asked for financial support
(table 3). By implication, school effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices may be
affected since the government cannot do it all in meeting the school pressing administrative and
academic needs.
The significant contributions of Community Participation in School Needs (CPSN) to
School Effectiveness in Curriculum and Instructional Practices (SECIP) recorded in this study
implies that employment-assisted manpower, funding, infrastructural and instructional facilities,
and maintenance of primary school facilities are among the components to be reckoned with in
the participatory roles of the community members for school effectiveness (table 4). It is also
30
obvious that this respect, community continuously have vital roles to play in school programmes.
The efforts of the government and the school are supplemented by that of the community as
found out in this study.
In table 5, the positive and significant relationship between teachers and community
members mean scores on the challenges affecting the level of community participation in the
primary school indicates that the challenges identified and applauded in this study by the
respondents should be reckoned with if truly schools and community members would work
cooperatively to enhance effectiveness in curriculum and instructional practices. By implication,
the poor responses from some rich members of the community to support the school need
attention. Likewise, the poor economic situation of community citizens have a carryover effect
on their inability to contribute financially as expected to school progress.
Conclusion
Curriculum and instructional practices of the school system are constantly evolving, and
the art of effective instructions require the collaborative efforts of the government, the school,
and the society which dictates the tune of what the school does through the curriculum. As a
result, the findings of this study have made it clear that community indeed have a say in school
matter, and wherever community participation is inadequate, school effectiveness may not be
adequately guaranteed.
The components of community participation identified in this study are strong
determinants of the pace at which educational expansion takes place in the school and the school
quality and progress as a whole. In short, the necessity to incorporate host community in school‟s
affairs in order to ensure school effectiveness should not be doubted, the challenges
notwithstanding. The community people, in all, should therefore, more than before be part of the
rescue operation to salvage existing schools from the acclaimed poor funding, inadequate
facilities, equipment and infrastructure, shortage of qualified human resources and inadequate
maintenance obvious in a proportionate number of primary schools.
When the community, with commitment and good rapport with schools blend together,
they can readily work together for the success of the curriculum and instructional practices.
31
Recommendations
In view of the findings and conclusions reached in this study, the following
recommendations are put forward.
1. There is need for constant forum between the community and schools for adequate
sensitization on the commitment and assistance expected in the area of school needs like
funding, provision of infrastructure and instructional facilities, community support on
manpower needs and school maintenance.
2. Individuals and philanthropists in the community should be encouraged by the
government and school management to provide adequate assistance on capital projects in
primary schools.
3. Government should pay attention to the economic challenges of communities where
primary schools are located or around their vicinity so that they would in the long run be
able to share in the burden of the schools for optimum effectiveness in curriculum and
instructional practices.
References
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Adekola, G. (2006). Psychological relevance of participation in community development. M.
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Ahmed, H. M. (2009). School-community relations and headmasters’ administrative
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M. Ed. Thesis, University of Ilorin.
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Anyanwu, C.N. (2002). Community education: The African dimension. Ibadan: Department of
Adult Education, University of Ibadan.
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effectiveness in Ilorin-South local government area, Kwara state. Journal of Educational
Studies and Management, 3(1&2), 90-97.
Ojedele, P. K. & Adegbesan, S. O. (2012). Principals‟ and teachers‟ perception of government
and community intervention in the management of secondary schools. Educational
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education in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Development (JONED), 5, 63-72
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Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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33
Relative Effectiveness of Group-Individualized Instruction and Lecture Method on Students’
Achievement in Secondary School Biology
Prof. Haneet Singh & Malopthra Ghandi Ph.D
Centre for Science & Environmental Education
University of India, Mumbai, India
Abstract
The study investigated the relative effectiveness of group-individualized instruction and lecture
methods on students’ achievement in secondary school Biology. One research question was
raised and one hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance to guide the
study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design of pretest-posttest non-equivalent control
group design. A sample of 175 SS2 chemistry students drawn by simple random sampling
technique was used for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to assign the four
schools to experimental and control groups and to select intact classes for the study. The
instrument for data collection was the Biology achievement test (BAT) which was face and
content validated by three experts (two experts in science education and one in measurement and
evaluation). The internal consistency of the instrument was determined to be 0.76 using K-R
(20). The research questions were answered using mean while the hypothesis was tested at 0.05
level of significance using analysis of covariance. The result showed that students taught with
Group-individualized instruction method achieved significantly higher than those taught with
lecture method. It was recommended among other things that authors of Biology textbooks
should be encouraged to write books using group-individualised methods.
Introduction
Biology is an indispensable component of science. Its absence will make science incomplete, and
will ill-equip the students to live effectively in our modern age of science and technology. In fact
students who qualify in this subject do occupy very important position in various sectors of the
country‟s economy. This world –wide recognition of the importance of Biology in almost all
aspects of scientific and technology development has attracted the attention of science teacher
educators, science Association and Science teacher educators in Universities and Colleges. From
time to time, professional teacher associations hold workshops and Seminar for science teachers
on how to teach Biology so that students can understand and appreciate the Biology topics
taught.
34
Scientific and technological fields such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Biophysics, Agriculture,
Engineering, and Microbiology have Biology built into them. Candidate who intend majoring in
these fields need a good background in Biology at least up to school certificate before
undertaking courses in any of these fields aforestated. Good background in Biology implies that:
Interest of the student is stimulated in science generally and in Biology in particular and
much as possible the inter- relationship of the various branches of science must be
brought out.
A limited background of chemical knowledge which will be enough to bring out the
procedure of science especially the relationship between experiment, Observation and
theory will be provided and training in critical logical thought will also be provided.
Principles and unifying concepts of Biology without necessarily demanding the
memorization by students of a vast amount of factual information will be stressed
Manipulative skills in laboratory will be developed and proficiency in making written
reports of observation and conclusion will also be developed.
The learning of Biology has, over the past few decades or so, been shifting from rote
memorization to understanding and application of concepts using instructional procedures, which
require Biology students carrying out laboratory activities (Reid, 2003). If Biology students are
to be well grounded in their study of Biology, achieving this major goal required the application
of teaching methods which involves an effective instructional strategies in both classroom and
laboratory settings.
The more educationally advanced countries of the world including for example, United State of
America (USA), Britain, Japan and so on, have been using group-individualized instructional
strategies in teaching Biology. This has been a bit scarce in most developing countries. Group-
Individualized instruction is a relatively new approach to teaching in most developing countries
hence it will take sometimes before such a new method will gain ground over the long- existing
system of expository approach. Research findings of UNESCO (2007) and UN (2004) revealed
that the most used method of teaching in Nigerian schools is the lecture method which has not
been effective.
There are evidences revealing that Students are not doing well in Biology (UNESCO, 2003).
Students‟ achievement in Biology as measured by classroom tests are clear indications of poor
35
performance in the subjects (Hopkins, 2010) and this unfortunate trend has been attributed to
persistent use of traditional methods. And in most of the schools, teachers still use the traditional
or didactic method of instruction i.e. talking to a group of pupils in the classroom. However, for
effective teaching and learning, there is need for teachers to vary their strategies and methods of
teaching to accommodate categories of learners. Regrettably, this fact is neglected during normal
class teaching. It is worthy to note that educationists now appreciate the importance of individual
differences in learning. Hence, emphasis is now laid on the child as an individual within a group.
This means that in teaching and learning, each child is considered in line with his/her individual
differences. This has led to what is known as individualized instruction.
On the other hand, science teaching can take place in such context- where people work together
in groups. Group method is one of the modern teaching strategies in which the learners are
divided into manageable groups for instructional purposes. According to Johnson & Johnson
(1987), there are basics ways that students can interact with each other: students can compete
with one another to see who is the best in class, students can work individually on their own
towards an established criterion or work together cooperatively, taking responsibility for one
another learning as well as their own. However, it is quite possible to blend individualised
instruction method with group method in a context of hybridization that could result to group-
instructional strategy
Group-individual instructional strategies can be very useful in the development and
understanding of new topics and as a follow-up approach by students on a new topic taught. In
group-individual instructional strategies, the class is divided or arranged unto 3 or 4 or 5 groups
depending on the sizes of the class and the nature of work to be done. The basis of this strategies
is that students will be actively involved in the learning process, and as the students are in free
atmosphere, they are likely to be guided individually within a group, rather than when the
teacher does all the teaching (Johnson & Johnson, 2007).
Again, general science education was planned without emphasizing the need for using the right
instructional strategies which will be more effective in teaching and learning of the subject. As a
result of the identified problem, attention of many science educators has continued to be directed
towards the search for alternative and more appropriate method for science instruction. Much
research effort has been expended on other teaching methods (Howes,2008; Howley,2012)
36
aimed at improving students‟ performance in sciences. However, not much effort has been
directed at empirical researches on testing the effectiveness of group-individualized instructional
strategy on students‟ performance in Biology.
Though research findings, indicate that both the group and individualized instructional strategies
are effective means of teaching science, it would be of utmost necessity to find out the effect of
blending individualized and group based instructional strategies on secondary students‟
achievement in Biology
Purpose of the study
The general purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using group - individualized
instructional strategies on the academic achievement of students in selected secondary schools in
Mumbai Municipality, India. Specifically, the objectives of the study are as follows:
To find out whether students taught Biology using group-individualized strategy
performs better than those taught with individualized strategy.
To compare the academic achievement of male and female students in the Biology topic
taught using group-individualized instructional strategy.
Research Question
The following research question guided the study;
1. What are the mean achievement scores of students in the experimental group (taught with
group-individualised instruction) and control group (taught with lecture method) as measured by
the Biology achievement test
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were to guide the study:
37
HO1: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students in the
experimental and control groups when taught Biology through the use of group-individualised
instruction and lecture methods.
Methodology
The design of the study was quasi-experimental design of the pretest posttest non-equivalent
control group design using intact classes without randomization. The study was conducted within
Mumbai Municipality. The population of the study comprised one thousand six hundred and
eighty (1,680) grade ten students. The sample was made up of 175 students (88 students in the
experimental and 87 in the control groups). Purposive sampling was used in drawing out
fourteen (14) co-educational schools from the 36 science schools in the municipality. One school
was selected from each stratum by balloting. On the whole four schools were drawn out. In a
school where there were more than one intact science classes, one intact class was selected
through balloting. The intact classes for the study were randomly assigned to experimental and
control groups by random allocation.
The instrument for data collection was the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) containing forty
multiple choice questions based on curriculum in Biology. This was adopted by the researcher
from past questions. The instrument was used for both the pretest and posttest. However, it was
re-organised for the post test. The BAT was face and content validated by two experts in Science
Education and one expert in Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability of the instrument was
established through a pilot study on a group of students not used in the study. The internal
consistency of the instrument was determined to be 0.76 using Kuder-Richardson formula (20).
Research Procedure
The research subjects were given the pretest on Biology before the commencement of the
treatment. After the pretest, the experimental group was taught using group-individualised
instruction while the control group was taught using lecture method. This treatment lasted for ten
weeks. After the treatment the posttest was administered to both the experimental and control
groups. Some extraneous variables which might introduce bias into the study were statistically
controlled by the researchers using the Analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA) while the data on
research questions were answered using means.
38
Results
Research Question: What are the mean achievement scores of students in the experimental
group (taught with group-individualised instruction) and control group (taught with lecture
method) as measured by the Biology achievement test. The research question was answered
using the mean scores as shown in table 1
Table 1: Mean Achievement Scores of Students Taught with Group-individualised Instruction
and Lecture Methods.
Experimental Group Control Group
N = 87 N = 88
Post-Test 20.13 13.91
Pre-Test 8.42 8.54
Gain Score 11.71 5.37
From the above table, students taught with programmed instruction achieved higher than their
counterparts in the control group taught with lecture method with mean gain scores of 11.71 and
5.37 respectively.
Hypothesis
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students in the
experimental and control groups when taught Biology through the use of group-individualised
instruction and lecture methods.
Table 2: Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for Students‟ Mean Achievement Scores in
Biology Achievement Test.
39
Source of
Variation
Sum of
Squares
Df
Mean Square
F-Cal
F-Crit
Covariates
(pretest) 1028.41 1 1028.41 32.98 3.84
Main Effect 3044.68 3 1014.89 34.52 2.60
Method 1462.58 1 1462.58 49.75 3.84
Explained 3044.68 3 1014.89 34.52
Residual 4998.27 170 29.40
The result in table 2 shows that the calculated F-ratio (F-cal) due to method is 49.75 while the
critical F-ratio (F-Crit) has a value of 3.84 at 0.05 α - level. The null hypothesis is therefore
rejected. This implies that there is a significant difference in the mean achievement scores of
students in the experimental and control groups when taught Biology using group-individualised
instruction.
Findings
The result shown in table 2 revealed that there is a significant difference between experimental
and control groups in the mean achievement scores. Students taught with group-individualised
instruction achieved significantly higher than those taught with lecture method.
Discussion
Results in table 2 showed that students taught with group-individualised instruction achieved
significantly higher in Biology achievement test than those taught with lecture method. This
finding is consistent with research finding by Fried and Fried (2010) who revealed that students
40
taught with group-individualised instruction in introductory technology achieved higher than
their counterparts taught using lecture method. The finding of this study also agrees with Graham
(2008) who reported that in a research programme carried out against control group receiving
normal lectures in mathematics, students working from programmes attained higher mean scores
than those in control group. However the above finding contradicts the report by Griffith (2005)
who carried out a comparative study on the performance of secondary school students taught by
individualised instruction and expository methods in geography. The result of his study showed
that there was no significant difference between the mean score of students taught with the
instruction and those taught with expository method.
Conclusion
This study revealed that the use of group-individualised instruction has enhanced students‟
achievement in chemistry. Students who were taught chemical equilibrium using programmed
instruction achieved higher than those who were taught with lecture method. It implies that the
use of group-individualised instruction enabled the subjects to understand better the concepts
and principles taught.
Recommendations
Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made,
1. Since the efficacy of group-individualised instruction in enhancing students‟ achievement has
been established, the method should be emphasized in the curriculum of pre-service teachers.
This is to acquaint student teachers with its use and hence make chemistry learning process
more effective.
2. Seminars, conferences and workshops should be organized by government agencies and
professional bodies to educate the already serving teachers on the use of group-individualised
instruction method.
3. Authors of text books should be encouraged to write books using group-individualised
instruction methods.
References
Fried and Fried, J.S. (2010). Principles and Practice in Science Research. London:
41
Longman Group U.K Ltd.
Graham, I.O. (2008). Impact of Gender-related Variables on Students‟ Achievement
in Science Achievement of Students. Journal of Science Education. 18(2), 86 – 95.
Griffith, A.O. (2005).Approaches to Gender Parity in Science Eduaction. International Journal
of Science and Technological Education.23(8) 18-23
Hopkins, G.G. (2004). A Comparative Study of the Performance of School Science Students
Taught by Expository and Programmed Instructional Methods. Unpublished Masters
Dissertation, University of Auckland, Australia.
Johnson and Johnson, K.G. (2007). Theories and Practices of Science teaching. Delhi:Macmillan
Publisher Ltd.
Reid, K.A. (2003). Gender and Science Achievement. International Journal of Interactive
Science, 28(4) 233-240
United Nation (2004). Alternative Conceptions in Science Teaching Methods London:
UN Nodal Office.
UNESCO (2010). Gender and Education for all.Global Mornitoring
Report.http://www.unesco.org/education/eta-report
ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL FACILITIES IN THE COLLEGES OF
EDUCATION IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA ON THE ATTAINMENT OF
NATIONAL POLICY ON TEACHER EDUCATION
MADU, Samuel
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Abuja
Introduction
School facilities constitute the major tool used by the management of educational institutions to
realize their goals. Joseph and Philias (2011) defined school facilities as those facilities that
42
enhance both the teachers‟ and students‟ teaching and learning outcomes. Similarly, Lawanson
and Gede (2011) opine that school facilities are those things that enable the teacher to do his/her
work very well and also help the learners to achieve effective learning. It could therefore be
adduced from the preceeding definitions that school facilities are materials made available by the
school management to optimize the teaching and learning outcomes. School facilities include
such materials like; Libraries, Textbooks, Classroom Blocks, Magnetic Tapes, Laboratories,
Audio-visuals, Tables, Chairs and so on. Asiabaka (2008) posits that school facilities encourage
discovering, exploration and interaction which enhance creative and innovative development of
teaching and learning.
College of Education is one of the tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. According to Gabriel
and Fehintola (2011), Colleges of Education have the primary responsibility of training teachers
who will be awarded the minimum teaching qualification of Nigerian Certificate in Education
(NCE). The training period lasts for three years and the qualification obtained enables one to
teach in Junior Secondary Schools and Technical Colleges in Nigeria. As enshrined in the
National Policy on Education (2009), the goals of the Colleges of Education are;
- produce highly motivated, conscientious and efficient class-room teachers for all levels of
our educational system;
- encourage further the spirit of enquiry and creativity in teachers;
- help teachers to fit into social life of the community and the society at large and enhance
their commitment to national goals;
- provided teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their
assignment and make them adaptable to changing situation; and
- to enhance teachers‟ commitment to the teaching profession.
The importance and role of school facilities for the actualization of the goals of teacher education
as outlined in the National Policy Statement can never be overemphasized. The provision of
these facilities in quantity and quality will enhance the realization of the goal and vice versa. To
this end, Adegbesan (2010) holds that the Colleges of Education cannot accomplish their tasks
without the backup of relevant and functional school facilities. This is because the failure of the
management to provide these facilities in quantity and quality will lead to poor students‟
academic achievement, poor teacher‟s effectiveness as well as poor teaching and learning of
43
science based subject (Arugbayi, 2009). Beyond these direct effects, Valkira (2008) posits that
poor facilities create uncomfortable and uninviting work-place for teachers and encourages the
exhibition of frustrating behaviors by students such as poor concentration, hyperactivity and
apathy.
However, investigations by O‟Neil and Oates (2001), Hofstein and Vincent (2003), Asiabaka
(2008), Bert (2011) and Clement (2011) on the relationship between school facilities and
learning outcome show that school facilities and learning outcome show that school facilities are
directly related to students‟ learning outcome. Thus, the adequacy of school facilities facilitates
learning while inadequacy of school facilities deters learning and the attainment of educational
goals. It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to asses the impact of school facilities in
Colleges of Education in North Central States on the attainment of the goals of the National
Policy on Teacher Education. The present investigation will focus on the provision and use of
libraries and laboratories.
Research Questions
The following research questions formed the basis upon which this study was hinged.
1) What types of library resources are available in the Colleges of Education in the North-
Central States?
2) What types of laboratory resources are available in the Colleges of Education in the North-
Central States?
3) What are the constraints that hinder effective use of the library resources in the Colleges of
Education in the North-Central States? What are the constraints that hinder effective use of
the laboratory resources in the Colleges of Education in the North-Central States?
Methodology
The survey method was adopted for this study. Twenty-two Colleges of Education in North
central zone (both private and public) were used for the study. Fifty students were randomly
44
drawn from each of the Colleges of Education, giving a total of one thousand one hundred
respondents.
Instrumentation/Data Collection
The questionnaire was the instrument used for this study. The questionnaire was designed based
on the research question posed for the study. The instrument was made up of …… item. It was
randomly administered to the undergraduates of Colleges of Education.
Validation of the Instrument
The questionnaire was validated by three Measurement and Evaluation experts from the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The experts endorsed the questionnaire as having content validity
after removing the items that were found to be of less importance to the study. It was trial tested
and the reliability was established using K-R 20. A reliability co-efficient of 0.79 was obtained.
Method of Data Analysis
The data collected was analyzed using percentage.1,023 copies of the questionnaire were
returned duly completed. These 1,023 copies gave a response rate of 93%
Results
The results were presented in line with the research questions formulated for the study.
Table 1: Percentage Responses on the types of Library Resource available in the Colleges of
Education in North-Central States
S/N Available Library Resource Frequency Percentage
1. Library Internet Service 409 39.9
2. Computer services 722 70.5
45
3. Magazines/Newspapers 1023 100
4. Theses and Dissertations 1023 100
5. Textbook 1023 100
6. Audio-Visuals such as Projectors, Slides, CD-
ROM, Cassette, etc
296 28.9
7. Photocopying services 698 68.2
8. Science Manuals 127 12.4
Table 1 shows that Magazines/Newspapers, theses and dissertations and textbook received 100%
response which indicates that they are available in the libraries of all the Colleges of Education
surveyed. The table also shows that computer and photocopying services in the libraries had over
60% response. However, library internet services, audio-visuals and science manual had
percentage responses of 39.9, 28.9 and 12.4 respectively.
Table 2: Percentage Responses on the types of Laboratory Resource available in the Colleges of
Education in the North-Central States.
S/N Available Laboratory Resource Frequency Percentage
9. Ballistic Galvanometer 526 51.4
10. Compass 431 42.1
11. Digital Meter 398 38.9
12. Retort Stand 522 51.0
46
13. Desiccators (Vaccum) 304 29.7
14. Digital Balance 211 20.6
15. Spring Balance 492 48.1
16. Desiccators Plate 367 35.8
Table 2 reveals that the responses on the availability of Ballistic Galvanometer and Retort Stand
were slightly above 50%. Others attracted a response percentage of less than 50%.
47
Table 3: Percentage Responses on the constraints that hinder the use of Library Resource in the
Colleges of Education in the North-Central States.
S/N Constraints Frequency Percentage
17. Inadequate number of computers and other ICT
facilities
624
60.9
18. Inadequate number of current textbook, journals
and magazines in the library.
811
79.3
19. Inadequate knowledge of the use of library by
some undergraduates
995
97.3
20. Inadequate number of trained librarians on the
use of audio-visual and ICT resources
821
80.3
21. inadequate audio-visuals and materials in the
library
963
94.1
22. Inadequate number of undergraduate that are
knowledgeable in the use of audio-visual and
ICT resource in the library
1012
98.9
23. Irregularity in power supply which affects the
use of audio-visual and ICT resource in the
library.
901
88.1
48
Based on Table 3, it was found that there are three major constraints to the use of library
resources in the Colleges of Education in North Central States. These factors are; inadequate
number of undergraduate that are knowledgeable in the use of audio-visuals and ICT resources
(98.9%); inadequate knowledge of the use of library by some undergraduates (97.3%) and
inadequate audio-visual materials (94.1%). Other constraints surveyed had percentage responses
that were above 60%.
Table 4; Percentage Responses on the constraints that hinder the use of Laboratory Resources in
the Colleges of Education in North-Central States.
S/N Constraints Frequency Percentage
24. Inadequate capacity of the laboratories 512 50
23. Inadequate number of laboratory
attendants/technicians
626
61.2
24. Inadequate number of laboratory
resources/equipment.
881
86.1
The data on Table 4 reveals that inadequate number of laboratory equipment is the major
constraint with 86.1%. The inadequate capacity of laboratories and inadequate number of
laboratory attendants had percentage responses of 50 and 61.2 respectively.
