Challenges Encountered by Chemistry Teachers in Teaching Practical Chemistry in Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of the Study
- To identify Challenges encountered by chemistry teachers in conducting effective practical work in secondary school Chemistry
- To describe the procedure of conducting practical work in secondary school Chemistry
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The Learning Environment and Practical Work in Chemistry
Chemistry is one of the subjects which present students with a large number of abstract ideas because it deals with mainly invisible concepts such as atoms, molecules, ions among others. One way to unlock the abstract concepts for students is by providing them with experiences that can aid understanding. Such experiences may be carried out in a laboratory.
However, White in Woolnough (1991) cautions that it is not just enough for students to do something in the laboratory but rather laboratory experiences need to be designed so that they focus attention. He conducted studies White (1982; 1989), which indicated that people remember vivid events that strike their attention. His advice is that unusual and striking incidents need to be planned for deliberately in the laboratory. He observed that such incidents do occur but they are mostly unplanned accidents from which very little useful learning may be realised.
In many countries, over the last few decades, science has been taught at least in part by involving students in teacher-guided activity-based lessons. Through such activities, students are expected to develop their investigatory skills and through their results of experimentation to develop sound scientific knowledge (Woolnough, 1991). Tamir and Lunetta (1981) determined that, in a laboratory, numerous experiences may be provided in which students manipulate materials, gather data, make inferences and communicate the results in a variety of ways. However, their study identified a number of deficiencies with regard to practical experiences provided for during practical work as follows:
First, students were not given an opportunity to identify problems or to formulate hypotheses. Secondly, there were relatively few opportunities to design observation and measurement procedures. Thirdly, there were even fewer opportunities for students to design experiments and to work according to their own design. Fourth, students were not encouraged sufficiently to discuss limitations and assumptions underlying their experiments. Fifth, students were not encouraged to share their efforts even in the laboratory activities where that was appropriate. Finally, there were no provisions for post laboratory discussion, consolidation of findings and analysis of their meaning (Woolnough, 1991).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study employed a survey design.
The design embraced the descriptive approach since data gathered was used to describe the existing status of practice of practical work in secondary schools, the procedure of conducting practical work in Chemistry and how the practice and procedure influenced performance in practical work in Chemistry. Variables
Independent variable
This is the variable that predicts the amount of variation in another variable (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). The independent variable in this study was practical work in Chemistry in secondary schools. The study sought to determine how practical work was conducted in secondary school Chemistry by establishing the roles played by both teachers and students during practical work. The choice of practical work activities, the way they were presented to students and students’ engagement in them was presumed to be influenced by a number of factors (intervening variables) such as teacher factors for example experience, training, attitudes and teaching style, school factors for example resources and school type and students’ factors for example attitudes and learning styles.
Dependent variable
This is the variable that attempts to indicate the total influence arising from the effects of an independent variable (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). The dependent variable in this study was performance in Chemistry practical work. Performance in Chemistry practical work was presumed to be influenced by the type of practical activities, the way the activities were presented to students and students’ engagement in the activities.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
RESOURCES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICAL WORK IN CHEMISTRY
The Laboratory
The laboratory is a key resource in teaching and learning science and Chemistry in particular. It is a place where students can be engaged in a variety of activities. This study sought to establish the state of science laboratories in Sokoto metropolis. The results indicated that all schools in the study sample had at least one laboratory for teaching science with 78% of the schools having two or more science laboratories. Table 4.1 shows the availability of laboratories in sample schools
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary and Implications of the Findings
Resources for Teaching Practical Work in Chemistry
The main resources investigated in this study were the science laboratory and laboratory technicians Laboratories
From the results of this study, secondary schools in the study sample in Sokoto metropolis were found to have laboratories that were well equipped with apparatus and chemicals to enable practical work in Chemistry to be conducted. The implication of this finding is that students can be given opportunities to engage in a variety of activities that may enhance the development of a variety of scientific skills and hence promote understanding of concepts in Chemistry. It was however noted that functional fume chambers and first aid boxes were absent in laboratories in most secondary schools in the study sample. These two facilities help in ensuring the safety of laboratory users (students, teachers and laboratory technicians). This finding would most likely affect the activities in Chemistry practical work that teachers arranged for students. It would also compromise on the quality of first aid that anyone would wish to offer to a victim of a laboratory accident.
