Modern Strategies to Improve the Performances of Students in Chemistry in Some Selected Secondary Schools
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this project is to investigate the modern strategies for improving the academic performance of students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
The researcher further finds out the general view held by the public as to the cause of chemistry student’s poor level of achievement and performance in chemistry.
- To examine ways by which chemistry in some selected secondary schools can be improved and have better performance on the students
- To search further if learning chemistry concepts and conceptual schemes will increase the performance of the students in chemistry.
- To make students familiar with the key operation of chemistry and strategies they can use it improve their performance.
- To help chemistry students acquire proficiency through problem-solving and hence build critical and creative thinking in them.
- To guide students in developing desirable behavior towards acquiring chemistry skills, attitude, application, and interest.
- To help students according to their ability and interest their rate of learning, develop interest and needs, it also enables the students to cope in the dynamic world and be useful to the society they belong to.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter on literature review focuses on factors that affect performance of Chemistry and the interventions so far undertaken by the Government of Kenya. A lot has been written on factors that determine performance of Sciences and Mathematics with the aim of improving their performance. This review considers the following as probable factors that could determine a student‟s performance in Chemistry:
Attitude and performance
Attitude is important in understanding human behaviour. To define what exactly an attitude is, many attempts have been made in literature. Generally it is defined as a complex mental state involving beliefs (Hussain, Ali, Khan, Ramzan & Qadeer, 2011). It is an individual’s prevailing tendency to respond favourably or unfavourably to an object, person or group of people, institutions or events (Barros & Elia, 1997). The word is defined within the framework of social psychology as a subjective or mental preparation for action. It defines the outward and visible postures and human beliefs. Attitudes determine what each individual will see, hear, think and do. They are rooted in experience and do not become automatic routine conduct. Attitudes can be positive (values) or negative (prejudice). Attitude towards science denotes interest or feeling towards studying science. It is the students‟ disposition towards „like‟ or „dislike‟ in science. Attitude in science means the scientific approach assumed by an individual for solving problems, assessing ideas and making decisions in the sciences (Olatunde, 2009).
Teachers have a decisive role in any educational system and their competencies do not automatically ensure positive attitudes towards the teaching process. To put it simply, teacher attitudes are important because they affect the student. Teacher attitudes play a significant role in shaping the classroom environment which has an impact on a student’s self efficacy which in turn influences a student’s behaviour. All of these factors which can be loosely categorized as environment, personal factors, and behaviour interact and play off each other in a cyclical way (Woolfolk, 2007).
Papanastasiou (2001) reported that those who have positive attitude toward science tend to perform better in the subject. The affective behaviours in the classroom are strongly related to achievement, and science attitudes are learned (George & Kaplan, 1998). The teacher plays a significant role during the learning process and can directly or indirectly influence students‟ attitudes toward science which in consequence can influence students‟ achievement. Teachers are, invariably, role models whose behaviours are easily mimicked by students. What teachers like or dislike, appreciate or disapprove and how they feel about their learning or studies could have a significant effect on their students. By extension, how teachers teach, how they behave and how they interact with students can be more paramount than what they teach (Kwale SMASSE, 2004).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODS
Research Design
This study adopted a Descriptive/simple survey research design. A survey research design according to Osuala (2001) centers on individual and their opinion, belief, motivation and behavior. The design was considered suitable since the study will solicit information from respondents in Secondary Schools in Oredo Local Government Area in Edo State where Chemistry is taught.
Area of the Study
The study is conducted in Oredo Local Government Area covering the whole town. The reason for this area is based on the fact the educational zone has introduced Chemistry in the School’scurriculum as well as researcher’s familiarity of the location which will grant her the opportunity to supervise and monitor the whole exercise.
Population of the Study
The population of the study comprised all the Junior Secondary School (JSS 1-JSS III) Students in public (Government-Owned) Secondary Schools in Oredo L.G.A. According to PPSMB (2017) being last year there was total of Nine thousand seven hundred and thirteen (9713) SSS students in the seventeen (17) Public Secondary in Oredo L.G.A. as at the time of this study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND INTEPRETATION
This chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of data obtained from the administration of the instrument (questionnaire) of the study. The data are arranged following the order of the research questions that guided the study.
Chapter Five
Summary, conclusion and recommendation
Summary
This research work is designed to find out the modern strategies of improving the performance of students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The research instrument used was the questionnaire, 100 respondents were used for the study. Problem was raised and the result obtained was used to answer the research questions the result of the investigation revealed that.
Finding showed the mean response of 4 accepted that students tend to show lack of interest in chemistry lessons. mean score of 3.4 also accepted that lack of practical makes students devote less time to chemistry lessons. mean score of 3.9 accepted that students lack adequate problem solving and analytical skills. Item 4 with the mean score of 3.4 also accepted that students do not secure adequate textbooks. Item 5 with the mean score of 3.2 accepted that Peer group influence and poor parental upbringing leads to difficulties in teaching of Chemistry. Item 1,2,3,4 and 5 have mean scores above 2.50. This indicates that respondents accepted in all the items there are some student-related difficulties affecting teaching of Chemistry in secondary schools
In table 3, item 11 with mean score of 3.4 accepted the statement that motivation of students should be part of the pedagogical innovations. Item 12 with mean score of 3.1 also accepted that Parents should provide the necessary academic background for their children. Item 13 with mean response of 3.8 accepted that the teacher should develop well planned lessons prior to their delivery. Item 14 with mean response of 3.3 accepted that sufficient number of chemistry teachers should be trained for the programme. Item 15 with mean score of 3.6 accepted that government should provide sufficient tools and equipment for the teaching of Chemistry. Item 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15all have mean scores above 2.50. This indicates that respondents accepted in item 11 to 15 that there are possible strategies to curb difficulties encountered in teaching Chemistry in secondary schools.
Conclusions
From the study findings it is apparent that many schools in the study area do not use appropriate instructional materials. They do not have instructional materials that the schools need to buy, nor do they improvise their own. Although all the teachers agree that instructional materials are important in contributing to students’ academic performance, they do not show a need to have these materials in their classrooms.
This implies that, although the teachers have the knowledge about the importance of instructional materials, they are not inclined to develop them. This may have many reasons. One could guess that teachers do not care whether the students perform or not, and this from the management point of view, may emanate from low morale and
motivation towards their teaching. Another explanation may be, poor supervision from their heads of schools. Normally, heads of schools are supposed to be instructional supervisors, to ensure that instructions are going on and students are provided with quality education coupled with quality instructional resources. Lack of supervision may be the reason for the situation found by this study.
Recommendation
Basing on the findings from this study the following are the recommendations;
The government should strive and set aside a reasonable amount of education budget which will be directed to improve and construct libraries in schools like what it did to promote laboratories in schools. The heads of schools should rise their voice to be heard by parents as well as the government on the importance of improving and promoting good instructional materials in community schools and that success or failure of a student will not only depend on the content that the students receive in class as well as access to materials for further review by his or her own.
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