Discussion of Results
The analysis of result based on the research questions raised to guild the study discovered that
different facilities are available in the Colleges of Education in the North Central States of
Nigeria to facilitate teacher education at different rate.
Table 1: Percentage responses on the types of library resources (magazines/newspapers, thesis,
dissertations and textbooks received 100% response which indicates that they are available. The
49
table also reveal that computer photocopy services in the library had over 60%. However
library internet services, audio-visual and Science manual had percentage responses of 39.9, 28.9
and 12.4 respectively.
Table 2: Type of laboratory resources (Ballistic Galvanometer and resort stand were slightly
above 50% others attracted response percentage of less than 50%. Table 1 and 2 reveal that there
availability are not at the same rate in all the Colleges of Education.
On the constraints that hinder the use of library material in the study area, based on table 3, there
are 3 major constraints which are inadequate number of undergraduate that are knowledgeable in
the use of audio-visual and ICT resources (98.9%) inadequate knowledge of the use of library
(97.3%) and inadequate audio-visual materials (94.1%) other constraint surveyed has percentage
of above 60%. Table 4 show that inadequate number of laboratory equipment is the major
constraint with 86.1%. the inadequate of capacity of laboratories and inadequate number of
laboratory attendants had percentage of 50% and 61.2 respectively. Based on the table 3 and 4
above there are major constraints, if not resolved the attainment of National Policy on Teacher
Education is at risk. This is in line with the investigations by O‟Neil and Oates (2001), Hofstein
and Vincent (2003), Asiabaka (2008), Ber (2001) and Clement (2011) on the relationship
between school facilities and learning outcome. They reveal that school facilities are directly
related to students learning outcome. Thus, the adequacy of school facilities facilitates learning
while inadequacy of school facilities defers learning and attainment of educational goals.
Conclusion
From the findings, it was concluded that there are availability of school facilities in the study
area at different rate. There are major constraints that hinder the use of these facilities. The
study reveal that even though these resources are available to an extent due to the constraint
founded there is challenge for the attainment of the National Policy on Teacher Education in the
study area.
Recommendations
Based on the finding of this study it was recommended that:
1. Government should provide more facilities to balance the school system.
50
2. They should employ more trained professionals and organize seminar and workshop to
update the existing staffs.
3. Government should make sure they service the materials regularly.
References
Adebesan, S. O. (2010). Establishing Quality Assurance in Nigeria Education Management.
Education Research and Review 5(6), 380-384.
Arugbeyi, D. O. (2009). Lecture Quantity and Gender in College of Education in Nigeria.
Retrieved on 21st January 2015 from www.academicjoranals.org
Asiabaka, I. P. (2008). The need for Effective Facility Management in Schools in Nigeria.
Science Journal, 1(2), 10- 21.
Bert, V. (2011). The Impact of School Facility on the Learning Environment. Retrieved on 21st
January 2015 from www.acdemicjournals.org
Clement, B. (2011). Influence of libraries on the management of college of Education, Katsina
Ala Benue state of Nigeria. Unpublished Dissertation, Nassarawa State University, Laffia.
FRN (2009). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Pres
Hofstein, A. and Vincent, N. L. (2003). The Laboratory in Science Education; Foundations for
the Twenty First Century. Review of Educational Research, 52(2), 201-217.
Joseph, S. O. and Philias, O. Y. (2011). School Facilities and Academic Achievement in
Secondary School Agricultural Science in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Retrieved on 4th
February
2015 from www.AJOLoulines.com
Lawanson, O. A. and Gede, N. T. (2011). Provision and Management of School Facilities for the
Implementation of UBE Programme. Journal of Education and Social Research, 1(4), 40-
51.
51
O‟Neil, D. J. and Qates, A. D. (2001). The Impact of School Facilities on Student Achievement,
Behavior, Attendance and Teacher turnover Rate at selected Texas Middle School in
Region xiii
Valkira, D. N. (2008). School Building Condition, School Attendance and Academic
Achievement in New York Public Schools: A Mediation Model. Journal of Environmental
Psychology, 28, 278- 286.
EFFECTS OF INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE
TO BASIC SCIENCE IN GWER EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE
STATE, NIGERIA
Professor Peter Ogbu Agogo and Charity Dooshima Aaga
Faculty of Education, Benue State University
Makurdi, Nigeria
Abstract
The study investigated into the effect of inclusive learning environment on students’ attitude to
Basic Science in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The design was a
descriptive survey. There were 50 basic science students in the study. A validated 30-item
Students Attitude to Basic Science Questionnaire (SABSQ) was the instrument used to collect
data. A reliability coefficient of 0.85 for SABSQ was established using Cronbach Alpha method.
Two groups of students were involved, the inclusive class and the special needs class. Mean and
standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions while the two hypotheses
were tested using Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), at 0.05 significance level. The result
showed that there is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of students in basic
science in special needs class as well as basic science students in an inclusive class at
P=0.244˃0.05. There is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of male and female
basic science students in an inclusive class at P=0.538˃0.05. The study recommended that
stakeholders in education should revitalize special needs environments in schools as a priority
since students could be motivated through this method to learn basic science and improve their
attitude to the subject.
Key words: Effects, Inclusive, learning Environment, Student’s Attitude, Basic Science.
Introduction
Everything one does has reference to science. This means that science is very important
to human existence. To Agogo and Otor (2013), science is useful in transportation,
52
communication, agriculture, medicine and indeed for man‟s survival. Science is therefore seen as
a systematic approach to the verification of facts, a body of organized knowledge and a process
of enquiry. There are reasons for the teaching of science in an inclusive learning environment,
because it affords the students with special needs the opportunity to learn science. The
Salamanca Declaration of 1994 provided the needed international and theoretical framework for
inclusive education (UNESCO, 1994).
Inclusive education is the most effective means of combating all forms of discriminating
attitudes so as to build an inclusive society. This will also be geared toward achieving education
for all (UNESCO, 1994). In an inclusive learning environment, there are students with emotional
instability and physical deformity. This is why Avoke (2005) posited that there are children with
individual needs or differences that may need special attention, which constitutes individual
differences.
Inclusive education, according to Nwoke and Uroh (2011), is an emerging concept that
has recently engaged a global intellectual attention. This is therefore a precept set out to change
the whole concept of the practice of education, the world over. The National Policy on Education
(FRN, 2004) stressed that the concept of inclusiveness is entrenched in the policy, meaning that
inclusive education in Nigeria is still at the awareness level. Nwoke and Uroh (2011) informed
that inclusion is about the child‟s right to participate and learn together with other children
without discriminate, irrespective of their disabilities.
The environment may have a hold on the way learners process their science knowledge.
It should therefore be stressed that the early learning capability of the leaners is very crucial to
the learner. This is called the critical learning stage (Agogo, Ogbeba & Damkor-Ikpa, 2013). To
this end, the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) directs that science learning should be
geared towards the spirit of enquiry by allowing the learners to process information. The
objectives of basic science education in Nigeria are therefore to inculcate in the learners,
permanent literacy and numeracy (Ndihi, 2011; Okoyefi & Nzewi, 2013).
Attitude is someone‟s view point or disposition towards a particular object, a person, a
thing or ideal (Meijer, 2003). To Akhidenor (2007), attitudes are often described as a
multidimensional concept, including an effective component. They include statements of feeling
towards children with disabilities. Piji, Frostad and Flem (2008) found that 30% of students with
special education needs (disabilities) are rejected by peer-group in the class, while Vandeh
53
(2012) informed that students with special education needs are often less popular than their class
mates without special education needs. The attitude of class mates towards peers with disabilities
is poor and is regarded as an environmental factor that may facilitate or inhibit the social
participation of students with disabilities in an inclusive class room (Ajuwon, 2012). Avoke
(2005) further emphasized that bullying is more commonly directed towards students with
special needs which is as a result of their cognitive behavioural or physical differences which
makes them easy targets in school.
There is differing attitudes towards children with special needs across culture (Ajuwon,
2012); because such children may have deviated from ordinary way of normal growth patterns
and may have suffered from one form of deformity or the other. In Nigeria as in many other
places, children with special needs used to be stigmatized and rejected by the society depending
on the type of disability. Among the Igede people of Benue State, Nigeria, a disabled child;
i. Comes as a result of a curse by the gods on the parents for one form of wrong deeds, or
other.
ii. Is a reprimand by the ancestral spirits for slighting the gods in words, deeds or actions.
iii. As a result of a curse placed on the family by a living diabolical person who may have
been offended in one way or the other
iv. Have been an outcast who has reincarnated
v. May be self-inflicted problem, which may be medical negligence
In any of these ways, such a child was to be killed immediately after birth to avoid the
wrath of the gods (Agogo, 2014), Christianity was however introduced from the Western
civilization into Nigeria to help contain this cultural act. This is why Agogo (2014) further
informed that, beliefs in spiritual realities transcend the boundaries of logic and empirical
verification which usually is difficult to prove. Compolo in Agogo (2014: 10) further posited
that, “Spiritual matters cannot be explained using sense organs or logical calculations..”.
However, it should be emphasized that the United Nation (UN) convention on the rights of
persons with Disabilities promotes the goal of full inclusion and the rights of every child to be in
the regular school with supports and not to be discriminated against any form whatsoever.
In an inclusive environment, students learn either by inclusive or non-inclusive strategies.
Inclusion is a process whereby regular education classes are combined with special education
services in a regular system. Exclusion is also a strategy whereby students with special needs are
54
educated or taught using special techniques and equipment by specialists (Chioma, 2004).
According to Nduka (2011), exclusion education is for students who do not receive instruction in
any school but are excluded or confined by certain circumstances (Hospitalized or by confined
by the criminal justice system).
Learning occurs as a result of active interactions between the learners, the teacher and the
environment. Learning therefore becomes apparent when there are observable behavioural
changes that are more or less permanent (Agogo, Ogbeba & Damkor-Ikpa, 2013). Students in an
inclusive learning environment are capable of learning basic science, especially when many
teachers are involved as in a team teaching method form. In addition, the course contents of basic
science are environment friendly. On the attitude of regular students on the performance of
students with special needs in integrated science (basic science), in South-western Nigeria, Fareo
(2011) established that, 52.9% regular students had positive attitude to students with special
needs, 34.3% of regular students had negative attitude to students with special needs, while
12.8% regular students had poor attitudes to students with special needs. This means that,
positive attitude of regular students could positively influence the performance of students with
special needs. In addition, Akhidenor (2007) who worked on Nigerian attitude towards people
with disabilities living in Sacramento, California, USA, found that, there was positive overall
attitude towards people with disabilities. However, Akhidenor (2007), established that 73.4%
people with disabilities get unfair advantages and that 91.9% of the respondents agreed that
people with disabilities should be encouraged to mainstream.
Research Questions
The following Research questions were raised and answered.
1. What is the difference in the mean attitude rating of students taught in special needs class
and those taught in an inclusive class
2. What is the difference in the mean attitude rating of male and female students‟ inclusive
class towards basic science?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance,
Ho1, There is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of students taught basic
science in special needs class and those taught in an inclusive class.
55
Ho2, There is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of male and female basic
science students in an inclusive class.
Methodology
Research Design
The study employed the survey design. Study area is Gwer East Local Government Area,
Benue State, Nigeria. Gwer East Local Government Area is a semi-urban locality with few social
amenities and a population figure of 163, 640 at the 2006 census. Gwer East LGA is situated
between latitude 708
1 North of the Equatorial and Longitude 8
09
1 East of the Greenwich
meridian.
Population and Sample
The population of the study is 50 junior secondary II students and it also constitutes the
sample, all from the school of Exceptual Studies, Aliade. One of the two teachers used as a
research assistant was a special education expert, who served as language interpreter. The second
teacher teaches basic science at the school. Their attitude to basic science was therefore
investigated.
The sample consisted of 25 students from JSS 2A in an inclusive class as well as 25
students from JJ2B in a special needs class. The special needs class consists of the virtually
impaired (VI), physical impaired (PI), and hearing impaired (HI), who constitute the special
needs class. The study employed purposive sampling method, while the instrument used was
Students‟ Attitude to Basic Science Questionnaire (SABSQ), which consisted of 30 items after
validation by experts from Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria. To estimate the reliability
of the instrument, Cronbach Alpha method was used, which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.85.
According to Ali (2006), any reliability coefficient above 0.70 indicted that the instrument is
reliable. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while
Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of
significance.
Analysis and Results
The data collected were used for analysis based on the research questions raised and
hypotheses formulated.
Research Question One
56
What is the difference in the mean attitude rating of students taught in special needs class
and those taught in an inclusive class?
Table 1: Attitude of Students in Inclusive and Special Needs Classes.
Method N Pre
X
Attitude
Δ
Post
X
Attitude
δ
Mean
Gain
Inclusive class 25 2.439 0.083 2.449 0.092 0.010
Special needs class 25 2.485 0.142 2.508 0.137 0.023
Mean difference 0.046 0.059 0.013
Key: X = mean rating; δ = standarddeviation.
Table 1 shows that the post attitude mean rating for students in inclusive class is 2.449
with standard deviation of 0.092, while the special needs class had a mean rating of 2.508 and
standard deviation of 0.137, giving a mean difference of 0.010 for inclusive class and 0.023 for
the special needs class. The difference between the mean gain of the two groups is 0.013 in
favour of the special needs class. This means that the special needs class developed a more
positive attitude toward basic science than the students in the inclusive class.
Research Question two
What is the difference in the mean attitude rating of male and female students in inclusive
class?
Table 2: Attitude of Male and Female Students in Inclusive Class
Gender N Pre
X
Attitude
Δ
Post
X
Attitude
δ
Mean
Gain
Male 5 2.420 0.901 2.473 0.080 0.053
57
Female 14 2.471 0.942 2.433 0.085 0.038
Mean difference 0.051 0.040 0.015
Key: X = mean rating; δ = standarddeviation.
Table 2 reveals that the post attitude mean rating of male students in the inclusive class
was 2.473 with standard deviation of 0.080, while that of the female students was 2.433 and
standard deviation of 0.085. The difference between the mean attitude gain of the two sexes is
0.015 in favour of the male students. The implication is that the male students had a more
positive attitude rating toward basic science compared to the female students, though the
difference between them is minimal.
Hypotheses One
There is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of students taught basic
science in special needs class and those taught in an inclusive class.
Table 3: ANCOVA Test of Students’ Attitude in Inclusive and Special Needs Classes.
Source Type III Sum
of Square
Df Mean
Square
F Sig
Corrected model 0.113a 4 0.028 2.187 0.086
Intercept 0.444 1 0.444 34.458 0.000
Pre Attitude 0.020 1 0.020 1.559 0.218
Method 0.018 1 0.018 1.392 0.244
Gender 0.047 1 0.047 3.657 0.062
Method Gender 0.002 1 0.002 0.119 0.732
Error 0.580 45 0.013
Total 308.882 50
Corrected Total 0.693 49
Key: ** Not Significant
The results from Table 3 on mean attitude of students in special needs class and inclusive
class indicated by f(1, 45) = 1.392, p= 0.244˃ 0.05. This shows that there is no significant
58
difference in the mean attitude rating of basic science students in special needs class and those in
an inclusive class. Thus, the hypotheses of no significant difference is not rejected.
Hypotheses Two
There is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating of male and female basic
science students in an inclusive class.
Table 4: ANCOVA Test of Attitude of Male and Female Students in Inclusive Classes
Source Type III Sum
of Square
Df Mean
Square
F Sig
Corrected model 0.014a 2 2.007 0.990 0.393
Intercept 0.224 1 0.224 32.374 0.000
Pre Attitude 0.008 1 0.008 1.130 0.304
Gender 0.003 1 0.003 0.396 0.539**
Error 0.111 16 0.007
Total 113.601 19
Corrected Total 0.125 18
Key: ** Not Significant
Result from Table 4 shows attitude difference of male and female basic science students
in inclusive class indicated by f(1, 16) = 0.396, p=0.538˃0.05 is not significant. This means that
attitude rating of male and female basic science students in an inclusive class is not significant.
By implication, the null hypotheses is not rejected.
Discussion of Findings
In this study, the ratings from the attitude inventory administered prior to the treatment
(pre-test) were used as covariance test to control for individual differences.
The results revealed no significant difference in the attitude of students in the inclusive
class and the special needs class, on their attitude to basic science. This findings collaborates
Fareo (2011) who found that attitude comes as a result of certain attractions in the teaching and
learning process, which then compels a learner to respond to the learning objectives. As the
59
students stayed together in an inclusive class, their attitude to basic science was enhanced, thus
the improvement in the rating.
They study further found that there is no significant difference in the mean attitude rating
of male and female basic science students in an inclusive class, though the male students
developed a higher mean attitude rating when compared to the female students. The difference is
however very small. This is in agreement with Fareo (2011), who established that the male
students have a higher mean attitude rating than the female students in an inclusive class.
Conclusion
Inclusive and special needs classes can provide acceptable atmosphere for students to co-
exist with no attitudinal stress on them, and for learning to take place.
Recommendation
From the findings, recommendations are made:
1. The Ministry of Education and other stake holders in education should encourage and
operate inclusive education as it enhances interactions and attitudinal change towards
children with special needs by the public and the students in an inclusive class.
2. Stake holders in education should revitalize special needs environments in schools as a
priority since students‟ attitude towards students with special needs will be improved,
which may also enhance performance.
References
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science. Unpublished M.ED Dissertation, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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Annual Conference
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Vandeh, C.M. (2012). Strategies for effective implementation of inclusive education at basic and
secondary levels in Nigeria. Paper presented at the 22nd
National Centre for Exceptional
Children, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Effects of Case-Based Learning Strategy on Nigerian Secondary School Students’
Achievement and Attitude to Chemistry
Ogunleye, B. O., Ph.D
National Open University of Nigeria
Abstract
This study determined the effects of Case-Based Learning Strategy on Students’
Chemistry Achievement and Attitudes in six senior Secondary Schools in Ibadan
North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The pretest, posttest control
group quasi-experimental design was used to provide answers to two research
questions and to test two hypotheses at .05 level of significance. Instruments for the
study include Chemistry Achievement Test (0.85), Students’ Attitude to Chemistry
Questionnaire (0.89) and the Operational Guides for Cased Based Learning and
Conventional Teaching. One Hundred and Fifteen SS2 chemistry students
constituted the sample for the study which lasted six weeks. Data collected were
analysed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA).
Treatment had significant effect on students’ achievement in Chemistry (F (1,114)
=138.04; p < .05). Students exposed to the Case-based learning strategy performed
better (x =16.82) than those exposed to the conventional lecture (x = 12.84).
Treatment also had significant effect on students’ attitude to Chemistry (F (1,114)
=138.04; P < .05). Students in the experimental group had higher adjusted posttest
mean score in attitude to Chemistry (x =79.54) than the control group (x =61.76).
The Case-based learning strategy has proved effective at improving student
achievement and attitude towards Chenistry. It was, therefore, recommended for
teachers’ use in Chemistry teaching.
62
Key words: Case-Based Learning Strategy, Students‟ Achievement in Chemistry,
Students‟ Attitudes to Chemistry, Senior Secondary School
Background to the Study
The notion of Chemistry as a central science is widespread and it has been a pre-requisite
subject for offering most science oriented courses in the tertiary institutions. This centrality
according to William and Douglas (2005) led Biology, Geology, Astronomy and other
disciplines to add Chemistry instruction to their courses that would be taught to suit the needs of
their respective disciplines thereby clouding the mission of Chemistry departments. The subtitle
of widely used Chemistry texts was „the central Science‟ - a phrase that captures Chemistry‟s
role in linking Physics and Biology, and hence its crucial central position in science education as
a whole. Enhancement of Chemistry education can, therefore, have powerful and positive effects
on the rest of the Science curriculum. Scott, Janet and Judith (2009) stated that general
Chemistry is a required first step for students who wish to pursue a career in Science and Health
professions. The course often has low rate of students‟ success and as a result could serve as a
bottleneck, limiting access to the science field if not effectively taught at the basic school level
(Robert, Philip and John, 2005).
Ababio (2005) contend that science in general and Chemistry in particular is
systematically based on observation and experimentation. Chemistry enables one to perform
experiments and learn to observe, record, calculate precisely and make intelligent inferences.
These processes train the mind of chemists to be inclined to the scientific method. Chemistry
being an important subject among the science subjects is offered at the Senior Secondary classes
in Nigerian schools so as to help students learn the important aspects of scientific concepts that
would enable them to live effectively in their immediate environment (Edomwonyi-Out & Avaa,
2011). Chemistry was introduced into the curriculum of Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria
because of its educational value, relevance to the needs of the individual learner and society as a
whole (Ogunleye, 2002; 2009; 2010).
The purpose of curriculum development in Chemistry is to coordinate ideas, principles,
experiences, knowledge from society and the overall environment for translation into classroom
63
practice, to improve the teaching process for the betterment of education through Chemistry and
translation of theory and classroom knowledge to application in everyday life. The needs of the
society are closely knitted to the offers made by the Senior Secondary School Chemistry
curriculum which has its main objectives stated by (FME, 2009) as showing chemistry and its
link with industry, everyday life, benefits and hazards as well as to provide a course which is
complete for pupils not proceeding to higher education while at the same time providing a
reasonably adequate foundation for a post-secondary Chemistry course. The recommended
instructional approach for Chemistry curriculum implementation is the guided discovery
approach resting on practical activities to enable learners to appreciate science as a process
(FME, 2009). This is to ensure that learners are provided with continuous experience in skills of
defining problems, recognizing assumptions, critical thinking, and hypothesizing, observing,
collecting and recording data among other skills.
Case- based learning is an interactive, student-centered exploration of realistic and
specific narratives that provide grist for inductive learning. The students acquire substantive
knowledge, develop analytic and collaborative skills and gain self-confidence and attention to
detail. A case- based learning differs from what is conventional in many Secondary schools
classrooms in certain respect. The students engage in the text rather than examine it. They are
active and animated, offering ideas, raising questions, building on each others‟ statements,
constructing a collective analysis, re-framing the discussion, challenging the teacher, learning
with and from each other as much as, or more than, from the teacher. The teacher is also active
and frequently mobile, initiating discussion and drawing the class into it, inviting engagement in
the issues, amplifying some students‟ remarks and pointing up opposing views, feeding the
group‟s thinking back to it, pulling the threads of conversation together and tying them into the
lessons‟ themes. Indeed, structuring and facilitating the students‟ work rather than delivering
information, giving explanations, or providing answers are part of the teacher‟s role in this
strategy. The emphasis is on students‟ reasoning and expressions, on their capacity to structure
the problem and work out a solution. It is also on the process as well as on the substance of
inquiry, and a case discussion often ends with questions as well as conclusions. Experiments
with infants and students show case-based learning of a wide range of outcomes, including
opening containers, activating lights or sounds and using simple tools (Carpenter, Call and
Tomasello, 2002).