Skills emphasised during Practical Work in Chemistry
The results of this study revealed that teachers of Chemistry were in a good position to arrange for experiences in practical work in Chemistry in which students could develop a variety of scientific skills. The teachers were well qualified, had long experience of teaching Chemistry and had positive attitudes towards practical work in Chemistry. However, only certain skills were emphasised by Chemistry teachers both in teaching and in assessment. The main skills emphasised were: observation, manipulation of apparatus and materials and recording data. Some of the key scientific skills not seriously emphasised by the teachers included: aspects of experimental design and hypothesis formulation. As long such skills continued to lack in practical work in Chemistry lessons, students graduating from the secondary schools would be those not likely to take part in the process of generating science knowledge but only consumers of such knowledge.
Attitudes towards Practical Work in Chemistry
The results of this study indicated that generally teachers and students had positive attitudes towards practical work in Chemistry, although in part students showed lack of understanding regarding the relationship between practical work in Chemistry and theory in Chemistry. While teachers’ and students’ positive attitude towards practical work in Chemistry should enhance good performance, lack of understanding on the part of students concerning the relationship between practical work in Chemistry and theory in Chemistry was likely to enhance the students’ view that practical work in Chemistry could replace theory in Chemistry. This view could affect the commitment of students towards either practical work or theoretical Chemistry.
Conclusion
Resources and Facilities for teaching Practical Work in Chemistry
A laboratory is a key resource in teaching/learning science and Chemistry in particular. However, for it to be able play its role effectively, the laboratory needs not only to be equipped with the necessary apparatus and chemicals but should also be a safe place for all to work. This study showed that secondary schools in the study sample had well equipped laboratories to enable students carry out practical work in Chemistry. However, most secondary schools in the study sample were found to be lacking functional fume chambers and first aid boxes. These two are facilities that may help to ensure the safety of laboratory users (students, teachers and laboratory technicians).
Laboratory technicians are key personnel in teaching and learning science and Chemistry in particular. Their main role is to ensure proper laboratory management by helping science teachers with the preparation for practical activities in those subjects.
If the technician is available and trained then the workload on the part of the teacher would be minimised. This study also showed that most secondary schools in the study sample had only one technician who managed the preparations for practical work in all the science subjects. The science teachers in general and Chemistry teachers in particular would thus be required to step in and assist. This could compromise on the quality of the planning for the lessons.
Skills emphasised during Practical Work in Chemistry
This study revealed that only certain skills were emphasised by teachers both in teaching and in assessment. The main skills emphasised included: observation, manipulation of apparatus and materials and recording data. Key scientific skills not emphasised by the teachers included: aspects of experimental design and hypothesis formulation.
Attitudes towards Practical Work in Chemistry
The attitude object in this study was practical work in Chemistry. The study showed that the attitudes of both teachers and students in schools in the study sample were generally positive. However, students tended to look at practical work in Chemistry and theory as two separate entities and that one could replace one with the other.
Recommendations
Teachers of Chemistry were found to be qualified with long enough teaching experience and their teaching load was manageable. As such it is recommended that they need to take advantage of the positive attitudes students have towards practical work to involve them in as many activities as possible in order to enhance the acquisition of the various scientific skills.
The NECO on the other hand needed to diversify the skills students were assessed in Chemistry practical work in order to put the teachers on the alert all the time. They could for example include simple aspects of experimental design in assessment.
Secondly BOG and PTA committees as school mangers are charged with the responsibility of provision of teaching/learning facilities. This study revealed that schools in the study sample were in short of functional fume chambers and first aid boxes. In view of this finding it is recommended that the school managers look into ways and means of maintaining fume chambers and first aid boxes in laboratories. Otherwise teachers needed not be afraid of carrying out experiments that required the use of fume chambers. To facilitate experimentation, schools that had more than one laboratory need to employ one technician per available laboratory to reduce the load on the science teachers so that they could concentrate on the actual lesson planning and teaching.
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