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STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF DIFFICULT TOPICS IN BIOLOGY SENIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to
the Study
While adequate research has been conducted in other countries
of the world as named above in relation to biology topics perceived as
difficult, and pupils’ learning challenges, very little research of this nature
had been carried out in Zambia. Despite the teachers’ full knowledge of the
difficulties that pupils face in learning some of these topics in biology which
actually lower their overall performance in biology examinations, teachers have
taken no serious steps to redress the situation. This is partly due to the
teachers’ lack of specific research-based information on how to teach such
problem topics which could otherwise serve as a tool in alleviating the pupils’
difficulties in learning the aforesaid topics. This study therefore established
the topics in biology which were perceived as difficult and examined the
pupils’ difficulties in learning biology, and highlighted 2 some of the
possible teaching strategies that the biology teachers could use in order to
address the learning challenges.
Various Scholars have investigated difficulties pupils face
in learning biology in other countries such as Scotland, Nigeria, Turkey and
Israel (Johnstone and Mahmoud 1980). In their findings, Johnstone and Mahmoud
(1980) suggested that genetics was among the most challenging topics in biology
for secondary school pupils. Lazarowitz and Penso (1992) identified cells,
physiological processes and hormonal regulation as being the biological
concepts that posed learning difficulties to the secondary school pupils. According
to Johnestone (1999), monohybrid, dihybrid crosses and linkages in genetics,
meiosis, central nervous system, alleles and genes were largely perceived by
pupils as being topics of the highest difficulty.
There has been consistent decline in the performance of
students in public examinations conducted by the west African Examination
Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) in sciences across
the country over the years (Agogo, 2003; Samba & Eriba, 2012). Ahmed and
Abimbola (2011) argue that because of its numerous importance, Biology is the
most popular choice, among science subjects nationwide, offered by candidates
sitting for the senior secondary school certificate examinations. According to
WAEC Research Report (2008) and (2009), despite the popularity of Biology,
results of research studies always revealed the poor performance of students in
the subject. Results from findings revealed that a vast number of factors are
responsible for the students’ poor performance: difficult biological concepts
(Tekkaya et al., 2001; Çimer, 2004; Zeidan, 2010); the nature of science itself
and its teaching methods Lazarowitz and Penso (1992) as well as the biological
level of organization and the abstract level of the concepts. Çimer (2011)
argued that many concepts or topics in biology, including water transport in
plants, protein synthesis, respiration and photosynthesis, gaseous exchange,
energy, cells, mitosis and meiosis, organs, physiological processes, hormonal
regulation, oxygen transport, genetics, Mendelian genetics, genetic
engineering, and the central nervous system can be perceived as difficult to
learn by secondary school students. While Tekkaya et al. (2001) found that
hormones, genes and chromosomes, mitosis and meiosis, the nervous system, and
Mendelian genetics were considered difficult concepts by secondary school
students. Özcan, (2003) stressed that experiencing difficulties in so many
topics in biology negatively affects students’ motivation and achievement.
Students’ difficulties with many topics in biology have stimulated researchers
to investigate why students experience such difficulties and how to overcome
these difficulties. Experiencing difficulty in Biology could be attributed to
many factors such as classroom learning environment, lack of interest in
learning science, overloaded curriculum content and delineation of science from
society, among others.
1.2 Statement of
the Problem
For over a decade now various scholars of senior high school
pupils have exhibited unsatisfactory performance in some biology topics that
are perceived as difficult to learn, and the reasons for their learning
challenges are not known. While adequate research has been conducted in other
countries of the world in relation to biology topics perceived as difficult,
and pupils’ learning challenges, very little research of this nature has been
carried out in Nigeria especially Kogi State. The researcher also observed that
once the teachers have difficulty in understanding certain biology topics, he/she
will not be able to teach such topics to the good understanding of the
students, hence such teacher is likely to avoid such topics and students are
likely not understand the area of the biology curriculum not taught by the
teachers and the students may even not prepare well for external examination in
such topics. These might lead to poor performance in the senior secondary
certificate examination as the syllabus and questions are based on the senior
secondary education curriculum. Based on this premise, the study is set out to
find out the perception of the students on difficult topics in senior secondary
schools curriculum in Kogi state.
1.3 Objective of
the Study
The main objective of this study is to find out the
perception of secondary school students on difficult topics in biology
curriculum in Kogi state, specifically the study intends to:
1. Find out the
difficult topics students are faced with in biology
2. Find out the
perception of students concerning the difficult topics
3. Analyze the effects of these difficult topics
on the academic performance of students in Kogi state.
1.4 Research
Question
1. Is there any
difficult topics students are faced with in biology?
2. What is the
perception of students concerning the difficult topics?
3. Is there any
effects of these difficult topics on the academic performance of students in
Kogi state?
1.5 Research
Hypothesis
Ho: there is no effects of these difficult topics on the
academic performance of students in Kogi state
Hi: there is effects of these difficult topics on the
academic performance of students in Kogi state
1.6 Significance of
the Study
A lot of research has been done on pupils’ difficulties in
learning biology across the globe generally. However, not much research,
according to the literature, has been done on pupils’ learning difficulties in
biology in Kogi state Nigeria. This study therefore is very important as it
will provide useful data on the stdents learning difficulties in biology. It is
hoped that data from this study may be useful to policy makers and curriculum
designers in the Ministry of Education who may prescribe some changes in
teaching methods. The results of the study would equally be useful to
educational institutions, school heads; teachers of biology, parents of
students studying biology, and other stake holders who may wish to improve
classroom teaching and learning. It is also hoped that this study will motivate
other scholars to carry out similar research into pupils’ learning difficulties
in biology and other science subjects or scale up this work beyond Kogi state.
1.7 Scope of the
Study
This research work students perception on difficult topics in
senior secondary school will be carried out in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi
state as it will be very difficult to cover the whole of Kogi state due to some
constraint like limited time to complete the research work. However the results
of the research conducted will be generalize since Lokoja is the major city in
kogi state.
1.8 Delimitation of
the Study
Finance for the general research work will be a challenge
during the course of study. Correspondents also might not be able to complete
or willing to submit the questionnaires given to them.
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