64
Case-based instruction is a teaching strategy in which students engage in classroom
learning and actively solve complex problems similar to those confronted in real life situations
(Ertmer, 2005). Case-based learners are required to solve problems that are similar in nature and
complexity to the real thing. The problems are multifaceted and require knowledge to develop
solutions. The main focus is on students‟ thinking and problem-solving processes. Students work
collaboratively in groups analyzing the case while faculty members serve as facilitators of
learning. The focus is to help students develop critical thinking and integrate theoretical content
related to professional practice (Ertmer, 2005; (Thomas, O‟Connor, Albert et al, 2001).
According to DeYoung (2003), case-based learning begins with students reading a complex case
scenario followed by students answering a series of open-ended critical thinking questions.
Students then analyze important assessment data from the scenario and draw from prior science
theories related to the subject matter of the case in order to integrate and synthesize the
information into meaningful data thereby gaining an understanding of the problem in the process.
Analysis of a case provides opportunities for students to examine the interrelationships of
multiple phenomena and develop creative approaches to solving real problems. Teachers provide
constructive feedback to students regarding the discussions.
Classroom strategies vary from all students working together to students working in
smaller subset groups of three or four for a specified time, and then returning to the large group
for the remaining time. Ertmer (2005) state that the advantage of this teaching strategy is the
opportunity for students to perform in-depth analysis and apply critical thinking skills related to
realistic complex situations in a safe environment. Studies on case-based teaching strategy have
revealed multiple learning benefits. Case-based learning has the potential to contribute to
improved organization of information, increased clinical reasoning skills and enhanced student
confidence. DeMarco, Hayward and Lynch‟s (2002) qualitative study evaluated the experiences
of senior-level students using case-based learning. Six thematic groupings emerged from student
experiences using case-based instruction: in-depth information processing, working
collaboratively, learning, knowledge development, self-reflection and achieving greater
cognitive gain by working together.
Case-based learning is also a common teaching strategy in medical school. Pascarella and
Terenzini (2005) implemented case-based learning and in another study, a group of students
65
using case-based learning sessions experienced improved preparation and highly rated the
teaching strategy compared to students in the traditional teaching strategy of independently
reading the required course book (Thomas, O‟Connor, Albert et al, 2001). Case-Based Learning
Strategy provides ample chance for four stages of adult learning: concrete experience, followed
by reflection on that experience on a personal basis; next comes abstract conceptualization which
is the derivation of general rules describing the experience, or the application of known theories
to it, and hence to active experimentation, the construction of ways of modifying the next
occurrence of the experience leading in turn to the next concrete experience (Williams, 2004).
Case studies are traditionally associated with business schools, law schools and social
science classes but can be used in any discipline in which students need to explore how issues
and principles learned in class interact in real world situations. As a result, case studies
methodologies have expanded to other disciplines including the physical sciences, mathematics,
literature and history. According to the Pennsylvania State‟s “Teaching and Learning with
Technology” (2006), cases come in many shapes and sizes ranging from a simple "What would
you do in this situation?" question to an elaborate role-playing scenario where students learn to
resolve complex questions based on real-life data and documents. How simple or elaborate a
case is depends on the objectives which students are expected to achieve in the course. Cases
usually have these common elements:
Real-Word Scenario - Cases are generally based on real life situations, although some
facts may be changed to simplify the scenario and protect participants from danger.
Supporting Data and Documents - Effective cases assignments typically provide real
world artifacts for students to analyze. These can be simple data tables, links to real
URLs, quoted statements or testimony, supporting documents, images, video, audio or
any appropriate material.
Open-Ended Problem - Most case assignments require students to answer an open-
ended question or develop a solution to an open-ended problem with multiple potential
solutions. Requirements can range from a one-paragraph answer to a fully developed
group action plan, proposal or decision.
Case assignments can be done in teams or independently. Typically, cases are done in teams so
that the students can brainstorm solutions and share the work load. Finally, it is possible to
66
incorporate real world data into other assignments which are not necessarily open-ended and still
realize the benefits of exposing students to realistic situations.
This teaching strategy is well-grounded in the engagement theory of learning and
incorporates all of Chickering and Gamson‟s (1999) seven principles. These are active learning,
collaboration with peers, obtaining feedback on discussions, high expectations of learning the
content, student-faculty interactions, diverse learning style, and time on task of focusing on
quality learning discussions. Science educators use case-based learning to help in building
knowledge and prepare students for real life practice in complex environments. It is imperative
that students be able to critically think and be ready to provide knowledge when needed.
Carpenter, Call and Tomasello (2002) observed that children learn best by being interested fully
in their own work, by seeing things for themselves; doing, puzzling, verifying their own
suppositions, experimenting and drawing conclusions on the strength of evidence which they
have collected themselves. This approach should, in the words of Srinivasan, Wilkes, Stevenson,
Nguyen and Slavin (2007), help in achieving a creative approach to future problems of mankind.
Case-Based Learning Strategy belongs to the Group Investigation Models of Learning. It also
uses the instructional groups of 3 – 8 members in which learners work together to achieve a
common goal and to maximize their own and each other‟s learning (Flynn & Klein, 2001). The
strategy has been found useful and efficacious in many studies including those of Reddy (2000),
Ommundsen (2001), Morrison (2000) and DeYoung (2003). The findings of these studies need
to be further substantiated among Nigerian learners as currently being ventured into in order to
provide more contexts for their generalisability.
Carini, Kuh and Klein (2006) emphasized case-based learning strategy as a good
educational practice to help focus faculty and students on activities that are associated with
higher levels of learning. The more students‟ study and practice writing, analyzing, and problem
solving, the more skillful they become (Kuh, 2001). Implementing good educational practices
into the curriculum encourages students to put forth more effort which will result in great gains
in such areas as critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, and responsible
citizenship (Carini, Kuh and Klein, 2006). Implementing institutional policies and practices and
encouraging faculty to create student-centered learning environments are essential to Case based
learning strategy (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Kuh, Kinzie, Bucklie, Bridges & Hayek, 2007)).
67
Institutional practices contribute to student engagement such as practices that focus on active
learning (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005). This study, therefore, determined the effects of the
Case-based learning strategy on senior secondary school students‟ achievement and attitudes to
Chemistry.
On students‟ attitude as it relates with case-based learning, Flynn and Klein (2001)
investigated the influence of discussion groups in a case-based environment and used two case
analyses. They found that students‟ attitudes improved significantly. On the other hand, in their
study on the impact of evidence-based medicine curriculum using real life cases, Dorsch, Aiyer
and Meyer (2004) reported that there is no significant effect of the strategy on students‟ attitude.
This contradiction makes it necessary for further studies to be conducted into the effect of case-
based learning on students‟ attitude.
Research Questions
Two research questions were raised. These are:
1. What are pretest and posttest chemistry achievement scores of students exposed to the
case-based learning strategy and those in the control group?
2. What are pretest and posttest chemistry attitude scores of students exposed to the case-
based learning strategy and those in the control group?
Hypotheses
Two hypotheses were formulated and tested at p<.05
1. There is no significant effect of instructional strategy (case-based and convectional) on
students‟ achievement in chemistry.
2. There is no significant effect of instructional strategy (case-based and convectional) on
students‟ attitude towards chemistry.
Research Method
The study employed a pretest, posttest, control group, quasi experimental design.
Experiment group O1 X1 O3
68
Control group O2 X2 O4
Where O1 and O2 represent pretest measure for experimental and control groups respectively
O3 and O4 represent pretest measure for experimental and control groups respectively
X1- Treatment mode of cased-based learning strategy
X2- Control mode of the conventional teaching strategy
The experimental group was exposed to Case based learning strategy while the control group
was exposed to the conventional teaching method.
The study selected six Senior Secondary Schools using the random sampling technique
by balloting among all the schools in lbadan North Local government Area of Oyo State,
Nigeria. One intact SS2 class of science students was then selected randomly from each of the
schools with more than one arm of science students while the only science class in others was
selected. Three schools were allotted to the experimental treatment while the remaining three
were allotted to control treatment by random assignment. In all, One Hundred and Fifteen
students constituted the sample for the study.
The following instruments were used for the study
1. Chemistry Achievement Test
2. Students‟ Attitude to Chemistry Questionnaire
3. Operational Guide to Cased Based Learning Strategy
4. Operational Guide to Conventional Teaching Strategy
The Chemistry Achievement Test is a 30-item multiple choice objective test on SS2 concepts
under the theme “The Chemistry and Environment” in the Senior Secondary School chemistry
curriculum. These topics are: Water, Air, Hydrogen and Oxygen. The test was subjected to
validation using the Kinder-Richardson Formula - 20. The difficulty indices ranged between 0.45
and 0.56 while its reliability was 0.85. The students‟ Attitude to Chemistry Questionnaire was
developed to measure the pre and posttest attitude of the students to chemistry. The 4-point
Likert Scale was used to present thirty items of equal number of positively and negatively
worded items. The Cronbach Method was applied for its reliability and an alpha value of 0.89
was obtained. The operational Guides to Case-Based and the conventional instruction had six
lessons on Water, Air, Hydrogen and Oxygen except that each of the two guides followed the
steps inherent in the specific instructional strategy relevant in each case. The two guides were
69
subjected to scrutiny, review and revision by Science Education experts in the Faculty and
Institute of Education, University of Ibadan to produce the final drafts.
Procedure for data collection
The procedure for executing the study lasted six weeks. These featured training of
teachers for the case-based learning strategy while teachers for the conventional strategy were
left without any training as they were expected to teach the selected concepts using the
conventional lecture. Other stages of the study are:
Pretest: the Chemistry Achievement Test and Students‟ attitude to Chemistry Questionnaire
were administered to measure students‟ initial levels of Achievement and Attitude.
Treatment Administration: The administration of treatment took six weeks during which the
experimental group was exposed to six lessons on selected topics with the use case-based
learning strategy. Chickering and Gamson‟s (1999) seven principles were used. These are active
learning, collaboration with peers, obtaining feedback on discussions, high expectations of
learning the content, student-faculty interactions, diverse learning style, and time on task of
focusing on quality learning discussions. Simultaneously, the control group was exposed to the
conventional lecture mode of delivery.
Posttest: At the end of the 6-week treatment period, the achievement test and the attitude
questionnaire were administered.
Data Analysis
Data collected were analysed suing both descriptive and inferential statistics. Analysis of
Covariates (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses.
70
Results and Discussion
Table 1: Chemistry Achievement Scores of Experimental and Control Groups
Treatment N Pretest Posttest Mean
Gain Mean Std. Dev. Mean Std. Dev.
Case-Based 61 13.25 1.15 21.26 1.24 8.01
Control 54 11.28 1.65 16.21 1.96 4.93
Table 1 shows that the pretest mean Chemistry achievement score for the experimental
group i.e. students taught using the Case-based learning strategy was 13.25 out of a maximum
obtainable score of 30.00 as against the score of 11.28 obtained by the control group. At posttest,
the Case-based group had 21.26 while the control group had 16.21. These scores produced mean
gains of 8.01 and 4.93 for the experimental and the control groups respectively. This indicates
that the students exposed to the Case-based learning strategy had higher mean gain compared to
their control group counterparts.
Table 2: Attitude to Chemistry Scores in Experimental and Control Groups
Treatment N Pretest Posttest Mean Gain
Mean Std. Dev. Mean Std. Dev.
Case-Based 61 54.56 6.54 87.56 7.81 33.00
Control 54 59.54 5.25 78.58 6.55 19.04
From Table 2, the students‟ pretest mean attitude to Chemistry scores for students taught with the
Case-based learning strategy was 54.56 out of a maximum obtainable score of 120.00 as against
59.54 obtained by the control group. At posttest, the Case-based group had 87.56 while the
71
control group obtained 78.58. These scores produced mean gains of 33.00 and 19.04 for the
experimental and the control groups respectively. This also indicates that students exposed to the
Case-based learning strategy had higher mean gain in attitude to Chemistry than their peers in
the control group.
Ho1: There is no significant effect of treatment on students‟ achievement in Chemistry.
Table 3: ANCOVA of Posttest Chemistry Achievement Scores by Treatment
Source
Test Type III
sum of
squares
Df Mean
square
F Sig Partial
Eta
squared
Intercept Hypothesis 2711.51 1 2711.51 82.40 .02 .98
Error 48.68 1.479 32.90
Pretest Hypothesis 2332.15 1 2332.15 225.55 .00* .65
Error 1235.02 114 10.34
Treatment Hypothesis 3129.44 1 3129.44 138.04 .00 .56
Error 262.05 11.561 22.67
*significant at p<.05
Table 3 shows that treatment has significant effect on students‟ achievement in Chemistry
(F (1,114) =138.04; P < .05). Hence, hypothesis 1 is rejected. This means that there is significant
difference in the scores of students exposed to the Case-based learning strategy and those
exposed to the conventional lecture. The adjusted mean scores for the treatment and control
groups are presented in Table 4. This effect size is large (η2
= .56).
Table 4: Estimated Marginal Means for Group Achievement in Chemistry
Treatment N Mean Std. Dev.
Case-Based 61 16.82 .35
Control 54 12.84 .39
72
From Table 4, students exposed to the Case-based learning strategy had higher adjusted posttest
mean score in Chemistry (x =16.82) than those in the control group (x = 12.84). This implies that
the Case-based strategy was more effective on students‟ achievement than the conventional
lecture method.
Ho2: There is no significant effect of treatment on students‟ attitude to Chemistry
Table 5: ANCOVA of Students’ Posttest Attitude to Chemistry Scores by Treatment
Source
Test Type III
sum of
squares
Df Mean
square
F Sig Partial Eta
squared
Intercept Hypothesis 63188.31 1 63188.31 40.05 .01 .97
Error 1735.59 1.10 1577.61
Pretest Hypothesis 53.44 1 53.44 4.47 .02 .56
Error 13673.65 114 11.96
Treatment Hypothesis 7998.76 1 7998.76 51.66 .00* .68
Error 315.27 2.04 154.84
*significant at p<.05
Table 5 shows that there is significant effect of treatment on students‟ attitude to
Chemistry (F(1,114) = 51.66; p< .05). This implies that the posttest attitude scores for the
experimental and control groups are significantly different. Hypothesis 2 is, therefore, rejected.
The table also revealed that the effect size is large (η2
= .68).
Table 6: Estimated Marginal Means for Posttest Attitude Scores by Treatment
Treatment N Mean Std. Dev.
Experimental 61 79.54 1.25
Control 54 61.76 1.44
Table 6 shows that students in the experimental group had higher adjusted posttest score in
attitude to Chemistry (x =79.54) than the control group (x =61.76). Hence, the Case-based
learning strategy was more effective than the conventional lecture at improving students‟ attitude
to Chemistry.
73
Findings on achievement and attitude are represented on Figure 1.
Figure 1: Adjusted Scores of Students’ Achievement and Attitude by Treatment
In summary, Figure 1 shows that the Case-based learning strategy was more effective both on
students‟ achievement and attitude to Chemistry than the conventional instruction.
Implications and Recommendations
This study found that the Case-Based learning strategy was superior over the
conventional lecture method mostly adopted by teachers of chemistry. In the aspects of
achievement and attitudes, the Case-Based instruction thrived by students‟ analyses of real life
cases observed either in the past or at the moment. This makes chemistry learning relevant to the
immediate environment (Edomwonyi-Out and Avaa, 2011). Indeed, the use of Case-Based
learning strategy returns chemistry to the altar of offering its educational value, relevance to the
needs of the students as well as the needs of the society. Further, the link between chemistry and
everyday life, benefits, and hazards (FME, 2009) is very close to being realized given strategies
such as the Case-Based learning where students not only engage in classroom activity but also
attempt to solve similar problems in the environment and graduates to the level of solving more
complex real-life problems for the good of man. At the same time, the students were able to
acquire skills of analysis (in-depth), critical thinking skills and confidence to tackle issues and
these were manifest in students‟ improved performance.
The group learning opportunities inherent in the Case-Based instruction is also valuable
to the students whose science ventures, so far, have mostly been individualistic and especially as
the laboratory practical experiences dictated. With this strategy, the spirit of cooperation,
learning together, comparing notes in the learning process is very germane to the ability of the
students to see themselves as partners instead of co-competitors. It could be noted that the
standard deviation of Case-Based students‟ posttest achievement (SD=.35) and attitude
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Achievement Attitude
A
d
j
u
s
t
e
d
M
e
a
n
S
c
o
r
e
Instructional Strategy
Case-based
Control
74
(SD=1.25) were lower than those of the control group. This corroborates the fact that most of the
students in the Case-Based group had scores which are more clustered together than it was the
case in the control group. The effectiveness of the experimental mode of Case-Based learning, as
proven in this study, has now positioned the strategy on a good pedestal for adoption in the
teaching of School Science subjects as against its erstwhile status of finding use only mostly in
the medical training schools.
With the use of the Case-Based instructional strategy, students‟ achievement and attitude
towards chemistry have the tendency to improve with attendant benefits to the individual student,
other students in the class as well as the society as a whole. It is, therefore, recommended for the
use by chemistry teachers for the teaching of the subject. Teachers of Biology and Physics also
need to experiment with the Case-Based learning while the science Teachers‟ Association of
Nigeria should include their strategy in its regular subject panel workshops across the country to
equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills for using the strategy effectively.
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77
PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING EXPERIENCE BACKGROUNDS AND CLASSROOM
PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN NIGERIA AND SOUTH
AFRICA
Professsor Zulikar Mutembu
Centre for Primary Education & Child Psychology
University of Capetown, South Africa
&
Joy Chioma Orji,
Director, External Linkages & Dean of Studies
Best Intellect International Academy, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria
Abstract
The study compared the effects of different pre-school learning experience backgrounds (PLEB)
on the classroom performance in science task among primary school pupils in Imo state, Nigeria
and Cape Town, South Africa. Study attempted to find out the extent to which organized
coaching/tutorial classes (commonly called “Lesson”), and formal nursery education influence
the classroom performance in science among children of 5 + to 6+ years olds in primary one. It
also attempted to find out if sex and such type or source of early childhood learning experiences
interacted significantly with class room performance in Science. One hundred and sixty nine
primary one pupils were randomly selected from three public primary schools in the cities of
interest. The three female class teachers in the three schools were specially trained as research
assistants. The design of the study was “ex-post-facto” based on performance. The researcher
made use of the actual classroom situation as normally organized and prepared by the
experimental teacher. Evaluation tasks for lessons on selected science topics as developed by the
teachers to evaluate the classroom performance of the pupils were used. These were however,
derived from the provisions of the NERDC core curriculum on Primary Science used by the
schools. Analysis of variance was the main statistical procedure used in analyzing data
generated. Results of the study showed that: The different pre-school learning experience
backgrounds have significant effect on pupils performance in the science tasks given to primary
one pupils in the public schools of study. Pupils who had attended organized coaching classes
consistently performed better than even those who had attended nursery schools. There was no
significant different between the performance in the science tasks of boys and girls within the
same group of pre-school learning background. There was a significant difference in
performance of the pupils in the cognitive skills and drawing skills. Generally the trend in result
appeared similar among pupils from both countries. The implications of findings from this study
for the African Educational System were discussed and recommendations were also made.
78
Background to the Study
Early childhood experiences refer to all educational provisions, formal and informal,
available to children from birth to age 8.Shipman (2012) and Lewin (2005) have variously
provided fascinating evidences on the crucial nature of these early years. Advocates of
relevant and meaningful pre-school experiences anchor their arguments on the physical, on
socio-emotional, intellectual and aesthetic needs of the child (Awoniyi 1990).
Pre-school experiences comprises all educational provisions available to children from 3
to 5 years of age. Such experiences range from impact of parental care, the environment, the
community, foster care, playgroups, private nurseries to provision of mental, moral, physical,
social, emotional and aesthetic growth.
The home is the most ancient institution for the pre-school child because this is where the
all round growth of the child is partly provided for. But urbanization of some cities, towns
and even villages has introduced untold problems to and interfered largely with the stability
of this institution. Thus parents have resorted to the home substitutes listed above.
The Child is that self activated learner at work in a prepared environment with
programmed materials which encourage education. He has a lot of potentialities but is
incomplete though inherently good. Born innocent into a contaminated environment, the
child learns certain things which turn out to be good or bad in later years. At the early stages
of growth up to age 6 a child is affectionate, endearing, innocent and inquisitive. He enjoys
large motor activities (jumping, dancing, sliding, running, etc) and develops the fine motor
skills e.g. drawing, writing, colouring, manipulating objects, modeling etc gradually as he
grows. He learns by imitations, is very active and tries to do many new things with all gust.
He grows rapidly. The child wants to know everything within his environment, learns many
things by doing and has vast curiosity expressed by excessive questioning which of course is
79
vital to his education. He has a lively mind, likes new and different things and loves to
experiment. These attributes point to the extent to which children can become better citizens
if they are observant, can give accurate account of what they see and do and can appreciate
the beauty and mastery of nature as well. This in a way points to science as a way of life.
Orji and Orji (2012) in their own contribution describe science as an activity carried out by
normal human beings. They also described science as an undertaking marked by initiative,
energy, boldness and intrepid drive. The method of science according to them are research
and experimentation, invention, discovery, exploration, finding out new things and new ways
of improving old ones. Therefore for science to be practiced there must be materials to work
with, play with such that will result in and give the joy of discovery. Most importantly, there
must be a guide in whatever the child is doing. This is because the child experiences science
activities even while yet unborn. All the processes involved in its development within the
womb is science. This is why the National Policy on Education (revised 2004) devoted a
section under Pre-primary education which emphasizes the desires to give all young children
basic scientific training to enable them understand and appreciate the application of science
as a tool of technological advancement.
Since pre-primary education has become an officially acceptable and recognized
education programmes, its goals are meant for every child irrespective of socio-economic
background. But in most African countries(especially Nigeria and South Africa) today, it
is observed that Nursery Education is a thing of class and prestige for the elites and the
well-to-do.
The problem arising from this is that nursery schools have been highly
commercialized and restricted to the urban and semi-urban cities. This makes the
provision out-of-reach for the poor and cuts off children from rural setting and even those
of poor socio-economic background within the cities.
80
Meanwhile for the past two or three years, it has been the government policy that a
young child must acquire some rudiments of academic skills in writing, counting, reading
and effective communication by the age of 5 years as condition for being admitted into
primary one. For this reason parents and other individuals have attempted to provide a
variety of alternative learning experiences and situations to cater for those social groups
who cannot afford the expensive nursery schools available. Such variety includes the
organized coaching or tutorial lessons, home schooling by older siblings at home etc.
The nature and quality of learning experiences provided in these pre-school organizations
vary widely. It has therefore become imperative to examine the relative efficacy of
primary school pupils of organized coaching and formal kindergarten experience on
pupils‟ performance in primary science tasks.
Purpose of the study
This study therefore compared the extent to which children( in both South Africa
and Nigeria) with the different pre-school learning experience backgrounds(formal
nursery education, coaching/tutorial and home schooling) vary or differ in their
performance of some primary science tasks.
The other objective of the study is to find out how performance of the science tasks
varied with the sex of subjects within the same learning background and across the
different learning backgrounds.
Hypotheses
Ho1 There is no significant difference in the performance of pupils who were exposed
to coaching and their counterparts who were exposed to formal Nursery
education.
81
Ho2 There is no significant difference between the performance in the science tasks of
boys and girls who were given formal Nursery education.
Ho3 There is no significant difference in the performance of pupils who were exposed
to formal Coaching/tutorial and the conventional group.
Ho4 There is no significant difference between the performance in the science tasks of
boys and girls who were given Coaching/tutorial.
Ho5 There is no significant difference in the performance of pupils who were exposed to
Home schooling and the conventional group.
Ho6 There is no significant difference between the performance in the science tasks of
boys and girls who were given Home schooling experience
Methodology
This research study involves the collection of data after all the events of interest (i.e early
childhood learning experiences from birth to age 5) have occurred. Possible cause and effect
relationships are being investigated by observing some existing consequences and searching
back through the data for plausible casual factors. This contrasts the true experimental method
which collects its data under controlled conditions in the present. Therefore, the design is causal
comparative research and “expost facto” in nature because the researcher lacked control over the
independent variables, that is the early childhood learning experiences acquired prior to
admission into primary one.
This is further supported by the facts that:
(i) The independent variable is a combination of interaction of factors under certain
conditions of early childhood exposures to yield a given outcome.
(ii) Classifying subjects into dichotomous groups for the purpose of comparison is loaded
with problems since such categories are vague, variable and even transitory.
(iii) Comparative studies in natural situations do not allow controlled selection of subjects.
82
(iv) A result (performance in Science tasks) is observed and a search is taken back
through possible causes (types of events e.g. early childhood learning backgrounds)
that are related to the result.
However, being “ex-post facto” in design no pre-test was needed and there is no control
group as such because each group represents a pre-school learning experience background
(PLEB) type.
Population for the Study
Several public primary schools in Imo state, Nigeria and Cape town, South Africa were
visited for initial inquiries about the possibility of sampling primary one subjects for the
study. Discussions with some head teachers and primary-one teachers as well as school
records gave a clue of the unsuitability of the type of entrants available in some of the
schools. Eventually, selected public schools were used with the permission of head
teachers and the co-operation of the class teachers. There were 11,253 primary-one pupils
from both South Africa and Nigeria
Sample and Sampling Procedure
Having randomly identified the schools for study, a small sample of representative
groups was selected. In this section, the procedure for drawing a representative sample
from the population is described below. With the permission to use the school, the
researcher sorted the pupils into groups needed for the study. The grouping procedure
which made use of the pupils learning background interview schedule shown the whole
class into three groups.
Group A: Pupils who had attended pre-primary (Nursery) schools before admission into
primary one.
Group B: Pupils who attended well organized coaching (lesson) classes for some fixed
number of hours a day for at least one year before admission into primary one. There
83
they were tutored on basic rudiments of numbers, writing and reciting of alphabets and
some science.
Group C: Pupils who were tutored at home (home schooling) by their parents. These
groups of children neither attended nursery schools nor organized lesson classes, they
were rather home schooled.However, the class register was used to confirm all
information. On the whole only one arm of primary one was used in each school at a time
as all the arms operated the same time-table, doing science during the same period.
Furthermore a basis for granting permission was that the study shall not disrupt the school
time table and curriculum. Three public primary schools in Nigeria were used with a total of
146 pupils used for the study consisting of 54 pupils in school A; 48 pupils in school B and
44 in School C. This same system was replicated for the South African pupils.
Instrumentation
The instrument used for the study is tagged the Science Performance Task( SPT)
The Science performance Tasks (SPT) is of multiple –choice type that was based on the
five science tasks which were set on the following:
i. Exploring the environment – observing plants
ii. Using the sense of hearing
iii. Using the sense of touch
iv. Using the sense of taste
v. Drawing skills.
The lesson notes prepared by the experimental teachers and marked by the head teachers
on these topics were used. The evaluation tasks for lessons on these topics were
validated by other primary one teachers within the schools and found suitable for the
84
study. SPTI, 2 and 3 were in form of a two option objective test tube meant to test the
lower levels of cognitive learning of Bloom‟s Taxonomy i.e knowledge, comprehension
and application. SPT 4 and 5 were set by the researcher and validated by primary one
teacher in the schools to test the skills of pictorial communication, observation,
identification and motor manipulation. The neatness of the drawing was also considered.
The reliability co-efficient of the SPT was computed to be 0.86
Data Collection Procedure
The teachers of the class introduced to the researcher were used as research assistants.
They were all female, indeed mothers. Training was through orientation and discussion
about the research, purpose of study and administration of the science tasks. The topics
to be tested, the number of periods to be used per week, mode of task presentation,
provision of writing materials to the pupils for the tasks, retrieval of work from pupils
and the marking were all thoroughly discussed.
The research assistants helped in administering the tasks because they understand better
how to deal with the children who in turn were so used to and confident in them. Since
most of the pupils could not read the tasks put on the board for them to do, the teachers
had to read each task item out and pupils were instructed to copy out only the correct
answers into the answer sheets which were given to them. They were also warned not to
copy or allow their neighbors to copy from their work. They were given two minutes to
answer each question. Where the task involved some practical activities enough time was
given to them to carry out the activity i.e to touch or taste the specimens given to each of
them and then two minutes were given them to write out the correct answer.
For the drawings: For SPT 4, a diagram was drawn on the chalkboard for them to copy
out into their answer sheets. But for the SPT 5 they were asked to make a free drawing
85
form their memory of any kind of flower they liked or chose. In both cases guiding
questions and instructions were made to them.
For each task, they were given answer sheets with their names written on each as most of
them could not write their names. This made collection and identification easier for the
researcher. So at the end of each exercise the scripts were collected back from them for
marking.
Method of data Analysis
Computation of means, standard deviations and variance givens the descriptive
quantitative statistical results that can provide some basic for comparison of the
performance by the different groups for testing the hypotheses using t-test
Research Questions
The questions that sought to establish the level of primary school pupils‟ achievement as
determined by their pre-test and science tasks scores are hereby presented using frequencies,
means and standard deviation.
Research Question One
To what extent do the achievements of the groups exposed to various pre-school learning
experiences differ? To answer this research question, frequency count, standard deviations
and means were used for the analysis reported in table 4.3.
86
Table 4.3 Descriptive Statistics of Groups’ Performance in the Science tasks
Performance in Science tasks
Groups N X SD
Group A(Formal
Nursery Education)
54 54.8 7.20
Group B
(Coaching/Tutorial)
48 60.4 6.50
Group C (Home
Schooling)
44 48.3 7.86
Results in table 4.4 indicate that the group B recorded a mean achievement score of 60.4 for
the primary school pupils with standard deviation of 6.50 in the post- test. Similarly, the
results in experimental group A showed that the primary school pupils recorded a mean
achievement score of 54.8 with standard deviation of 7.20.For group C, there was record of
mean achievement score of 48.3 with standard deviation of 7.86. The overall results on table
4.3 therefore, indicate that group B had the higher mean score in the post – test than
experimental group A and group C
Research Question two
How do achievements of male and female primary school pupils using various approaches
differ? To answer this research question, frequency count, standard deviations and mean
were used for the analysis set out on table 4.4.
87
Table 4.4: Descriptive Statistics of Male and Female Pupils’ Achievement in Science
Primary science Tasks
Groups Achievement in Science Tasks
Male Female
N X SD N SD
Group A(Formal Nursery
Education)
30 57.8 6.50 24 50.6 7.60
Group B (Coaching/Tutorial) 28 60.0 7.20 20 60.9 7.00
Group C (Home Schooling) 23 49.2 7.86 21 47.3 8.02
Results of the analysis in table 4.4 reveal that group B recorded a mean achievement score of
60.9 for the female and 60.0 for the male primary school pupils with standard deviations of
7.00 and 7.20 respectively in the achievement test. Again, the results in group A showed that
the male primary school pupils recorded a mean achievement score of 57.8 with standard
deviation of 6.50 while the female had a mean retention score of 50.6 with a standard
deviation of 7.60. For group C, there were records of achievement score of 49.2 for the male
with a standard deviation of 7.86 and 47.3 for the female with standard deviation of 8.02.
With these results from the descriptive analysis, the apparent influence of diverse
approaches on the achievement of pupils has been tentatively established. Further in-depth
statistics of ANOVA and t-test were employed to test the hypotheses for confirmation.
Null Hypothesis One
Ho1: The first hypothesis states that there is no significant difference between the mean
achievement scores of pupils exposed to various pre-school learning experiences. In other
to test for this hypothesis Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the mean
scores. The summary of this analysis is shown on table 4.5
88
Table 4.5: ANOVA Results on Mean Achievement Scores of Pupils Exposed to
Various Pre-School Learning Experiences.
Source
Of
Variation
Sum Of
Square
Df
Mean
Square
F-value
Std.
Error
Sig.
(Two-
tailed)
Decision
SSw 8847.41 143 61.87
15.00
0.1156
0.0000
Rejected SSb 1856.10 2 928.05
The ANOVA results in respect of all the analyses are shown in table 4.5. Result in the table
showed that there was significant difference in the mean achievement of groups of primary
school pupils exposed to various pre-school learning experiences. The null hypothesis was
therefore rejected based on these results. It then implies that the mean achievement of the groups
of pupils in the science tasks differed significantly.
Null Hypothesis Two
Ho2: The second hypothesis states that there is no significant difference between the mean
achievement scores of male and female primary school pupils exposed to coaching/tutorial
method. To test for this hypothesis, t-test statistics was also used to analyze the mean
scores. The summary of this analysis is shown on table 4.7.
89
Table 4.7:t-test Value on Mean Achievement Scores of Male and Female Primary
school pupils Exposed to Coaching/Tutorial Experience
Gender Number
(N)
Mean
_
(X)
Standard
deviation
(SD)
df
t-
value
Std
Error
Sig
(two-
tailed
Decision
Male 30 60.00 7.20
52
0.65
1.0523
0.5116
Accepted Female 24 60.90 7.00
Not significant at P<.05
The result on table 4.7 above show that there was no significant difference in the mean
achievement scores of male and female pupils exposed to coaching/tutorial. Thus, this
hypothesis was accepted. In other words, the boys‟ performances were not significantly
different from that of the girls when exposed to coaching/tutorial approach.
Null Hypothesis Three
Ho3: The third hypothesis states that there is no significant difference between the mean
achievement scores of male and female primary school pupils exposed to formal nursery
education. To test for this hypothesis, t-test statistics was also used to analyze the mean
scores. The summary of this analysis is shown on table 4.7
Table 4.7:t-test Value on Mean Achievement Scores of Male and Female Primary
school pupils Exposed to Formal Nursery Education
Gender Number
(N)
Mean
_
(X)
Standard
deviation
(SD)
df
t-
value
Std
Error
Sig
(two-
tailed
Decision
Male 28 57.80 6.50
46
5.00
1.0523
0.0000
Rejected Female 20 50.60 7.60
Not significant at P<.05
90
Table 4.5 shows that there was a significant difference between the mean achievement
scores of male and female pupils exposed to formal nursery education (t=5.00 df=46,
P<05). This hypothesis was therefore rejected. It then means that male and female primary
school pupils‟ achievement in science tasks differed significantly as a result of their
exposure to formal nursery education
Null Hypothesis Four
Ho4: The fourth hypothesis states that there is no significant difference between the mean
achievement scores of male and female primary school pupils that were exposed to home
schooling. To test for this hypothesis, t-test statistics was also used to analyze the mean
scores. The summary of this analysis is shown on table 4.7.
Table 4.7:t-test Value on Mean Achievement Scores of Male and Female Primary
school pupils Exposed to Home Schooling Experiences
Gender Number
(N)
Mean
_
(X)
Standard
deviation
(SD)
df
t-
value
Std
Error
Sig
(two-
tailed
Decision
Male 30 58.60 8.10
52
0.32
1.0011
0.3111
Accepted Female 24 58.15 6.20
Not significant at P<.05The result on table 4.7 above show that there was no
significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female primary
school pupils exposed to Home schooling experiences. Thus, this hypothesis was
accepted. In other words, the boys‟ performances were not significantly different
from that of the girls when exposed to home schooling experiences
Discussion of Findings
91
It is a general conception or expectation that children who attended nursery education
perform better than those who did not. But strikingly results of this study revealed that
pupils who did not attend nursery schools but received organized coaching or tutorial
lesson (Group B pupils) prior to admission into primary one in some randomly selected
schools consistently performed better than pupils who attended the nursery schools
(Group A pupils).The same trend in results was equally recorded for South African Pupils
This findings may be due to the fact that nursery education in Africa has become mere
“exploitation centres” as the quality of instruction do not justify the exorbitant fees paid
by parents and guardians. Kwazulu (2009) had earlier noted that nursery education, to a
large extent has been commercialized. This was supported by Disu (2003) in her findings
about the quality of nursery schools, which revealed that many nursery schools still
emerged and operated at sub-standard level. Julius (1990) found out that emphasis of
nursery education which had already shifted from quality of education to revenue
yielding venture is now placed on verbal aptitude development rather than on science and
other academic skills development. Besides, the findings could be attributed to strict
adult – pupil interaction exists in nursery schools. This may have some effect on learning
because most of the time the children are forced to learn more complex academic things
than their level of cognitive development could actually carry them. Maturation,
accommodation and assimilation are sometimes imposed on nursery school children for
the simple reason that their parents, who unfortunately are not trained in early childhood
education, demand excellence. They become so impatient that they cannot wait for the
normal and gradual cognitive development of the children to proceed naturally. This
eventually results in skipping of developmental stages which shows dangerous effects in
later life.
Julius (1990) while evaluating the science components of the pre-primary school
curriculum and teachers perceptions of science teaching in nursery schools also found out
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that the non-involvement of the teachers in the planning of the core-curricula affected
their attitudes towards such curricula. As such even though they are aware of the
curriculum, they hardly used it in planning their lessons. This negatively affects the
performance of children in science tasks drawn from such curriculum. She also found
out during the classroom observation exercise in her study that most nursery school
teachers lacked proper understanding of the problem-solving approach adopted in the
curriculum. As a result, such teachers perceived pre-school science as a recitation of
rhymes about nature.
Moreover, research findings have shown that two broad categories of nursery schools
exist; viz; the well established and the poorly established nursery/primary school.
Adekoya (2000) showed that pupils who attended well established nursery/primary
schools performed better than those who attended poorly established nursery/primary
schools. Her studies revealed that pupils from the latter schools had a lower level of
understanding. However it was not the objective of this research report to discern the
status of the nursery education background of the pupils in the study. Rather interest was
to find out the nature of the gap existing between he three groups under study in
classroom and academic performance.
On the other hand coaching lessons are normally organized under a less strict or severe
condition and atmosphere than the nursery schools. The children are allowed to learn
gradually and are given enough tiem to assimilate experiences at their own pace. This
results in better internalization of the experiences which naturally forms a basis and solid
foundation for later life and development. The coachers usually (trained) primary school
teachers make use of the core curriculum to teach. Thus, Table 4.5 specifically assures
parents who cannot afford nursery education that their children could still benefit a great
deal from the provisions of the cheaper but well organized coaching classes or tutorials.
The total mean scores per task per group in Table 4.5 show that the Group B pupils
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(lesson pupils) scored highest in all tasks among the three group considered in the study,
following by the Group A pupils (nursery education background) and lastly the Group C
pupils. At no point of the analysis did pupils who neither attended nursery schools nor
coaching classes obtained a group mean score higher or seven comparable with those of
the pupils in the other two groups in cognitive tasks. However, they compare relatively
with pupils from nursery schools in drawing skills. This may be due to the fact that
children naturally love to draw and colour and also spend a lot of time practicing these
interests. Unfortunately they are limited to drawing achievement by their slow rate of
fine muscle development.
Although findings indicated that boys in group A score slightly higher than the girls; girls
in group B compete favourably with the boys; an inconsistent competition is observed
among the group C boys and girls from each of the three schools, the factorial analyses of
these results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of
boys and girls within each group.
But the factorial analysis comparing the performance scores of boys and girls in the entire
population showed a significant difference in the effect of gender on the performance of
pupils across the three groups.
These results on gender effect agrees with the results of Akande et al (2009) which
showed no significant difference between the scores of boys and girls within each school
type but a significant difference between the performance of all boys and girls in the
whole sample in the science tests.
Thus, no significant gender effect was observed among pupils within the same pre-school
learning experience backgrounds (PLEB) but a significant effect was observed among
pupils across the three PLEB-types. For instance, results shown on Tables 4.2 (a,b,c)
show that boys in group A scored generally higher than the girls in task that required
recalls comprehension and application. But there were cases where girls achieve higher
94
means scores than boys in drawing skills in school 3 group A; and in all the task in school
1 group C. This also agrees with the results of Adekoya (19) that sex differences have
no significant effect of pupils performance although the boys performed slightly better
than the girls. Psychologically, skills that involves aesthetic appreciation such as
drawing, coloruing, arranging things to show beauty may appeal to girls more than boys
who may prefer to tackle challenging mental problems.
Results also showed a drastic drop in scores (individual and group means) for tasks that
involved drawing manipulation. This can be explained by the fact that, the pre primary
school child is still developing the fine muscles. As such any activity requiring the use of
fine muscles, particularly of the hand may not be well done.
Manipulation of the pencil incurving round the drawing posed a problem. They are more
competent in free hand drawing of lines not curves; and of course in drawing the ear or
flower, curves could not be avoided. Results showed comparable standard deviations.
This affirms a common trend and level of development of all the children within this age
range suggesting that the pupils are still developing graphic communication arts and
manipulation skills. However, the stimulus – response connectionists (e.g Thorndike,
Hull and Skinner) put it that with practice the children will be perfect in this art.
Conclusion and Recommendations
From the results of this study it can be concluded that the so highly commercialized
nursery education in Nigeria has no edge over organized coaching lesson meant to teach
the rudiments of numbers, letters, colours, shapes, forms etc, through play in order to
prepare the children for the primary level of education. although early childhood learning
experiences have some effect on the child‟s later life, the sources of such pre-school
learning experiences have greater effect on performance in science tasks. As Wareham
(2007) had rightly stated, science experiences should be part of learning in early years as
95
these shape the child‟s patterns of thinking. Based on the findings and educational
implications of this study it is recommended that:
i. Nursery school proprietors or head teachers should encourage the teachers to
attend science as well as other professional orientation courses, workshops and
conferences for update in teaching techniques
ii. The Government should encourage the establishment of more coaching tutorials
at the pre-school level in order to provide adequate source of pre-primary
education for children and also alleviate the financial problems of parents who
cannot afford nursery education.
iii. Quality control by way of monitoring and supervision should be enforced on
established coaching institutions.
References
Adekoya, B. O. (2000).A Comparison of Science Achievement of selected
Primary School Pupils with and without Nursery School Background. “An
unpublished M.Ed Project, University of Lagos.
Adesina, S. (1998). Education Perspectives of Prof. Segun Adesina in Giant
Strides” Vol. 2 Pp 148 – 152. Lagos VBO International Plc.
Asa, J. O. (1983).A study of some factors affecting children‟s conception of
science related natural phenomena. Unpublished M.Ed Project, University of Jos.
Awoniyi, T. A. (1990).Principal Goals for pre-primary Educational Institutions
and how to achieve them. Education Today Quarterly, Vol. 4, Nos 2 Pp 37 – 41.
Davis, T. (1995).A comparison of achievement and Creativity of
elementary school studies using project verse text book programmes”. Journal of
Research in Science teaching. Pp 3, 13 and 205 – 212.
Disu, B. (2003).A study of Management and Organisation of pre-primary
schools in Kano Metropolis. Unpublished M.Ed Dissertation, University of
Jos,Nigeria.
Federal Government of Nigeria (2004).National Policy on Education. Lagos
NERDC Press.
FME (2001) Core-Curriculum for Primary Science,
Froebel, F. (1896).The Education of Man.New York Appleton-Century Crafts
Pp 2 – 5.
96
Julius, N. R.(1990). Children in Search of Meaning. London SCM Press.
Keghe, E. O. (1984). The effects of Pre-school Education on Academic
Achievement of Primary School Pupils. “Unpublished M. Ed. Project, University
of Ibadan
Kwazulu, D.E(2009).The place of the Pre-School Playgroups in the
Development of Early Childhood Education in South Africa”.The
Universities of London and Capetown, South Africa
NERDC (2004).Curriculum Guidelines for Nigeria Pre-Primary (Nursery)
Schools. Evans Brothers (Nigeria Publishers) Plc.
OMEP (1948). Background History of OMEP. Ten Years of OMEP in Nigeria 1980 –
1990 Pp1.
Shipman, M. D. (1972) Childhood Education in a Socio-Cultural Context: Delhi: Macmillan.
Soyibo, K. (1995).A review of the status and issues in Nigeria Primary Science
Education in the past two decades (1970 – 1994. Journal of Education Students
Association of Nigeria Pp 36 – 41.
.
Impact of a Collaborative Intervention programme on Pre-primary and Primary
School Teachers’ Utilization of Research Findings in Ibadan, Nigeria
Yewande Ogunleye Ph.D
National Open University of Nigeria
Abstract
Research plays a significant role in the effective discharge of teaching
responsibilities. Teachers, however, do not utilise research information in
classroom teaching. There is, therefore, need for the development of
communication network between researchers and teachers. This study determined
the impact of a collaborative intervention programme on pre-primary and
primary school teachers’ utilisation of educational research findings in Ibadan,
Nigeria. The one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was adopted. Sixty
teachers from pre-primary and primary schools were purposively selected from
Oyo South Senatorial District. Two research questions were answered and one
hypothesis tested at .05 Alpha level. Two instruments were used: Educational
Research Findings Package for Collaborative Intervention (r = 0.86) and
Teachers’ Utilization of Research Findings Questionnaire (r = 0.83), Data were
analysed using descriptive statistics and t-test. Teachers’ level of utilisation
(pretest = 81.5%; posttest = 88.3%) improved after the collaborative
intervention. There was significant difference in teachers’ level of utilisation of
research before and after intervention (t = 2.38; df = 59) in favour of the post-
intervention measure. The collaborative intervention impacted positively on
teachers’ utilisation of research findings. It was, therefore, recommended that
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researchers and teachers should collaborate to ensure that research findings are
utilised for effective teaching.
Key words: Collaborative intervention, Educational research findings, Pre-
primary and primary school teachers, Utilisation of research
Introduction
A summary of the job of teachers as enumerated by Okeke (2010) could help to
understand how cumbersome it is. Such duties include teaching one or more approved national
curriculum subjects and to cover a specified minimum number of time-table periods per week
with about 30 to 50 or more learners in class; planning and preparing the scheme of work and
other teaching and learning resources. Others include writing lesson notes for various subjects;
administering, grading and providing feedback in class work, homework, tests and examinations
as well as keeping records and reports on every learner. Teachers also have to carry out other
administrative assignments and get involved in co-curricular activities, meetings and seminars.
In fact, Gallen, Kerlinzig and Tamney (1995) describe teaching as a “multi – track activity where
the teacher has to carry out a number of roles”. This shows that pre-primary/primary school
teachers have enormous challenges to grapple with in the course of discharging their duties.
Specifically, Nzeribe (2004) asserts that for a teacher to choose appropriate teaching
method, such a teacher must be conversant with current research on teaching/learning methods.
She specifies that the teacher needs to seek means of improving his or her techniques of teaching
which is only possible through acquaintance with and utilization of research findings in the
classroom. The principles of child development, an understanding of how children learn as well
as understanding of the teaching-learning process in general, are necessary for designing pre-
primary and primary education programmes for successful teaching in the pre-primary/primary
schools. Maduewesi (1999) therefore states that the teacher who has insight into how children
learn will be able to organize the teaching programme to suit their needs. All these no doubt
require appropriate teaching experience and the use of tested knowledge through research to
advance practice.
An analysis of the works of Oti (1986) and Maduewesi (1999) carried out by Ogunleye
(2014) reveals that teacher competencies in the delivery of pre-primary/primary school education
include working with other experts as a team, engaging in continuing learning, acquiring more
skills, knowledge of child development and child psychology, knowledge of available social and
remedial service, knowledge of modern educational philosophy and knowledge of available
diagnostic services. These competences, as desirable as they are, keep changing and teachers can
only be current, vast and versatile through interaction with available resources and relevant
research information from time to time.
Research is defined as a problem-solving activity which addresses a problem or tests an
hypothesis (Kerlinger, 2004; Mbizvo and Khanna, 2006). In the educational setting, educational
research is a disciplined attempt to solving a problem relating to the school system and provision
of education at large (Best and Kahn, 1989; Akinsola and Ogunleye, 2005). A wide gap,
however exists between researchers and teachers in the preprimary and primary schools in
Nigeria. This gap was described by Ogunleye (2013) in a manner which shows that the
„producers‟ of knowledge (researchers) and the „users‟ of the findings (teachers) were remotely
positioned and that it was a limitation to the capability of the primary school teachers to benefit
from research findings to any appreciable extent.
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In Nigerian Universities, many studies have been carried out to improve existing
practices in different aspects of pre-primary/primary school teaching and learning over the years.
These studies include Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and Master of Education (M.Ed) projects
and Doctoral (Ph.D) theses. Of these, the Ph.D best typifies the ideal University research study
judging by the critical procedures adopted and the quality control measures it involves. Starting
from the proposal defence, field work, post field seminar examination to oral thesis defence,
every stage is supervised and critiqued by lecturers assigned for the purpose. Taking the
University of Ibadan as a case in point, Ph.D theses undertaken in pre-primary and primary
education in the „90s include Akinbote (1993) on instructional sequencing modes and feedback
mechanism in Social Studies, Aremu (1998) on card and geoboard game-based instructional
strategies in practical geometry, Banjoko (1998) on language of instruction in selected science
concepts, Izerig (1998) on situation and policy analysis of basic education in Northern Sudan and
Oduolowu (1998) on open classroom and conventional strategies in basic literacy and numeracy
skills.
More recent studies on the pre-primary/primary level of education include Salawu (2001)
who worked on language of instruction in aspects of Social Studies, Odinko (2003) on home and
school factors determining literacy skill development, Ogunsanwo (2003) on homework modes
and parental involvement in homework in Mathematics, Akintunde (2004) on structured and
unstructured group interaction patterns in environmental education concepts and Onosode (2004)
on instructional writing approach, locus of control and gender in English Language. Others
include Oshodi (2006) on use of learning outcome specification in Primary Science, Iroegbu
(2007) on modelling and picture-based instructional strategies in English Language, Okoruwa
(2007) on conceptual change and enhanced explicit teaching strategies in Primary Science,
Adewole (2008) on CoRT 1 thinking skills programme for creativity, Olatundun (2009) on
outdoor educational activities on environmental knowledge, attitudes and practices and Amao
(2010) on medium of instruction in two core primary school subjects. In another perspective, to
date, studies still ascribe the current problems relating to poor performance of learners to poor
instructional strategies (Oduolowu, 2004; Okoruwa, 2007; Ekine, 2010). The questions that
come to mind, however, are: to what extent do teachers adopt recommendations made by
researchers based on findings obtained? To what extent do they make use of research
information? These are questions which need to be answered in order to move the theories and
research findings to the level of practical application in schools.
Research utilization is currently a burning issue across the globe. According to Costa,
Marques and Kempa (2000), research utilization by teachers has repeatedly been raised in the
literature for some years now. Yet, the extent to which the findings from education research have
found application in actual teaching has been rather limited. Teachers, as practitioners need an
adequate appreciation of research findings towards the utilization of educational research in
classroom practice. The role of research is not only to provide information but also to produce
change. Research findings that are not shared with practitioners in ways that foster application
are ineffective. The traditional models of research to practice assume that the transfer of
knowledge takes a long time and in this direction: scholars conduct the research; publish findings
in academic journals; academic articles form the basis for similar research and at the same time
make their way into the syllabi of pre-service academic training for teachers, and slowly the
knowledge makes its way into classroom practice (Barbara, Bingam, Coming, Rowe and Smith,
2001).
99
Kelemen and Bansal (2002) suggested that research fails to communicate with
practitioners and may not reach sufficiently wide audiences. Authors in the field of education
have frequently speculated that collaborative approaches, partnerships or links, and involving
users in research are the keys to greater research utilisation in the public sector (Hagger and
Mcintyre, 2000; Hannan, Enright and Ballard, 2000; Mortimore, 2000; Wenger, Mcdermott and
Snyder, 2002). Evidence also suggests that greater involvement of practitioners in the research
process have emerged as strategies for improving research impact (Hemsley-Brown and Sharp,
2003). Based on the results of Wilson, Hemsley-Brown, Easton and Sharp (2003), “partnership
working” such as “seeking opportunities for professional researchers to work with users”, was
one approach that could be adopted successfully. Mechanisms such as collaborative approaches,
the greater involvement of users and strong links between managers and researchers tended to
facilitate mutual trust. Mutual trust allowed researchers to develop personal rapport with users
and to feel a greater stake in the manager‟s performance in the business sector (Zaltman &
Moorman, 1988; Hanjoon & Chankon, 1994).
Researchers‟ best collaboration partners, in the words of Wagers (2013), are almost by
definition the early adopters for the study‟s novel approach, new technology or new hypothesis.
One can also think about it as the best way to foster paradigm shift. It all begins with a dedicated
group of core believers in the research process or to impress investors and funding agencies that
what one is doing is accepted by a group of practitioners in the field. Each and every one of these
is a reason why one should invest in collaboration. Most collaboration efforts would deliver a
multitude of benefits and then use them as guideposts for how to increase operational efficiency
and maximize benefit. Indeed, collaboration is a proactive investment that pays enormous
dividends. Wagers (2013) opined that the mathematics is simple, collaborate less effectively and
the dividends will be less. Optimize collaborations and the returns will far outstrip investment.
The relationship between researchers and practitioners is now recognized as important.
For instance, researchers work with practitioners to develop research agendas; practitioners work
with researchers in conducting research; researchers and practitioners engage together in
deriving meaning from the research findings; and researchers and practitioners participate in the
dissemination process (Barbara, et al, 2001). This justifies the present attempt to foster
collaboration between researchers and teachers towards effective use of educational research
findings.
Statement of the Problem
This study mounted a collaborative intervention programme on educational research findings for
teachers in pre-primary and primary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria within an action research
setting. Specifically, the study attempted to provide solution to the problem of non-utilization of
educational research findings in classroom teaching among the pre-primary and primary school
teachers. It, therefore, determined the impact of the intervention on pre-primary and primary
school teachers‟ level of utilization of research findings in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Research Questions
Answers were provided to the following research questions in the course of this investigation.
1. What are pre-primary and primary school teachers‟ level of utilization of educational
research findings before the collaborative intervention activities?
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2. What are pre-primary and primary school teachers‟ level of utilization of educational
research findings after the collaborative intervention activities?
Hypothesis
The following null hypothesis was tested in the study at 0.05 level of significance.
1. There is no significant difference in the teachers‟ utilization of research before and after the collaborative intervention activities.
Research Method
The study adopted the collaborative action research proposed by Hendricks (2009). This
involve the working together of the researcher and pre-primary and primary school teachers with
the goal of sharing expertise, fostering dialogue and enhancing teachers‟ utilization of
educational research by incorporating findings and recommendations in their classroom teaching.
In order to compare the baseline status of the teachers with their performance after intervention
activities, the study also adopted the one group pretest-posttest design which is a type of
preexperimental research design that provides little or no control of extraneous variables. The
design is schematically represented as:
O1 X O2
Where O1 is pretest observation
X is the collaborative intervention (Use of Educational Research Findings Package in an action
research setting)
O2 is posttest observation
The study is, therefore, a fully mixed design of the qualitative and quantitative
approaches in an interactive way throughout the study. This is the case for the process of data
collection, experimental activities, data analysis, interpretation and inferences (Ary, Jacobs and
Sorensen, 2010). The weighting priority in this study is QUAL + quan implying that the
qualitative approach is dominant based on Morse (1991) notation systems.
Variables in the Study
The variables in this study are:
1. Independent Variable: The collaborative intervention programme based on educational
research findings within an action research setting.
2. Dependent Variable: This is teachers‟ utilization of educational research.
Selection of Participants
Participants were drawn from pre-primary and primary schools in Oyo South senatorial
district of Oyo State. First, Oyo state was stratified along the three senatorial districts: Oyo
Central, Oyo South and Oyo North. From the three senatorial districts, one was randomly
selected through balloting method. Six schools (three public and three private) whose locations
are close to one another were then purposively selected based on the consent of the heads of the
schools. Ten teachers with a minimum of NCE were then randomly selected from each of the
schools to give sixty teachers in all.
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Instrumentation
Research instruments employed for this study are: Educational Research Findings
Package for Collaborative Intervention (ERPACI) and Teachers‟ Utilization of Research
Findings Questionnaire (TURFQ). The ERPACI was developed to guide the collaborative
intervention activities meant for disseminating educational research findings to the pre-primary
and primary school teachers and make the teachers to utilize such findings. The package was
based on ten Ph.D theses in the Department of Teacher Education and the Institute of Education,
University of Ibadan. In developing the package, twenty-four Ph.D theses written in the
University of Ibadan in the area of Pre-Primary and Primary Education between years 2000 and
2010 were reviewed. Based on the criteria which include: focus on teaching strategies, classroom
interaction, focus on specific school subject and feasibility of implementation within the current
classroom and school setting in Oyo State, the list was pruned down to ten theses which were
purposively included in this package. Document analysis was then used to extract necessary
information such as abstract, statement of the problem, summary of findings and
recommendations. The researcher modified the original abstracts by simplifying their language
of presentation, removing the sophisticated statistical aspects and replacing them with easily
comprehensible words. These abstracts were used to prepare the package which features the
following steps implemented for 5 weeks:
1. Focus Group Discussion on problems and recommendations in the Theses.
2. Researcher‟s clarification of grey areas on issues discussed (2 per week).
3. Collaborative activities on recommendations in thesis 1 for the week.
4. Collaborative activities on recommendations in thesis 2 for the week.
The guide was subjected to scrutiny for face and content validity by four educational
researchers and lecturers in Early Childhood Education who reviewed the draft copies for
content relevance, consistency in the activities, steps prescribed for the different sessions and
relevance of the research findings to contemporary problems in the Nigeria school setting. The
ratings allotted to the instrument by the reviewers were used to compute the reliability index with
Cronbach method. An alpha value of 0.83 was obtained.
The Teachers‟ Utilization of Research Findings Questionnaire (TURFQ) measured pre-
primary and primary school teachers‟ utilization of research. It presents twenty items running
from the stem “I utilize information from research”. Items included adoption of novel teaching
strategies, improvement or enrichment of school curricula, enhancement of learners‟ interest in
schooling, evaluation techniques and lesson planning, among others. The extent of using
research information for these various aspects of quality and effectiveness of classroom teaching
were rated by the teachers as Always, Sometimes, Rarely and Never by the teachers. These
attracted 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively. It was subjected to review and revision by four experts in
Early Childhood Education to make the instrument face and construct valid. It was further
subjected to reliability test using the Cronbach method and an Alpha value of 0.83 was obtained.
Procedure for the Study
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Training of Research Assistants: Six research assistants drawn from the Masters class of Early
Childhood Education, University of Ibadan were used for the implementation of the study. These
are students who have completed their 2- semester course work and working on their research
project at the time of this study. It lasted for three days.
Pretest: At the onset of the field work, the teachers‟ level of utilization of educational research
findings was captured using the TURRQ across the six selected schools.
Intervention: The collaborative intervention activities featured focus group discussion in each
of the five meetings where innovative strategies and tested research information in the ten
selected theses were made available with the use of the Educational Research Findings Package
for Collaborative Intervention. The steps involved in the collaborative intervention activities for
each meeting which featured two theses are:
Step 1: Focus Group Discussion with teachers on problems and recommendations from the
theses.
Step 2: The Researcher/Research Assistants‟ clarified grey areas in the issues discussed.
Step 3: Collaborative activities came up on recommendations in the first thesis. Here, the
modified abstract was studied by shared reading aloud. The abstracts were discussed around the
four segments of:
1. Introduction and statement of the problem.
2. Methodology.
3. Findings.
4. Conclusion and recommendations.
Step 4: Collaborative activities on recommendations in the second thesis for the day were carried
out here. The same set of activities carried out in Step 3 was repeated in respect of the second
thesis for the day.
Posttest: Teachers‟ level of utilization of educational research findings was measured using the
TURRQ across the six selected schools.
Methods of Data Analysis
Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage,
mean and standard deviation. These were used to provide answers to research questions 1 and 2
while the inferential statistic of paired samples t-test was adopted for testing the hypothesis at .05
level of significance.
Results
Research Question 1: What are pre-primary and primary school teachers‟ level of utilization of
educational research findings before the collaborative intervention activities?
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Table 1: Teachers’ Utilisation of Educational Research Findings before Intervention N=60
Item I utilize information from research: Mean Std.
Dev.
Level
1 to get acquainted with effective teaching strategies 3.05 1.0 High
2 for innovations in school curricula 2.95 .98 Moderate
3 on how to improve my learners interest in schooling 3.41 .88 High
4 to source for better evaluation techniques in day-to-day activities 3.31 .99 High
5 in order to prepare my lessons well 3.21 1.1 High
6 to help me in effective delivery of instruction 3.21 .99 High
7 to get facts on the development of locally available instructional
materials
3.28 1.0 High
8 for effective use of instructional materials 3.40 .86 High
9 to become knowledgeable on recent theories of child development 3.20 .93 High
10 for theories behind the various new teaching strategies 3.11 1.0 High
11 to improve my content knowledge of school subjects 3.16 .99 High
12 for the acquisition of more pedagogical knowledge 2.98 1.0 Moderate
13 for more effective classroom management techniques 3.53 .79 High
14 for skills at motivating and reinforcing my learners in learning 3.43 .76 High
15 to acquire knowledge and skills in using modern questioning
techniques in class
3.43 .83 High
16 for further verification of research findings 2.78 1.0 Moderate
17 to help in improving my learners‟ achievement 3.51 .77 High
18 to increase the level of classroom interaction i.e. teacher-student,
student-student and student-material interactions
3.53 .81 High
19 for encouraging active participation of learners in the class
activities.
3.53 .76 High
20 to assist me in planning and carrying out research on my learners 3.15 1.0 High
Table 1 shows that before the collaborative intervention activities, the pre-primary and primary
school teachers‟ responses yielded mean scores on research utilisation which range from 2.78 to
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3.53 out of a maximum score of 4.00. These show that the pre-primary and primary school
teachers‟ level of utilization of educational research findings is high. The weighted average of
81.50 per cent also lends credence to this.
Research Question 2: What are pre-primary and primary school teachers‟ level of utilization of
educational research findings after the collaborative intervention activities?
105
Table 2: Teachers’ Utilisation of Educational Research Findings after Intervention N=60 Item I utilize information from research: Mean Std.
Dev.
Level
1 to get acquainted with effective teaching strategies 3.45 .69 High
2 for innovations in school curricula 3.41 .76 High
3 on how to improve my learners interest in schooling 3.63 .68 High
4 to source for better evaluation techniques in day-to-day
activities
3.61 .61 High
5 in order to prepare my lessons well 3.55 .69 High
6 to help me in effective delivery of instruction 3.55 .76 High
7 to get facts on the development of locally available
instructional materials
3.56 .69 High
8 for effective use of instructional materials 3.55 .72 High
9 to become knowledgeable on recent theories of child
development
3.55 .67 High
10 for theories behind the various new teaching strategies 3.45 .76 High
11 to improve my content knowledge of school subjects 3.50 .77 High
12 for the acquisition of more pedagogical knowledge 3.28 .86 High
13 for more effective classroom management techniques 3.61 .64 High
14 for skills at motivating and reinforcing my learners in learning 3.51 .67 High
15 to acquire knowledge and skills in using modern questioning
techniques in class
3.65 .60 High
16 for further verification of research findings 3.28 .78 High
17 to help in improving my learners‟ achievement 3.61 .73 High
18 to increase the level of classroom interaction i.e. teacher-
student, student-student and student-material interactions
3.65 .60 High
19 for encouraging active participation of learners in the class
activities.
3.68 .56 High
20 to assist me in planning and carrying out research on my
learners
3.58 .61 High
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Table 2 shows that after intervention, the mean scores for teachers‟ utilization of research range
from 3.28 to 3.68. These values are quite generally high and the weighted average of 88.25 per
cent at the post-intervention stage compared to the 81.50 per cent obtained at the pre-intervention
stage indicates that the level of utilization has improved at the end of the intervention as it was
higher than what obtained before intervention. Figure 1 is a bar chart representing these findings.
Figure 1: Bar Chart Showing Teachers’ Utilisation of Research before and after
Intervention
From Figure 1, teachers‟ utilisation of the research findings after the collaborative intervention
was much compared to their sparing use of same before the intervention. Based on this, it could
be said that the teachers‟ participation in the intervention activities has led to an improvement in
their utilisation of research findings.
Hypothesis: There is no significant difference in the teachers‟ utilization of research before and
after the collaborative intervention activities.
Table 3: Paired t-test of Pre- and Post-Intervention Utilisation Scores of Teachers
Pair Mean N Std.
Deviation
Std.
Error
Mean
Mean
Difference
T Df Sig.
PreUtilisation
PostUtilisation
65.23
70.71
60
60
13.81
10.42
1.78
1.34
5.48 2.38 59 .02*
* Significant at p <.05
107
Table 3 shows that the mean score obtained for teachers‟ utilization of research before
intervention is 65.23. After intervention, it increased to 70.71. This yields a mean difference of
5.48 which is significant (t =2.38; df =59; p<.05). Thus, there is a significant difference in the
teachers‟ utillisation of research findings before and after the collaborative intervention activities
and the hypothesis is, therefore, rejected.
Discussion
Findings of this study showed that there was improvement in the teachers‟ acquisition of
educational research findings after the collaborative intervention. This could have resulted due to
their exposure to a novel avenue of acquiring research findings apart from the usual means which
they were hitherto aware of. For instance, they used to acquire research findings, if at all, through
journals, seminars, workshops, libraries and the internet which were popular. With their exposure
to the collaborative intervention which offered links between researchers and practitioners,
greater involvement in the research dissemination process and new approaches to the sharing of
„good practice‟, the hitherto „best practice‟ for primary school teachers getting information from
experts, authorities and researchers by reading discoveries and findings especially through
published sources and ICTs (Ezekiel, 2010) has become an old practice. The teachers now have
greater flair for closer ties between themselves and researchers, academic and service institutions
towards direct acquisition of research findings especially as they derived more meaning from the
research works presented during the collaborative activities. This finding is in agreement with
the position of Rastas (2000) and Hemsley-Brown and Sharp (2002) which advocated the need
for improved relationship among teachers and researchers towards greater acquisition of research
findings. This finding is however, in tangent with the assertion of Ezekiel (2010) which favoured
the linear approach to research dissemination.
This study also found that the pre-primary and primary schools teachers‟ utilization of
research have improved with their exposure to the collaborative intervention activities. Indeed, it
could be said that the teachers benefitted immensely from the discussion of the abstract of the
research studies especially the aspect of findings and recommendations for classroom practice.
They have been able to master necessary skills inherent in the strategies discussed which made it
easy for them to implement the findings after the collaborative intervention. The teachers were
able to ask questions on the study and the findings and in turn, they got the questions answered
by the researcher and the research assistants. This could have led to the teachers‟ improved
utilization of research. This finding is in agreement with Landry, et al (2000) who asserted that
knowledge utilization depends on various disorderly interactions occurring between researchers
and users. It has therefore solved the existing problem of lack of such interaction identified by
Oh and Rich (1996) and Lomas (1997).
It was also found that there was significant difference in teachers‟ level of utilization of
research moving from the pre-intervention stage to the post-intervention stage. This represents a
good impact of the intervention on teachers‟ utilization of research. Indeed, more than packaging
of the findings, the engagement of the researcher and the team of resource persons who actually
authored the research works had serious impact on the extent to which the findings were
positively acknowledged and considered for use by the teachers. This finding has also confirmed
that of Huberman (1985) who reported that researcher‟s interaction with practitioners improved
their conceptual mastery of the research findings and applications in the field.
108
Conclusion and Recommendations
This study has established the positive impact of the collaborative intervention
programme on pre-primary and primary school teachers‟ utilization of educational research
findings. Given this development, the era of the use of outdated and ineffective instructional
strategies by the teachers, poor classroom practices, learners‟ poor performance, reliance on
traditional linear channels of research dissemination and wide gap between teachers and
researchers is over. A new chapter has therefore, been opened for researchers to communicate
their findings to potential users in an atmosphere where both parties share ideas and expertise,
compare experiences, dialogue over the process and products of research and foster clearer
mutual understanding and ultimately engendering a new breed of researchers and teachers
working together for better achievement of the goals of pre-primary and primary education in
Nigeria. Based on this, the following recommendations were made:
Teachers should endeavour to cooperate with researchers, research organizations,
educational institutions, government and non-governmental organizations involved in the
production and dissemination of new research findings for the purpose of sharing ideas
towards the application of findings in classroom teaching.
Researchers should adopt the collaborative method in disseminating their findings to
classroom teachers who are the end users of research.
School authorities, head teachers and school management boards should encourage
efforts at making research findings available to the teachers and provide necessary
support and facilities that would predispose teachers to utilize new research findings in
classroom teaching.
Non-governmental organizations need to show interest in research utilization especially
in the pre-primary and primary school levels in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.
The government should be more proactive at educational research dissemination and
utilization. The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC)
should be mandated to galvanize efforts of various stakeholders towards bringing
research findings to the door steps of teachers.
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109
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Effect of Thematic Instruction on Students’ Achievement in
Basic Science
Prof. Mukumba Tergun
Department of Science And Computer Education
University Of Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Abstract The study focused on the effect of thematic instruction on Basic Science achievement science
students in Maroua Municipality, Northern Cameroon. The sample of the study consisted of 132
students from two public Secondary Schools in Maroua, Northern Cameroon (Sixty-six students
were chosen from each school). A simple random sampling technique was used to select the
sample. The instrument used for data collection was Basic Science Achievement Test (BSAT).
The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. The study revealed that the
group of students taught using thematic instructional strategy performed significantly better than
the control group. In other words, thematic instructional strategy helps science students to
understand better, the concepts of the Basic science better than their counterparts in the control
group. Again, findings in respect of the second hypothesis indicated no significant sex-related
difference between male and female students in the experimental group. An indication of the
gender-friendly nature of thematic instructional strategy. Therefore, the study recommended
among others that workshops and seminars should be organized regularly for science teachers
on how best to use thematic instructional strategy for the better performance of students in
science.
Introduction
Teaching of science subjects to foster scientific knowledge is central to achievement of goals in
science education targeted at enhancing scientific literacy (AAAS, 1993; NRC, 2000). Despite
the various attempts to improve teachers‟ demonstration of pedagogical skills in science
education, challenges persist. In a recent review of the literature on nature of science learning
and teaching, Lederman, (2007) is of the opinion that teachers of conceptions of and translating
conceptions into instruction that could contribute to students‟ achievement or underachievement
in sciences. Orji and Orji (2007) attributed students‟ underachievement in science subjects to
113
factors such as teachers‟ qualification, experience, interest, resourcefulness and lack of result-
oriented approach to teaching and learning of science subjects. This is because most of pre-
service and in-service do make use of chalk-and-talk approach to lesson delivery without
recourse to modern approach to teaching (Gallagher, 1991). Lack of exposure may serve as
barriers teachers‟ use of student-centered instruction in science lessons, hence the advocacy to
thematic approach to teaching science that involves focusing on themes. It is agreed that simply
understanding concepts of thematic instruction and its application is sufficient to guarantee
successful teaching of these topics (Basic Science, inclusive) (Abd-El-Khalick, Bell, &
Lederman, 1998; Akerson, Morrison, & McDuffie, 2006; Lederman, 1999; Schwartz &
Lederman, 2002).
The traditional approach seems to encourage rote learning of science concepts even in the areas
of problem-solving, explanation of observed phenomena and comprehension. Capper, (1996)
asserted that much of the learning in the classroom is superficial; in that facts, rules, laws and
formulae are memorized, and this information are not connected to a coherent frame work that
would allow students to make sense of it and to apply in other new situations. On this strength, it
is suggested therefore that teachers adopt a more pragmatic approach that allow learning to be
organized around themes which could foster inter-relatedness of topics in sciences. This inherent
quality can only be found in thematic instructional strategy.
Thematic instructional strategy represents a developmentally appropriate approach to organizing
content sequentially in response to the needs of diverse, 21st century learners. The very structure
of thematic units enables teachers to readily challenge students thinking around themes of
universal interest while presenting content in an integrated manner rather than as discretely
separate subjects. The very structure of thematic instruction serves to connect ideas together
around a larger whole (i.e., theme, concept, and problem). A thematic unit is a collection of
learning experiences that assist students to relate their learning to an important question
(Freeman & Sokoloff, 1996). The rationale for teaching science subject thematically addresses
situated-learning and constructivist concerns that most teaching of science subjects do not occur
within a more interrelated and inter-woven context that is more meaningful to students.
Though researches have demonstrated that thematic instruction increases students‟ learning
motivation and academic achievement in sciences (Beane, 1997; Guthrie, Wigfield, &
Vonseeker, 2000; Kovalik, 1994; Stephens, 2007), rarely has it been given empirical credence in
Cameroon and hence the need for the present study which examines the effect of thematic
instruction in promoting learning of Basic Science in the country.
Purpose of the Study
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of thematic instruction in promoting learning
of Basic Science in secondary schools in the Northern Province of the Cameroons. The study
also aimed at determining gender-related effect of this instructional strategy on senior secondary
school students‟ achievement in Basic Science.
Hypothesis
Two hypotheses were posited for testing
H01: There is no significant difference in the performance of students taught with thematic
instructional strategy and the control group.
114
H02: There is no significant difference in the performance of male and female students taught
with thematic instructional strategy.
Methodology
Design
A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used for the study was designed to investigate
the effect of thematic instruction in promoting learning of Science in secondary schools under
the province investigated. The sample size was 132 students. The experimental group consisted
of 66 while the control group constituted 66 of such students.
Population and Sample
The target population of the study was 2560 senior secondary two students (in eight secondary
schools) who offered Basic Science during 2012/2013 academic session. Out of these schools,
five senior secondary schools that satisfied laid-down criteria of equivalence were purposively
chosen. From the five selected equivalent schools, simple random sampling technique was used
to pick two schools categorized as experimental and control groups consisting of 66 students in
each of the groups
Instrumentation
The instrument used for data collection was the Basic Science Achievement Test (BAT). The
BAT is a 15-item objective test, drawn from topics treated during the study. K-R21 reliability
test was used to analyze the test items which gave coefficient of 0.75 based on the pilot test.
Research Procedure
Pre-test was first administered on the two groups. Thereafter, the researcher taught the two
groups (control group and the experimental groups). Post-test was administered to the two
groups immediately after the treatment. The answers to the test questions were all marked by the
researcher and scores collated as data for analysis.
Analysis
Data collected was analyzed using means, standard deviation, t-test statistic in line with the
hypotheses. However, equivalence in the ability of the students were established by
administering the pre-test. The result of the pre-test was analysed and shown in table 1
Table 1: Two-tailed t-test Analysis on the Pre-test Mean Scores of the
Experimental and Conventional Group
Variable N - SD df t-value Std. Sig. Decision
X Error (Two-
Tailed)
Experimental 66 11.16 4.42 1.0112 0.546 Accepted
130 0.59
Control 66 11.62 4.77
115
Not significant at P 0.05 level
Result in table 1 shows that there was no significant difference between the pre-test scores of the
control and experimental groups. An indication that subjects in the control and experimental groups
possessed the same entry level with regard to academic ability before treatment was administered on
them.
Hypotheses
The data for the main study were analysed using the inferential staististics of t-test whose results
were given in tables 2 and 3 in respect of the post tests for both the experimental, conventional
method and gender.
H01: There is no significant difference in the performance of students taught using thematic
instructional strategy in learning and the control group.
Table 2: Two-tailed t-test Analysis on the Post-test Mean Scores of the
Experimental and Conventional Group
Variable N - SD df t-value Std. Sig. Decision
X Error (Two-
Tailed)
Experimental 66 13.24 9.53 1.002 0.000 Rejected
130 13.16*
Control 66 10.01 8.26
Significant at 0.05 level
From the result in the table 2 above, there was a significant difference between the performance of
students taught with conventional method and the students taught with thematic instructional strategy.
This indicated that thematic instructional strategy enhanced students‟ academic performance in Basic
Science. The null hypothesis was, therefore, rejected.
H03: There is no significant difference in the performance of male and female students taught using
thematic instructional strategy.
Table 3: t-test Value on Mean Achievement Scores of Male and Female
Students’ Taught Using Thematic Instructional Strategy
Variable N - SD df t-value Std. Sig. Decision
X Error (Two-
Tailed)
Male 66 12.10 6.53 1.0423 0.5110 Accepted
130 1.04
Female 66 12.01 5.26
116
Not Significant at 0.05 level
Table 3 above indicates that there was no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male
and female students taught using Thematic Instructional Strategy. Thus, the hypothesis was accepted.
Discussion
The study investigated the effect of thematic instruction in promoting learning of science in secondary
schools. Two hypotheses were analyzed. Result of the first hypothesis revealed that there was a
significant difference in students‟ performance in Basic Science taught using thematic instructional
strategy and those students taught using thematic. The result of this study is in agreement with a
previous finding of Marks and Yardley (2004); Namey, Guest, Thairu, and Johnson, (2008) who found
significant differences in their various studies. The reason for the current trend in the present study
could be linked with the fact thematic instructional strategy allows the students to understand precisely
the relationships between concepts and this facilitates meaningful learning.
The second hypothesis indicates that there was no significant difference in the mean achievement scores
of male and female students taught using Thematic Instructional Strategy. The reason for this finding
could be attributed to the fact that thematic instructional strategy enhances both male and female
performance by equal margin and hence the non significant difference recorded. This can be supported
by the work of Jules and Kutnick, (2003) which revealed that though the group taught using thematic
instructional strategy performed better than the control group, there was significant no gender
difference in performance of male and female students‟ in the experimental group. The implication,
therefore, is that thematic instructional strategy can be used in teaching Basic Science and other
sciences to both male and female students.
Conclusion
The study was informed by the need to improve on the pedagogical approach of secondary
school science teachers in a bid to enhance students‟ learning outcomes in Basic Science. Sequel
to this, a thematic instructional strategy was considered in this study because of its inherent
quality of organizing science concepts thematically based on their interwoven and inter-related
nature. To this end, therefore the study investigated the effect of thematic instructional strategy
on students‟ achievement in Basic Science. A sample of one hundred and thirty two students
from two public schools in the Northern Province of the Cameroon (Sixty-six students from
each school) was chosen. The instrument used for data collection was Basic Science
Achievement Test (BSAT). The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test.
The study revealed that the group of students taught using thematic instructional strategy
performed significantly better than the control group. In other words, thematic instructional
strategy helps science students to understand better, the concepts of the Biological concepts
better than their counterparts in the control group. Again, findings in respect of the second
hypothesis indicated no significant sex-related difference between male and female students in
the experimental group. An indication of the gender-friendly nature of thematic instructional
strategy.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made:
i. Thematic instructional strategy should be used in teaching and learning of Basic Science
subjects as it helps to simplify the topics for easy comprehension of the students.
117
ii. Workshops and seminars should be organized regularly for Basic Science teachers on
how best to use thematic instructional strategy for the better performance of students
learning science.
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EDUCATIONAL DIMENSIONS TO VALUE
ORIENTATION IN NIGERIA
Prof. A.B.C. Orji & Mustapha Jarumi Ph.D
Faculty of Education
University Of Abuja, Abuja,Nigeria
Abstract
The paper was informed by the need to look into the level of moral decadence that has seemingly
bedevilled the Nigeria society. As a way of ameliorating the challenges arising there from, the
present paper was developed to examine educational dimension to value orientation in Nigeria.
The expository write-up does not pretend to be definite in conception of value-laden education in
line with the national policy. Rather it allows some measures of flexibility as it expatiates on the
concepts of value, education and national development. For proper anchorage, the paper
discussed the theoretical framework of value education and constraints to value teaching in
schools. Finally, the paper made some recommendations which include the need to develop a set
of shared national value and possible incorporation of traditional values for effective integration
in the school system.
Introduction
Over the years, experts in the field of education and other stakeholders alike had already begun
to question the appropriateness of Nigerian education system. This could be attributed to the
theoretical nature of the system then, which made it impossible for Nigerian graduates to be well
equipped with necessary tools to solve social problems which the country was and still faced
with. The civil war then did compound matters as it brought to prominence the possible
problems of national integration in the aftermath of the war. By early 70s, the call to overhaul the
system was eventually heeded to; resulting in the introduction of National Policy on Education
where value - laden education policies occupy a prominent place.
Dubey and Barth (1980) postulate that round value-laden education is part of an all-round
education that makes the child imbibe values and attitudes that transform him/her into a good
citizen. According to Adedoyin (1992), all-round education emphasizes knowledge, skills,
attitudes, values and morals such that any education that fails to incorporate all these can be
termed mis-education. In essence, the Nigerian system of education was essentially geared
towards self realization, better human relationship, effective citizenship, national consciousness
120
and national unity. To achieve this, the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004) expects the
Nigerian citizen to have;-
Respect for the worth and dignity of the individual
Faith in man‟s ability to make rational decisions
Moral and spiritual values inter-personal and human relations
Shared responsibility for the common good of the society
Respect for dignity of labour and promotion of emotional, physical and psychological
health of all children.
All these national values are directly or indirectly linked with the objectives of post primary
education which were geared towards developing in students a positive attitude to citizenship
and the desire to contribute positively to the sustenance of corporate existence of a united
Nigeria.
Theories Of Value Education
Value has been regarded as philosophically-based concept in political economy. The part of
philosophy concerned with issues of value is called axiology which is a Greek word meaning
worth (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000; Thakur 1977)
Four theories pertaining to the nature of values include the following:-
- Interest theory
- Experimental theory
- Existence theory and
- Part-whole theory
For interest theory it stipulates that values depend on person‟s interest while the existence theory
states that values exist in their right irrespective of a person‟s interests. On the other hand
experimental theory postulates that there are no permanent values except the one that yield
greater sense of happiness. Lastly, the part-whole theory believes that in order to realize and
achieve values, one must relate effectively the parts to the whole (Pupin, 1993).
However, the present paper was based on interest theory for which realists are followers.
Realists are grouped into two;- classical and scientific (Yusuf, 1996). Classical realists are of
the opinion that there is a universal moral law available to rational beings; much of which are
understood through reasoning. To classical realists, God who has endowed beings with
intellectual faculty for greater comprehension. On the other hand, scientific realists denied the
fact that values have any super natural support. They are of the opinion that right or wrong come
from man‟s understanding of nature and not from religious principle (McBerth, 2002).
Other related theory to value education is based on idealist and pragmatist axiology. Idealist
theory proposes that value and ethics are absolute. In other words, good, true and the beautiful
are static. That is, they do not change fundamentally from generation to generation. For
pragmatist axiology, values are relative and not absolute hence ethical and moral values are not
static. They change in tune with culture and society (Bincroft 2000). It then means that no
particular precepts should be seen as universally binding no matter the circumstances in which it
is exercised. This school of thought believes that values should not be imposed on individuals,
but should be agreed upon after open and informed discussion based on objective evidence.
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Educational Dimensions to Value Orientation in Nigeria
One of the broad aims of education is targeted at developing functional skills, desirable values
and attitudes in the recipients for national development on which citizenship education is
anchored. Ogbonna (1990) states that three dimensions to national development which could be
attained through citizenship education are: political, economic and cultural dimension. Each of
these dimensions is part of rearing and nurturing process that allows individual to grow as well
as acquire basic skills, knowledge, attitudes and values, which effectively integrate him into his
culture. This culture develops him for his own good and that of a larger society. Thus, the
foundation of a good and law-abiding society is laid where youths are trained in value-laden
education which takes place primarily through direct social interaction between the younger and
older members of the society. The older ones should act as models to the young ones. Most
attitude and behaviour of the older ones must be seen to be in tandem with the aims of Nigerian
system of education which were geared towards;-
- the inculcation of national consciousness and national unity
- the inculcation of the right types of values and attitude for the survival of the individual
and the Nigerian society.
- the training of the mind in the understanding of the world around
- the acquisition of the appropriate skills and competencies with both mental and physical
as equipments for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of his
society (FRN, 2004).
The emphasis of value-laden education especially in the National Policy document goes to
indicate that value considerations are of great importance in every area of education and even in
our national development. What are then values?
According to NTI (1990) values are general and abstract principles to which members of a
social unit are deeply committed. In other words, these principles are anchored on beliefs about
what is desirable and undesirable which reflect the culture of a society and are widely shared by
the members. In a similar view, Brent (2005) opines that values are conscious and unconscious
beliefs about what is right or wrong which influence the orientation of individuals towards what
they think and do in the society.
Three basic types of values have been identified in education. These are substantive,
behavioural and procedural values. According to Ogunsanya (1984), substantive values are
concerned with enduring life issues which are better taught at homes and consolidated later at
schools. On its own part, behavioural values require that pupils observe specific rules to ensure
orderliness in the school and classroom. Explaining further, Ogunsanya (1984) stated that
procedural values include the use of logical reasoning, critical thinking, experimental and inquiry
method in the treatment of information. However, Dubey, Onyabe and Prokupek (1980)
categorized values into two types namely; behavioural and substantive values. To them,
behavioural values relate to the procedures used to guide conduct in the classroom while
substantive values are positive or negative feelings associated with ideas, objects and people. In
either of the categorization (whether by Ogunsanya or Dubey et al) one fundamental issue raised
is that values are based on logical reasoning and could be positive or negative.
On its own part, national development has been described as the conscious effort by the state
to influence, direct and in some cases even control changes in the principal economic variable
122
(i.e consumption, investment, saving, exports and imports) of a nation over a period of time in a
bid to achieve a pre-determined set of objectives (Anyanwu et al, 1997). Though this definition
appears comprehensive, it is nonetheless, lopsided in favour of economic variables. However, a
more embracing definition by Hirst, Hayes and Backette (2002) describes national development
as the deliberate efforts by the government to catalyse the process of social and economic
development. Again taking into consideration the non-economic aspects of national
development, NTI (1990) perceives national development as a plan initiated by the government
for economic, social, cultural, educational and political development of a nation. Usually, the
value-laden education is part of the emerging process of achieving national development
especially as education has been described as an instrument for realizing our national objectives
set in the national policy document as follows;-
- a free and democratic society
- a just and egalitarian society
- a united, strong and self-reliant nation
- a land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens
It is of strong contention here that without adequate value-laden education, the afore-stated
objectives may not be achieved because of the importance of values in national development. In
educational sector, value education helps facilitate good learning environment that makes
instruction possible. Furthermore, it helps students predict actions they can take in given
situations. To buttress these roles ,Nwagwu (1988) and Onipe (2004) state that value education
allows for acquisition of basic values which consolidate positive behaviour in line with societal
or national standard. As a matter of fact, it does not attempt to indoctrinate students with
particular sets of values or beliefs rather it is a conscious effort to help students clarify their own
values rather then imposing values on them.
Besides, value education facilitates the attainment of self actualisation and allows for the
development of positive values and attitude for effective social life. Virtually, all areas of
education are influenced by value-based factors ranging from aims through content to methods
and materials. For aims, Enoh (1995) opines that educational aims constitute what is considered
to be of value in life as applied to processes in education. In a like manner, the content of our
curriculum constitutes what the society perceives to be of value which the youths must be taught.
Also, methods are linked to axiologically-based issues because the kinds of values or attitude
determines the method. For instance, where the issue of critical thinking is considered as values
then problem-solving method rather than lecture need to be used as instructional strategy.
Value-laden education influences teaching materials especially the ones that have value
dimension and could be of interest to the learners leading to students‟ favourable disposition
towards the concepts being taught. Despite the benefits of value education, there are still
constraints to educational dimension to value orientation in Nigeria.
Constraints of Value Education In Nigeria
First, is the orientation of teachers who perceive values as personal which do not need any
interference and as such, they feel that values are not to be taught rather they could be learnt
along the line. Again, they feel strongly that the issue of value transmission should be seen as
responsibilities of churches, mosques and families even in situations where they are left to teach
values, most Nigeria teachers are yet to be clear about which value schools would help students
acquire or develop amidst confusion and value conflicts (Ogunsanya 1984). This view is
123
buttressed by NTI (1990) who were of the opinion that modern society has many sets of values
which disagree among themselves leading to value conflict. It is these value conflict in modern
society that breed social problems through conflicting definitions of desirable conditions and
moral confusions occasioned by generational gap, societal differences and multiplicity of ethnic
groups.
Another constraint to value education is the issue of unqualified teachers drafted to teach
value education who may not know the best method to be used in teaching moral and ethical
values. Okam (2002) had reported that many of the teachers are not adopting the appropriate
strategies that require mutual trust, free discussion ,respect, honesty and openness where the
teacher is not expected to dominate or judge from his own perspective.
Besides, inconsistent government policies and undue political influence have acted as
impediments to effective implementation of good value education. Alani (1992) observes that
Nigerian education system witnessed a lot of stress due to undue political influences and
inconsistencies in government policies and programmes. There is always a lacuna between
policy formulation and execution. Government of the day politicise the issue of education to
such an extent that opinions of experts are often ignored resulting in harphazard formulation and
implementation of policies. The end result is that most of the aims relating to value education
are not achieved.
Next is the issue of inadequate funding which has been a major constraint in most developing
countries who have not been able to meet up with UN- recommended allocation of 26% of
annual national budget to education. In Nigeria, less than 1% of the total budgetary expenditure
was allocated to education sector in 1970. This appreciated to 10% in 1975 and went down
again to about 4% in 1995. In recent years, it has been reported that education sector received
allocation of only 11% (Anyanwu et al, 1997). The poor funding has resulted in the non
provision of insfrastructural facilities and equipments as well as material resources to
institutions. This has greatly hampered the implementation of value education. Just as Niyi
(1999) had argued that value education can only be achieved in nations that are willing to deploy
resources without reservation.
Recommendations
Some of the problems that impede value education in Nigeria can be ameliorated through any of
the following strategies;-
To avert possible value conflict in Nigeria, there is need to develop a set of shared
national values and resuscitation of traditional values which have been quite effective in
the time past.
There is need to recruit more qualified teachers to handle the concept of value in
education. A qualified teacher knows the appropriate teaching methods that suit value
education.
Funding to institutions need to be increased from the present level so that infrastructural
facilities and material resources can be provided for effective value education.
Conferences, seminars and workshops should be organized on the essence of national
integration and consciousness for youths in this country.
124
Conclusion
The paper examined educational dimension to value orientation in Nigeria. The expository
write-up does not pretend to be definite in conception of value-laden education in line with the
national policy. Rather it allows some measures of flexibility as it expatiates on the concepts of
value, education and national development. For proper anchorage, the paper discussed the
theoretical framework of value education and constraints to value teaching in schools. Finally,
the paper made some recommendations which include the need to develop a set of shared
national value and possible incorporation of traditional values for effective integration in the
school system.
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University Press Ltd
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Abuja : NERDC
Hirst. T; Hayes S.; and Backette Z (2002). Economic Analysis of
Value Education London: Mcmillan Coy ltd.
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Mc Berthy F. (2002). Rationality and Philosophical Thoughts.
International Journal of Analytical thought Vol. 1(3) 86 – 92
National Teachers Institute (1990). Social Studies: Third Cycle
Kaduna: NTI Press.
Niyi B. (1999). Resource Evaluation In Value Education. In T. Oke
(ed). Issues In Non-cognitive Dormain. Ibadan: Spectrum
Publishers
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Attitude. In N.A Nwagwu (Ed.) Scope of Social Studies
Education for Colleges Ibadan: NERC
Ogbonna S.S (1990). Citizenship Education in Nigeria in E.O.A
Ajayi (Ed). Osiele Educational Book Series
Ogunsaya, M. (1984). Introduction to Methodologies of Socia Studies. Ibadan: Evans Brothers.
Onipe O. A. (2004). Assessment of Curriculum on Value
Clarification Competence and Utilization Among JSS Students
in Kano Metropolis. Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation, Bayero
University, Kano.
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Yusuf S.A (1996). Introduction to Philosophy of Education Kano: Debis &Co ltd
126
THEFT AND MUTILATION OF LIBRARY COLLECTIONS IN SELECTED NIGERIA
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Niyi Adegoke, Ph.D
Criminology and security studies Unit,
School of Arts and Social Sciences
National Open university of Nigeria
Victoria Island, Lagos
Abstract:
Theft and mutilation of library collections are on the increase in almost all our academic
libraries in Nigeria. The paper, therefore, investigated security measures in preventing theft and
mutilation in Nigerian academic libraries using University of Lagos, Akoka, and Lagos State
University, Ojo main libraries. The study adopted survey research method for its research
design. Questionnaire was used for data collection while simple random method was adopted for
sampling techniques. 150 respondents comprising undergraduate students, post-graduate
students and the libraries’ staff of the two institutions were selected for the study. Results
revealed that theft and mutilation of library collections were common phenomena among library
patrons. Some reasons given for this are: limited copies of library collections, insufficient
number of essential materials, among others. The paper concludes by offering some useful
suggestions on the way to nip these problems in the bud.
Key words: Security, Theft, Mutilation, Academic Libraries, Patrons, Users, Nigeria.
Introduction
Security means a process designed to protect something or somebody against danger. It also
refers to the safety of a state or organization from terrorism and similar activity. In other words,
the term security means prevention of crime, while in the case of library resources, it prevents
un-authorized removal or loss of materials, usually as a result of intruders‟ or thieves‟
interference (Ajegbomogun, 2014). Uzuegbu and Okoro (2012) see security as the overall
manner in which policies, programmes, procedures, or measures are taken to mitigate risk and
ensure access to a particular resource feared to disappear. Indeed, a security practice simply
refers to the different types of actions, measures or practices taken with a view to stopping a
crime (Uzuegbu and Okoro, 2012).
Libraries are, indeed, set up to cater for the educational, cultural, research, recreational and
information needs of their clientele (Ogbonyomi, 2011). Libraries have the main objectives of
being entrusted with the selection, acquisition, organization, storage and dissemination of
information, to their users. Jama‟a (1984:1) cited in Ogbonyomi (2011) observed that academic
libraries in particular, assume a focal point where users of diversified age groups, socio-political,
economic backgrounds and cultural interests have to converge to utilize all the available
resources that are relevant to their individual needs. As a result of this diverse use of the
materials, these libraries stand to be vulnerable to all forms of crime and security risks from not
only the users, but the library staff as well (Ogbonyomi, 2011).
127
Indeed, library services can only be achieved via the availability of library collections. Nkiki
and Yusuf (2008), cited in Oyedun, Sanni and Udoakang (2014) observed that information is an
essential part of a nation‟s wealth and access to it, is a basic human right. A library houses a
wide variety of information resources. Information is not only a national resource but also a
medium for social communication (Oyedun, Sanni and Udoakang, 2014). In fact, it is generally
argued that library is the only centralized location where new and emerging information
technologies can be combined with knowledge resources in a user-focused, service-rich
environment that supports today‟s social and educational pattern of learning, teaching and
research (Oyedun, Sanni and Udoakang, 2014).
Academic libraries are regarded as the “heart” of the learning community, providing a place for
students and facility to do their research and advance their knowledge. One big challenge these
libraries have been faced with is security problem. This has to do with how to protect their
valuable resources collected over time. Academic libraries must be safe from security challenges
and vulnerability. Oyewusi and Oyeboade (2009) discussed the importance of access to
collections in supporting the mission of the University. In fact, criminal activities in academic
libraries are not limited to library information materials alone, but theft of properties, such as
handbags, purses, keys, laptops handsets and notebooks are equally common (Oyedun, Sanni and
Udoakang 2014; Ikuomola, Okunola and Olabode, 2014). Anunobi and Okoye (2008) argue that
academic libraries are bedeviled with hybrid challenges of managing resources and are
challenged to acquire the necessary skills. That challenge or threat is the issue of collection
security for print and non-print resources.
In fact, from earliest time to the present, librarians are being faced with the problem of how to
ensure the protection of library collections from theft and damage. A depletion of available
materials means a reduction in how the library can serve and satisfy the needs of the users. It is
therefore, important to preserve available materials and resources from theft and mutilation.
Vandalism, mutilation, theft, defacement, arson, etc, are problems regularly encountered in most
academic libraries since these libraries are the best places where information resources are
acquired, organized, preserved and disseminated to patrons. Indeed, some of these information
resources are not only difficult to come by, but they are equally expensive and fragile in nature.
However, these days libraries be it academic, public, school, national and other types of libraries
spend a lot of money to install considerable security devices in order to check these criminal
activities. It is crucial to protect and secure library resources. It is also important to ensure that
the security is performed as seamlessly as possible, without interfering with the library‟s
objective of providing a user-friendly environment (McComb, 2004).
Furthermore, the commodity the libraries promote; books and other information materials are
valuable and expensive, but are likely target for criminal activities (Idris, Hassan and Abdul-
Qadir, 2013). The expected roles of the academic libraries tend to lead it to criminal activities.
Libraries and other information centres spent so much money on acquiring materials in which
information is embodied. It is imperative, therefore that the materials are preserved adequately
and protected.
However, loss of library materials are a recurring problem of libraries all over the globe, but it
seems to be more serious in academic institutions in Nigeria. For instance, in the U.S., Bean
(1992:28) cited in Ajidahun (2004) reports that about 250,000 books are stolen from libraries
reports that an inventory conducted at the University of Maryland found that the library had lost
30,000 volumes, which the University of California at Berkeley lost 150,000 volumes within a
128
period of three years. Indeed, the Universality of the theft of library books is incontestable.
Literatures on collection security have shown that security breaches often happen when the
library premises are left unsecured. Oder (2004), submits that security measures such as
supervision, patrolling and surveillance are lacking in libraries and keys are kept unsecured, if
not in plain sight of the users. Momodu (2002) and Ajegbomogun (2004) submit that library
crimes also include varying degrees of delinquency, while Oder (2004) argues that security
personnel inefficiency is also a big avenue to library crime, especially in academic libraries.
Non-return of library materials is a threat to the effective use of resources and to avoid this,
libraries create policies to ensure library materials are used effectively. In fact, this is one of the
things librarians should concern themselves with if they are to successfully manage a flourishing
and efficient library. Therefore, that appropriate measures toward a lasting preservation must be
adopted by every library administration. The picture painted above necessitated this study.
Purpose of the Study:
The general purpose of the study is to investigate theft and mutilation of library collections in
selected Nigerian Universities. The specific objectives are to:
Identify the extent of library theft, mutilation and destruction
The causes of theft, mutilation and destruction
Identify the type of collections that are more vulnerable to theft and mutilation
Methodology
Research Design
Survey research method was adopted for the study. The survey method involved the use of
questionnaire Schedule to obtain information from the users. The population of the study
consists of all undergraduate and post-graduate students of both institutions, and the libraries‟
staff of the two institutions.
Population and Sample
A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents from the population.
First,Two tertiary institutions were purposively selected from Lagos State, one belongs to the
federal government and the other is owned by the Lagos state government. Only one hundred
and fifty (150) respondents which comprised of fifty (50) library staff and one hundred (100)
students (undergraduate and post-graduate) were randomly sampled. The questionnaire schedule
was developed to elicit information and it randomly distributed to students during lecture hours
and that of the library staff were distributed in their offices during working hours.
Out of 150 questionnaires distributed only 120 that represent 80% respondents were considered
more viable and reliable for this study. Twenty-two (22) questionnaire that represent 12% could
not be collected from the respondents while eight (8) questionnaires that covered 4% were
rejected due to inadequate and improper filling of information on the questionnaires. Therefore,
one hundred are twenty (120 questionnaires were considered properly useful for this study and
these represent 80% positive responses.
Data Analysis
In order to identity the extent of library theft, mutilation and destruction, respondents were asked
to identify with some statements that could reveal the nature of crime observed in their libraries.
The data obtained were analysed using simple percentages, cross tabulation and frequencies.
129
Table 1: Identification of the rate of theft, mutilation and destruction.
Types of offences No of respondents Percentages
Book theft 26 21.7
Book mutilation 69 57.5
Use of fake ID cards for
borrowing
15 12.5
Non-return of books borrowed 8 6.7
Mis-Shelving of books 2 1.7
Total 120 100.00
Table 2: Causes of theft, mutilation and destruction
Opinions No of respondents Percentages
Few copies of books available
in the libraries
69 57.5
Insufficient nos. of essential
materials of high demand
26 21.7
Poverty on the part of the
students
15 12.5
Lack of vigilance on the part
of library porters
8 6.7
Lack of photocopying
machines in the library
2 1.7
Total 120 100.00
Table 3: Types of collections/materials that are vulnerable to theft and mutilation
Types of collections No. of respondent Percentages
Print materials 58 57.5
Serial/periodicals 27 21.7
Reference materials 15 12.5
130
Reserved materials 9 6.7
Non-print materials 1 1.6
Total 120 100.00
Discussion of the findings
Table 1 reveals that out of 120 respondents sampled as regards the rate of theft, mutilation and
destruction, 26 respondents (21.7%) indicate that book theft was common 69 respondents
(57.5%) indicated that pages of books, journals etc were form off, 15 respondents (12.5%) used
fake ID cards to borrow books, 8 respondents (6.7%) failed to return books borrowed while 2
respondents (1.7%) indicated mis-shelving of books in the libraries studied. This reveals the rate
of theft, mutilation and destruction in the 2 libraries studied.
The finding in table 2 reveals that limited copies of books in the libraries was one of the major
factors for theft and mutilation – 69 respondents representing 57.5% pointed to this. Also 26
respondents representing 21.7% indicated insufficient members of essential materials of high
demand as another causal factor. On the other hand, 15 respondents comprising 12.5% identified
poverty on the part of students as another possible cause of theft and mutilation in the libraries, 8
respondents (6.7%) believed that it was lack of vigilance on the part of library porters, while lack
of photocopying machine was recognized by 2 respondents (1.7%) as the occasion for the
problems.
Table 3 reveals that majority of the respondents representing 57.5% believed that print
collections are most vulnerable to these crimes while 27 respondents (21.7%) indicated that
serial and periodical collections are equally targeted by the criminals. 15 respondents
representing 12.5% indicated that reference materials are also the target. 9 respondents (6.7%)
reported that reserved materials are equally affected, while non-print materials had 1 respondent
(1.6%) as the type of collections that are vulnerable to these problems, which has the lowest
percentage.
Conclusion
The finding of the study revealed that theft, mutilation and destruction of books and non-book
collections have become a recurring decimal in the two academic libraries of University of Lagos
and Lagos State University studied. The same thing could be said of other tertiary institutions in
Nigeria as the two libraries studied could be taken to represent others. The study revealed the
extent of library theft and mutilation, the causes, types of materials that are vulnerable and also
proffered solutions to the menace. Indeed, the situation in the two academic libraries studied is
not encouraging at all, and it portends serious danger to scholarship and even developmental
efforts of Nigeria as a nation. Therefore, efforts must be made by all and sundry with a view to
nipping the menace in the bud.
Policy recommendations
From the foregoing the following recommendations are offered.
1) Electronic security system (Close Circuit Television (CCTV) should be installed in
our academic libraries. This gadget will help in detecting the offenders, and it will also
monitor the activities and movements of users within the library. Majority of respondent
favoured this measure.
131
2) Academic libraries should be well funded by the proprietors of the Universities with a
view to providing sufficient and essential books and non-book collections of high
demand.
3) Photocopying machines should be provided in all academic libraries and at a subsidized
rate that both the rich and poor students would be able to afford.
4) Culprits should, if arrested, be made to pay for stolen or mutilated items or be expelled
from school to serve as a deterrent to others.
5) Use of library as a course should be introduced use the curriculum of the university and
must be made compulsory for all students.
6) There should be training and retraining for the library staff.
7) Any library staff aiding and abetting students to steal library collections should be
seriously dealt with if found culpable. Such a staff can be dismissed.
8) Above all, stickers that carry information as regards the importance of preserving books
should be displayed in strategic locations within the library.
References
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Tafawa Balewa university (ATBU), Bauchi, Nigeria. Library and Archival Security,
17(1) pp. 33-42.
Adewoye, A. A. (1992), “Librarians attitudes towards theft and mutilation of library materials in
academic libraries in Nigeria”. Library review, vl.41Iss 2 pp.29-36.
Ajala, I. O. & Oyeboade, S.A. (2008), “Theft and Mutilation of library materials in Nigeria
academic libraries”. Library and Archival security, 21(1) pp. 21-32.
Ajegbomogun, F. O. (2004), “Users” assessment of library security: A Nigerian University case
study”. Library management, Vol 25 lss 8/9 pp. 386-390.
Ajidahun, C. O. (2004), Theft of law books in Nigeria university law libraries: An investigative
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file://localhost/E:/Criminal%20Activities%20in%20library%20students%20in%20Nigeri
a/Theft %20of%20law%20Bo... Accessed 14-08-15.
Anunobi, C. B., & Okoye, I. B. (2008), “The role academic libraries in universal access to print
and electronic resources in developing countries”. Library philosophy and practice.
Available at: http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/anunobi-okoye.htm
Jackson M. (1992), “The national framework: The role of national preservation office in security
and crime prevention in libraries (eds) Chamey, M. & MacDougall, USA:gower
Publishing, Gower House, pp.217-230.
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Jama‟a T. J (1984), security treat and deterrent measurre, Bayero university library, kano. An
unpublished Thesis submitted to the department of Library Science, Bagero University,
kano. Nkiki, C., Yusuf, F. O. (2008), Library and information support for New
Partnership for Africa‟s Development (NEPAD). Library philosophy and practices.
Available at: http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/nkiko-yusuf.htm Gonke M. N. & Muffin M. (1980), “Periodical mutilation: The insidious disease” library Journal,
September.
Griffiths, R. & Krol, A. (2009), “Insider theft: Reviews and recommendations from the archive
and library professional literature”, library and Archival Security literature”, Library and
Archival Security 22 (1) pp.5-18
Holt, G. E. (2007), “Theft by library staff, the bottom line. Managing the library, 20 (2) pp. 83-
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Ikuomola, A.D., Okunola, R. A. & Olabode, F. S> (2014), “Deviant behavours in library use: A
case study of three universities in Nigeria. Chinese Librarianship: An International
Electronic Journal, 37.URL: http://www.iclc.us/clies/c/13710f.pdf Idris, M., Hassan, U. & Abdul-Qadir, F. (2013), Theft and mutilation of library materials in
academic libraries: The case study of Kano university of science and technology, Wudil,
Kano State, Nigeria”. Journal of research in Education and Seciety, Vol. 4, No 3pp. 63-
71.
Lorenzen, M. (1996), Secuirty issues of academic libraries. ERIC document. ED396765
Lincoln, A. J. (1984), “Protecting the library”. Library Trends, vol. 33 No. 1 pp. 3-11
Lyle G. R.. (1974), “circulation work”. The Administration of the college library, UK ed. New
York: H. W. Wilson Co.
Martel, C. (2010), “Theft and its effects on our neighbourhood libraries”. Public Library
Quarterly 20 pp.30-38
McComb, M. (2004), “Library security”. San Francisco: RLS Inc
Ogbonyome, A. L. (2011), “Security and crime prevention in academic libraries: a case study of
the Kano state college of education, Kano, Nigeria”. Library philosophy at:
http://digitakommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/496 Accessed 14 - 08 – 2015.
Okoye-Ikonta, G. I. (1981), “Book thefts and mutilation in Nigerian University libraries”.
Library scientist, Vol. 8
Order, N. (2004), “Fallout from philadelpha attack: more security”. Library Journal 129 (9).
Momodu, M. A. (2002), “Delinquent readership in selected urban libraries in Nigeria”.
Library Reviews 51 (9): pp 469-473
Oyedun, G. U., Sanni, A.A & Udoakang, I. O (2014), Security and crime challenges in academic
libraries in Nigeria”. Journal of information and knowledge management, vol.5 no. 2 pp.
127-140.
133
Oyewusi, F. O. & Oyeboade, S. A. (2009), “An empirical study of accessibility and use of
library resources by undergraduates in a Nigerian state university of technology”. Library
philosophy and Practice. Available at: http://unllb.edu/LPP/oyewusi-oyeboade.htm Reader, A. D. (1976), “Libraries in medieval days” A story of Books and Libraries, Metuchen
NJ: The Scarcrew Press. Pp 88-107.
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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENT IN SELECTED CHEMISTRY CONCEPTS
Igboegwu, Ekene Nnonyem Ph.D
Department Of Chemistry,
Nwafor Orizu College Of
Education, Nsugbe,Anambra State, Nigeria
Abstract
The problem of poor performance of student in science especially chemistry is still high side.
Student mathematics anxiety has been mentioned as one of the factors which make student poorly
in chemistry in secondary school. Therefore, this study investigate the relationship between
student mathematics anxiety and achievement in some concept (mole concept of stiochiometry
and chemical equations) the study adopted a correlation survey research design. Stratified and
simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain the sample of seven hundred and eight
three SS2 chemistry student in twelve public secondary schools in two education zones in
Anambra state. The instrument used was mathematics anxiety rating scale (MARS) and
chemistry achievement test (CAT). The reliabilities of the instrument were 0.90 for MARS and
0.92 for CAT. The data collected was subjected regression analysis and coefficient of
determination (r2) to determine the explain and unexplained variation between x-score (student
mathematics anxiety) and y-score achievement in some chemistry concepts of which an ANOVA
table of variation was computed to obtain the f-ratio. From the findings, it was discovered that
student mathematics anxieties contribute significantly to their achievement in chemistry. It was
then recorded that competent teachers should be employed to teach mathematics at the primary
and junior secondary school levels on order to instill a good understanding of mathematics
concept and skill in the student as this will help to reduce or remove mathematics anxiety and
enhance their mathematics anxiety and enhance their performance in chemistry.
Introduction
134
Various approaches have been used to make teaching and learning of science meaningful
and effective. Innovative teaching methods have also been employed by many researchers
(Igboegwu, 2010, Udofia, 2010, Etiubon & Ugwu, 2009; Akinsete, 2006). Yet, the problem of
poor performance of students in science particularly chemistry is till on the high side. Chemistry
is the cornerstone of scientific literacy standing in the intersection of physics and biology
(Ohanen, 2006), yet its‟ importance and how interesting it is not being communicated well.
Generally, chemistry is not a favourable school subject for many people because of its
mathematical calculations, hence, Okoli, (2008) points out that there have often been gaps
between curriculum planners and what goes on in science classrooms.
Ojokuku, (2006) attributed the problems hindering students achievement in chemistry in
Nigerian schools to teachers inability to help student achievement in mathematics in a
meaningful way. Other reasons advanced for poor presentations by the teachers, uncooperative
attitude of the students, large class size(lfamuyiwa,2005):other reasons are; shortage of qualified
and effective teacher (ojo,2003 and akinsola,2000).and shortage of textbook that suit the
comprehension level of students in secondary school(onabajo,2004).
Most importantly among the reasons is students‟ mathematics anxiety level.
Many students (young and adults) have fear and loathsome experiences about mathematics
(Burns, 1998); These negative experiences are caused by mathematics anxiety which knows no
boundaries regarding gender, age or race. One of the most common causes of mathematics
anxiety is poor knowledge and competence in mathematics (Ashcraft, 2002). Part of this is
because with students with mathematics anxiety attempts to cope with the devastating effects of
their anxiety by avoiding mathematics in school. This in turn can lead to limited number of
graduates in science and science related careers this anxiety, which is not significantly related to
intelligence has been shown to inhibit students learning (Ashcraft, 2002)and reduced working
memory capacity (Ashcraft & Kirk, 2001; Bullock & cart, 2005; Shoe, Brewing & carjack 2005
which in turn has a major impact on students‟ self confidence with respect to chemistry. Those
who suffer from this anxiety have some physiological symptoms such as sweaty palms, nausea,
muscle contractions, difficulty in breathing, tightness of throat, headache, hear t palpitation
restless behavior, forgetfulness and temporary boost in one‟s heart palpitations, restless
behavior, forgetfulness and temporary boost in one‟s heart rate (Arguable, 2006).
Anxiety in general is used in response to a perceived threat: To an individual, the treat may
be real or imagined .f5r those who are unable to -avoid the threat, feelings of distress, confusion
and fear are experienced (Barnes, 1984).
Mathematics anxiety has been defined as the feeling of tension, helplessness, mental
disorganization and dread one has, ~hen required to perform some mathematics skills. The
special characteristics of mathematics anxiety can be described as the feeling of uncertainty and
helplessness in the face of danger (Barnes, 1984). Mathematics anxiety has been related to
teachers' attitude, method of teaching and classroom setting. Mathematics anxious children often
show signs of nervousness when the teacher comes near, freezing and stop working or covering
it up to hide it (Barnes, 1984 ). Teachers were blamed for hostile behaviors, making derogatory
statements whenever the child did not understand concepts, appearing angry when asked for
detail explanation of a concept, displaying insensitive and uncaring attitudes, stereotyping female
as not needing subjects involving mathematics calculations.
Against this background, this study investigated the relationship between students‟
mathematics anxiety and their achievement in some chemistry concepts.
135
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between students‟ anxiety in
mathematics and their achievement in chemistry. Specifically, the study intends to:
1. Determine the relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievement in mole concepts.
2. Determine the relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievement in
stoichiometry.
3. Determine the relationship between students mathematics anxiety and the achievements in
chemical equations.
4. Findout the multiple relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their
achievements in mole concepts, stoimetry and chemical equations?
Hypotheses The following null hypothesis were tested at the significant level of 0.05.
1. There is no significant relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their
achievement in mole concepts.
2. There is no significant relationship between students' mathematic anxiety and their
achievement in stoichiometry.
3. There is no significant relationship between students mathematics anxiety and their
achievement in chemical equations.
4. There is no significant multiple correlation between students mathematics anxiety and
their achievement in mole concepts/stoichiometry/chemical equations.
Methodology
Design
The design of this study is a correlational survey. The population comprises all SSII chemistry,
students in two education zones of Anambra State. Stratified random sampling was used to select
the two education zones while simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample random
sampling was used to obtain a sample of 780 SSII chemistry students in 12 public secondary
schools in the two education zone. The same simple random sampling was used to select 12
classes and 65 students from each of the selected class in the 12 schools used. The instruments
used were Mathematics Anxiety Rating scale (MAR) and Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT).
The MARS was a revised 20-item instrument developed by Arugbalu (2006), each item
was rated on a four-point Likert type scale anchored by 1 =No anxiety and 4 = high anxiety.
Cronbach alpha was computed to ascertain the reliability of scores obtained in this context. The
MARS yielded an internal consistency (coefficient alpha) reliability of O.90. The CAT was a 24-
item instrument developed by the researcher on chemistry concepts (mole concepts, stiochiometry
and chemical equations). Cronbach alpha was used to test for the reliability of CAT and this gave
a~ internal consistency of O.92. These instruments were administered to 780 students during their
teaching and after their teaching by their chemistry (research consultants) was administered in
between the teaching. The students were earlier informed that reaching to the questions has
nothing to do with their academic work. They were also informed that they should respond based
on the personal opinion on MARS as there was no right or wrong answer to each of the items on
MARS. CAT was then administered after the teaching. The data obtained were subjected to
regression analysis and coefficient of determination (r2) to determine the explained and
unexplained variation between the x-scores (mathematics anxiety) and y-scores (achievement in
136
mole concepts, stiocheometry and chemical equations) of which- an ANOVA table of the
variation were computed to obtain the F-ratio. The aim was to determine if there is a significant
difference between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievements in 'mole concepts,
stiocheometry and chemical equations.
Table 1: Summary of ANOVA for testing Ho1, Ho2 and Ho3
(Students Mathematics Anxiety Scores and Dependent Variables)
Mole
Concepts
Stoichiometry Chemical
Equation
Mole Concepts/
Stoichiometry/Chemical/
Equations
Multiple R R-Square
Adjusted R Square
Standard Error
0.822
.712
.659
6.3422
0.771
0.689
0.520
11.20315
0.766
0.689
0.507
1131301
0.703
0.677
0.559
11.421011
Table 2: Summary Means Scores of the Variables
Regression Statistics for Testing H04.
Variable df SS M.S f-cal f-sig
mole 1 90.580105 90.580105 5.3892337 0.0837395
Concept
Regression Stoichiometry 1 300.48079 300.48079 4.7119239 0.046084
line on Chemical Equation 1 154.09401 154.09401 4.3597919 0.1147782
MARS Mo1e/stoi/equation 1 102.86233 102.86233 4.697933 0.1634493
Mole concept 781 4399.9146 16.807603 ,
Residual Stichiometry 780 4399.9146 63.7703
Chemical equation 780 9797.0245 35.34435
Mo le/stoi/equation 780 98.48.256 . 21.89923
Total Mole concept 782 4490.4947
, Stoichiometry 781 9951.1183
Chemical equation 781
Mo1e/ stoi/ equation 781 9951.1183
Hypothesis 1:
There is no significant relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievement
in mole concepts.
From Table 1, the regration line equation for mole concepts on students mathematics anxiety
score (x) is given as F-cal=5.389 and F (0.05, 1,781)=3.93: Hypotheses 1 (Ho1) is therefore
137
rejected, there is a significant relationship between students mathematics anxiety and their
achievement in mole concept. (F-cal>Fcnt).
Hypotheses 2:
There is no significant relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievement
in stiochiometry.
From Table 1, stoichiometry (Y) and students mathematics anxiety (x), is 4.711 and F (0.05,
1,781)=3.93. Hypotheses 2 is therefore rejected, hence, there is a significant relationship between
students' mathematics anxiety and achievement in stoichimetry in chemistry (Fcal>Fcrit),
The Hypotheses 3: There is no significant relationship between students‟ mathematics anxiety and their achievement
in chemical equation.
The summary of result in Tablet 1 also reveal that the regression line on mathematics anxiety
score (X) is given by Y=19.797+.611,Fcal =4.359 and F (0.05,1,781 )=3.39. Hypotheses 3(H03)
is also rejected. There is a significant relationship between students mathematics anxiety and
their achievement in chemical equation in chemistry. (Fcal > Fcrit ).
Hypotheses 4:
There is no significant relationship multiple correlation between students‟ mathematics anxiety
and their achievement in mole concepts, stiochiometry and chemical equations.
For the mean score of students mathematics anxiety and that of mole concept/
stoichiometry/chemical equations i.e a mean score of all three is Fcal=4.689, F(O.05,l ,781
)=3.93. Hypothesis 4 (H04) is therefore, rejected. It is then concluded that there is a strong
relationship between students mathematics anxiety level and the chemistry concepts (mole
concept, stoichiometry and Chemical equation
Discussion From the findings, it is obvious that chemistry concepts have mathematical background.
This observation is borne out of the fact that there is a significant relationship in students‟
mathematics anxiety level with these chemistry concepts that have some mathematics
background.
It should really have been interesting that students are given a good mathematics
foundation in the primary stage and junior secondary school before they go in to do science
subjects at senior secondary school. This finding is supported 'by Ifamuyiwa (2004) who claimed
that performance in separate science subjects in the senior secondary school level is dependent
on the foundation in mathematics at the early stage of education. The connections of
mathematics and science subjects increases the opportunity for students to establish their
cognitive connections and build their own knowledge. Mathematics play such a large role in
science particularly chemistry that, to ensure students understanding of chemistry, they must
ensure good performance in mathematics.
The finding of this study is also in line with that of Osokoya (2005) who observed that
mathematics is related to the basic sciences whose thorough knowledge is fundamental to the
understanding of other science subject and has a most significant role to play in the cultivation of
any sustainable scientific tradition and technological development.
Conclusion and Recommendations
138
From the findings in this studies and constant observations in the literature, there is a
significant relationship between mathematics and achievements in chemistry among secondary
school students‟ Achievements have remained poor over the years, the students themselves are
mostly anxious of mathematics. Curriculum planning, implementation, and actual classroom
interactions may not be helping matters in these directions. The researcher therefore made the
following recommendations:
Science curriculum should be planned for flow of the same curriculum instead of breaking
the curriculum from the primary through junior secondary to senior second same body of
expert towards similar goal instead of breaking the curriculum.
The need to arrest the tide of mathematics anxiety in the school is imperative. Therefore it
is indeed most desirable for chemistry teachers to use instructional methods and strategies
use instructional methods such as problem-solving technique, activities method to teach
chemical concepts that have some calculations and chemical equations.
Competent teachers should be employed to teach mathematics at primary stage and junior
secondary in order to enhance good understanding of mathematics concepts and skills in the
students. This is because students' good knowledge in mathematics will help to reduce or~
remove their anxiety, since, this significantly predicts later achievement in science
particularly chemistry at senior secondary school level.
Since students‟ mathematics anxiety level correlates with their achievement in chemistry,
parents should ensure that their children develop keen interest in mathematics at the early
stage as this will help them to have a good and strong foundation in science subjects
particularly Chemistry.
References
Akinsete, Am,(2006). Effective method of teaching difficult concepts in chemistry. Chemistry
panel- (STAN) workshop series 2, -47 -54.
Akinsola, M.K(2000). Enriching science technology and mathematics Education. Effect of
resource utilization 4r' Annual conference proceeding of STAN, 289-291.
Arugbalu, A.A.(2006).Mathematics anxiety among prospective teachers in Nigeria. Journal of
Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, 41,(1&2),26 30.
Ashcraft, M.H. & Kirt, E.P(2001). The relationship among working memory math anxiety and
perforn1ance. Journal of Experimental Psychology,' General, 130,(2), 224 - 237.
Ashcraft, M.H.(2002) Maths anxiety: Personal, education and cognitive consequences. Current
Directions in psychological science, I 1,(5), 18 -185.
Barnes, M. (1984). Understanding mathematics anxiety. Vinculum, 21,(2), 14 -19.
Beilock, S & Cart, T.H (2005). When high powered people Fail: Working memory "choking
under pressure" in Math. Psychological science, 16,(2), 101 105
139
Bums, M (1998). Math; Facing an American phobia. Sausalito, CA: Math solutions publications.
Etiubon, R.U &Ugwu, A.P (2009). Utilization of problem-based learning approach for effective
teaching of 1st law of thermodynamics in senior secondary school. Chemistry Panel
STAN workshop, series 5,9-15.
Ifamuyiwa, A.S (2005). Effects of self and co-operative instructional strategies on senior
secondary school students learning outcome in mathematics: An Unpublished Ph. D
Thesis, University of Ibadan.
Igboegwu,E.N (2010). Effect of computer assisted instructional packages on secondary school
students‟ critical thinking ability and achievement in difficult concept in chemistry,
Unpublished Ph. D thesis, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.
Ohanen, C. (2006). Editor‟s Note. Science and children, 43, (5)
Ojo, O.J. (2006). Relative effects of self-regulatory and co-operative learning strategies on
learning outcomes in senior secondary school mathematics. Unpublished ltd Thesis,
University of Ibadan.
Ojokuku, G.O. (2006). Using local resources in introducing the mole concepts at SS 1. STAN
Chemistry Panel Workshop series 2, 77-·81.
Okoli, B.C.(2008). Learning day-to-day activities in school chemistry: An ingredient for self-
reliance. STA/y Chemistry Pane/Workshop Series 4,79 83.
Onabanjo, C.F.(2004). A survey of some behavioral and attitudinal factors affecting senior
secondary school female students' mathematical ability and achievement. Unpublished
Ph.D Thesis, University Ibadan.
Osokoya, M.M. (2005). Science education and natural development in Nigeria: Trends and
issues. African Journal of Historical science in Education 1,(2).
Shobe, A;Brewin, A; & Cam1ack .S. (2005). A simple exercise for reducing tests anxiety and
improving performance on difficult math tests. Journal of Worry and Effective
Experience, 1,(1), 34-52.
Udofia, TM. (2010). Co-operative learning strategies for teaching and learning separation of
complex mixture: A shift from theory to practice; chemistry panel STAN workshop series
7, 82 -85.
WEBBING INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY AND ACADEMIC PERFROMANCE OF
STUDENTS IN REDUCTION AND OXIDATION REACTIONS
140
Professor McPaulin Martins & Dolby Feckers Ph.D,
Centre for Applied Sciences and Digital Technology
Alaska State University, Alaska, United States of America
Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of webbing strategy on students’ performance in
reduction and oxidation reactions. It also sought to find out whether gender dictates the
achievement of students exposed to webbing instructional strategy. The study was carried
out in the, Municipal county of Alaska, USA. The sample consisted of 82 twelfth grade
students drawned from two randomly selected schools in the location of interest. The
instrument used for data collection was Achievement Test on Redox Reaction (ATORR) and
a reliability index of 0.72 was obtained for it. Concurrent validity was used to test the
validity of ATORR. Data analysis was by mean, standard deviation and students ‘t’ test.
Result revealed that webbing instructional strategy significantly improved students (Male
and Female) achievement in Redox Reaction. It was therefore recommended that this
strategy be adopted for the teaching of chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools.
Recommendation for further studies on the effect of webbing strategy on students with
learning disability was also made known.
Introduction
Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. The matter around us is made up
of chemical materials and substances. Therefore, the study of chemistry helps in understanding
our environment. It is referred to as the central science. This is because the knowledge of
chemistry is necessary in understanding other branches of science such as: biology, physics,
medicine, pharmacy etc. Science and technology education is the driving force of every society.
Our society, therefore, depends on its educational program for sustainable development.
Knowledge acquisition is possible through sound and adequate pedagogical method or strategy.
The very nature of chemistry calls for skillful use of teaching strategy. Johnstone, (2000)
classified chemistry as macroscopic, microscopic and representational study. Macroscopic
141
aspect of chemistry deals with observable changes in chemical reactions. The microscopic study
referes to the movement of ions, or particles in chemical reactions. In other words, it deals with
the unobservable or unseen activities taking place in chemical reactions. The representational
aspect is the use of chemical equations to explain what takes place during reactions. From this
classification, chemistry largely involves dealing with what takes place in various chemical
reactions which are not visible to the unaided eyes. As a result of this, many students find it
difficult to grasp and understand the concept of chemistry, and thus memorize facts so as to pass
their examinations. Surprisingly available reports ( ) reveal that the performance of the Alaskian
students in chemistry is dwindling. It is also observed that most of their external examination
results persistently record poor performance in this aspect of Chemistry adjudged as abstract and
the expected teaching and learning outcome of these subjects skill fall short of expectation. Some
of the reasons attributed to this; are the high difficulty indices of some topics in Chemistry;
prominent among them is the oxidation and reduction reactions also known as redox reactions.
They are among the most common and important chemical reactions. Most chemistry teaching
syllabi spelt out the following sub-topics under Redox reactions: definitions of oxidation and
reduction, oxidation number of central elements, connection of oxidation numbers with IUPAC
name, oxidizing and reducing agents, redox equations, Half reactions and overall reactions using
IUPAC, tests for oxidants and reductants, corrosion of metals – treated as a redon process
(equations essential) and application of redox reactions in industry
Students in twelfth grade are expected to be taught all the above sub- topics. As it can be seen
vividly from the sub-topics above, students will be exposed to the microscopic aspect of
chemistry with torrential equations. For them to gain mastery over this topic, there is a pressing
need to use a pedagogical teaching method that is learner friendly which facilitate conceptual
understanding and enhance metacognitive capacity. This teaching method should also be visual
so as to concretize the contents of the topic in the minds of the students. This in turn is expected
to aid and improve retention of what has been taught. The improved conceptual understanding
and the ability to retain knowledge acquired should in turn improve students performance in the
subject. One of the methods that have such inherent qualities is the Webbing Instructional
Strategy.
142
Webbing is a method of visually representing relationships among ideas, concepts or events.
During this procedure, ideas and information are explored and organized by interactive
discussion between the teacher and the learner. Webbing therefore encourages a thoughtful
approach to planning and organizing. According to Alaska Department of Education and Early
Development (1996), webbing saddles students with the skills of sequencing, comparing and
classifying to create or establish relationships of concepts and processes. Helpful in motivating,
increasing recall, assisting understanding, eliminating boredom and in organizing thoughts.It is
also known as semantic webbing or concept mapping. There are two forms of webbing. They
are: divergent and convergent webbing. However, the the focus of the presnt study is in
convergent Webbing Instructional Strattegy whose heuristical steps include:
Identifying several topics and writing each topic at the top of a column on the
chalkboard.
Asking students to share their prior knowledge on each of these topics and writing
brief summary of statements on this information beneath the appropriate category.
Encouraging students to make predictions about how the text will handle the stated
topics.
Discussing the predictions and have the class deciding which are best. Writing
these predictions under the appropriate category on the chalkboard.
Having students read the selection. Recording any new information beyond prior
knowledge students gained from reading. Encouraging the group to evaluate the
accuracy of their predictions.
Asking students to revise the information recorded on the chalkboard based on
their reading experience.
In most Alaskian schools, the old traditional expository method of teaching that is teacher-
centred and the emphasis on memorization of facts is fast giving way to modern strategies of
metacognition. This method could significantly contribute to high performance of students in
chemistry examinations. It is therefore based on this possibility that the present study focused on
a new metacognitive teaching method called webbing and its effect on the performance of
twelfth grade students in redox reaction among students.
143
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of webbing instructional method on the
performance of students in redox reactions with gender as a possible intervening variable.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study;
1. What is the difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught redox reaction with
webbing strategy and those taught with the traditional method?
2. What is the difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught
redox reaction using webbing method?
Null Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance.
HO1: There is no significant different in the mean achievement
scores of students taught redox reaction with webbing
method and those taught with the conventional method.
HO 3: There is no significance different in the mean achievement
scores of male and female students taught radox reaction
using webbing method.
Methodology
Research Design
This research is an experimental design. This research entails two groups: experimental and
control. The experimental group will be taught with webbing instructional method while the
control group will be taught redox reaction using the conventional teaching method. The
fundamental objective of this research is to study the effect of webbing instructional method on
the students‟ performance in redox reaction.
Population of the study
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The population of this study comprises 552 Senior Secondary School two chemistry students in
all the 22 senior secondary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council. The age range is between 14
to17 years. The survey reveals that most of the schools in Gwagwalada are private secondary
schools. Therefore, the majority of the population are from private schools. From the above
statements, the common characteristic of the population is that all are senior secondary school
two (SSS2) in the same geographic area.
Sample and Sampling Procedure
The representative part of the population consisted of 82 twelfth grade students drawn from two
randomly selected High schools in the Municipal County of Alaska. The names of all the
schools were written separately on different sheets of paper and wrapped. All the wrapped paper
were thoroughly mixed in a box. Two wrapped papers were picked one after the other randomly.
This was done to give all the schools equal opportunity of being selected. Simple random
technique was used in selecting the two High schools. The research was conducted in this two
different schools separately with one of the serving as experimental and control groups
respectively. This was done to prevent interactions among the students. If two or more schools
were selected and the students were merged before separating them into control and
experimental group, they could exchange the method used in teaching them after the lesson
among their friends in the other group and this will leads to error in the result. But since the
experimental and the control group were in different schools, each group was taught without the
knowledge of the other and this might have contributed to accurate result.
Instrumentation
The instrument used for gathering the data in the study was Achievement Test On Redox
Reaction (ATORR). This instrument was designed by the researcher and so, it is a researcher –
made test. Test blue print was used to ascertain the content validity of the Achievement Test on
Redox Reaction (ATORR). A short test of 20 objectives questions with options was
administered to the students. Thereafter, a long test of 50 objectives questions which was the
criterion measure was also administered. The scores of the students using the short test were
correlated with the scores of the student using the long test. The correlation was carried out
using the Pearson‟s product moment formular. The degree of relationship between the two sets
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of scores was 0.72. This positive value close to one validates the short achievement test on
redox reaction.
Data Collection Procedure
Achievement Test on Redox Reaction (ATORR) was constructed which comprises twenty
objectives questions with five options (i.e A to E). It was typed, printed and photocopied into 84
copies. Codes were formulated for both experimental group and the control groups. This
enabled the researcher to accurately classify their scores according to the group they belong. The
codes “Exg” and “Ctg” were typed on all the question papers belonging to experiential group and
control group respectively. In each group, 41 students were tested. The question papers were
distributed to the students to answer in 40 minutes. They were closely monitored by the
researcher and their class teacher throughout the test period. This same timing was adopted for
the two groups in abid to facilitate similar conditions. Data collection was through marking,
recording and tabulation. The scripts of the students in the two groups were marked and their
scores were categorised according to their performances. Finally, their score were collated for
analysis.
Results and Discussion
What is the difference in the mean achievement scores of student taught redox reaction with
webbing strategy and those taught with the conventional method?
Table 1: Mean and Standard deviation of students’ scores in the Posttest
Groups Number(N) Mean Standard Deviation
(S.D)
Experimental 41 74 12.56
Control 41 63 7.25
Mean difference 11
The table above, shows that the mean difference of achievement scores of student taught redox
reaction using webbing strategy and those taught with the conventional method is 11.To
ascertain whether this observed difference was statistically significant, hypothesis one was tested
and the results shown in table 1.
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Hypothesis Testing
Two hypotheses were formulated and tested using the t-statistics as shown:
H01: There is no significant difference in the academic achievement of students taught
using Webbing instructional strategy and their counterparts in the control group. To
test for this hypothesis, t-test statistic was used and the results shown in table 1
Table 1: Two-tailed t-test Analysis on the Post-test Mean Scores of the
Experimental and Conventional Group
Variable N - SD df t-value Std. Sig. Decision
X Error (Two-
Tailed)
Experimental 41 13.24 9.53 1.002 0.000 Rejected
80 4.78*
Control 41 10.01 8.26
*Significant at 0.05 level
From the result in the table 2 above, there was a significant difference between the academic
achievement of students taught with conventional method and the students taught with thematic
instructional strategy. This indicated that thematic instructional strategy enhanced students‟
academic achievement in biology. The null hypothesis was, therefore, rejected in the light of the
present results.
Research Question three
What is the mean difference of achievement scores of male and female students taught redox
reaction using webbing method
Table 4.5: Mean and standard deviation of scores of ATORR for Gender
Group Gender Number(N) Mean(X) Standard
Deviation
Experimental Male 17 73 7.56
Female 24 75 9.79
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Mean difference 2
This table revealed that the mean difference of achievement scores of male and female student
was 2. To ascertain whether this observed difference was significant, hypothesis 3 was tested and
the results shown in table 3
Table 3: t-test Value on Mean Achievement Scores of Male and Female
Students Taught Using Webbing Instructional Strategy
Variable N - SD df t-value Std. Sig. Decision
X Error (Two-
Tailed)
Male 17 12.10 7.56 1.0423 0.5110 Accepted
80 0.50
Female 24 12.01 9.79
Significant at 0.05 level
Table 2 above indicates that there was no significant difference in the mean achievement scores
of male and female students taught using Webbing Instructional Strategy. In other words, male
and female students did not differ significantly in their academic achievement as result of their
exposure to Webbing instructional strategy. Thus, the hypothesis was accepted.
Discussion of findings
From the results, the mean of experimental group was greater than the mean of the control group
while the observed t-ratio was 4.78 which was far greater than 1.99 which is the t –value from
table. This means that the mean difference of the groups did not happen just by chance. Since it
was not by chance, then their mean difference was significant. The significance of their mean
difference implies that the treatment which the experimental group was exposed to made them
perform significantly better than the control group in the achievement test on redox reaction
(ATORR). Since the experimental group was taught using webbing instructional strategy and
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then perform noticeably better, thus, webbing strategy enhance students‟ understanding in
teaching chemistry. This agrees with the findings of Okebukola); and Orji and Anaduaka (2010).
On the possible influence of gender, the result also showed the mean difference of the
male and female in the experimental group to be 2. The finding revealed their t-ratio to be 0.50
while the t – value at 40 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance was 2.02. Since 0.50 was
less than 2.02, the result was not significant. These values showed that gender does not have
significant effect on the performance of male and female when exposed to Webbing Instructional
Strategy. This mean that this strategy does not make male perform noticeably better than female
and hence the instructional strategy could be classified as non gender discriminatory.
Conclusion and Recommendations
This research has given an empirical credence that webbing instructional strstegy can
boost academic performance of students in chemistry and more specifically, redox reactions. The
conventional method of teaching chemistry which is teacher – centred contributes to high failure
rate in chemistry among the twefth grade students that participated in the study. From the result
obtained, it was revealed that there was a significantly higher mean score of students taught with
webbing strategy than those taught with the conventional method. The study also proved that
webbing strategy improved the ability of the students to recall and remember what was taught
and hence the high improvemwnt in the performance. All these showed that webbing
instructional method is a very effective teaching method which enhances students‟ performance
in Chemistry. On this basis, therefore, the following recommendations were made:
1. Curriculum Planners should incorporate webbing strategy in the curriculum of teacher
education so as to enable student teachers acquire the skills of using and applying
webbing strategy in the classroom situation.
2. Seminars, conferences and workshops should be set up for chemistry teachers by
faculties of education in various institutions so as to expose them to the use and
application of webbing instructional methods.
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