ABSTRACT
This study looked at students’ perceptions and academic accomplishment in chemistry in a case study of several chosen secondary schools in Kano state’s Dawakin Tofa local government area. The study focuses on students’ perceptions of whether a lack of trained teachers is the cause of poor chemistry academic accomplishment. The study also examines if students’ attitudes about chemistry have an impact on their academic performance. The study also looked into students’ perceptions of resource availability and their academic achievement in chemistry. Finally, look into how students’ impressions of their Chemistry classroom environment affect their academic performance. The survey descriptive research design was used in this study. The survey yielded a total of 77 valid replies. The findings revealed that a lack of trained teachers to teach is the cause of poor academic accomplishment in chemistry based on the responses gathered and examined. Students’ attitudes about chemistry also have an impact on their academic performance. In addition, there is a link between resource availability and student academic success in chemistry. Finally, the study found a strong correlation between students’ evaluations of their Chemistry classroom environment and their academic achievement. As a result, the study suggests that professors should foster favorable relationships with pupils in order to improve chemistry learning. Teachers and students should be encouraged to attend chemistry classes on a regular basis. Finally, the school should establish policies that assure students’ attendance in chemistry classes.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Chemistry is an important science subject for modifying the environment and enhancing overall quality of life. It is vital for a country’s technical advancement. Chemistry’s correct teaching and learning in secondary schools enables student enrolment in numerous professional disciplines such as nursing, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, engineering, and geology, among others. As a result, excellent chemistry teaching and learning in Nigerian secondary schools is required. The classroom environment must be suitable to both teachers and students for effective chemistry teaching and learning. Chemistry, an essential science subject, is taught as a single subject at the senior high school level in many Nigerian secondary schools. Nonetheless, despite everything,
According to Ugwu (2004), more than half of the applicants who appeared for senior high school chemistry examinations in 2000 and 2001 performed so poorly in Chemistry that they were unable to use their results in Chemistry for future study. In addition, the WAEC annual report (2006, 2007 and 2008) acknowledged poor academic progress in Chemistry, as evidenced by consistent low grades and class repetition. As a result, one could wonder why secondary school pupils in general have poor academic achievement in Chemistry. These poor Chemistry grades have prompted some researchers to investigate the issue in the hopes of discovering the root reasons and potential solutions.
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The concerns outlined below do not exclude chemistry as a core science subject. These issues cause significant educational setbacks, resulting in a low rate of secondary school scientific achievement in Nigeria.
According to Ukeje (1984), one of the most significant contrasts between urban and rural educational settings is geographical location. This demonstrates how geographic location affects academic performance. Gender, according to Onainor and Obiora (2001), is another key element that determines student achievement. He further claims that in certain scholastic subjects, boys outperformed their female counterparts. Poor academic attainment has been linked to psychological, sociological, psychosocial, and physical issues by Haertel, Walberg, and Haertel (1981), Anderson (1982), and Fraser (1981a, 1986a). When Ukeje (1984) considered what elements should effect pupils’ performance, he listed malnutrition, which causes poor physical growth and mental development, diseases, injury, home background, culture, and parents’ socioeconomic level. It is undeniable that a student’s home environment has an impact on his or her behavior and academic achievement. This is because some kids come from homes where the parents are divorced, while others come from homes where the marriage is stable and pleasant, and parents cheerfully work together to meet their children’s educational needs. While at home, children acquire healthy learning habits and scientific thinking by using a practical and manipulative approach. This is due to the readily available materials such as newspapers, textbooks, maps, science journals, and so on.
Educational psychologists believe that a child’s home environment can either be a source of significant particular advantage or a source of handicap in school and life. Skinner (1963) tells out that learning is not limited to the classroom in order to comprehend and improve our educational standards. Learning will be more affective with the cooperation of the home and school environment. There will be a void if one of them fails, and the child will suffer.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Educational authorities in Nigeria and other education stakeholders have continued to be concerned about variables affecting academic progress in science, particularly in chemistry. In rural regions like Dawakin tofa in Kano State, the trend has been more pronounced (Rutter,1979). Because of students’ perceptions of academic achievement in chemistry, most candidates received a poor mean grade, jeopardizing their chances for upward social mobility. Academic achievement has resulted in a low uptake of careers in science and technology at the national level. In order to alter this trend, numerous strategies targeting students, teachers, and the broader teaching and learning environment have been implemented (Schmuck,1992). Despite these efforts, academic achievement in chemistry in Dawakin Tofa Kano State has consistently been lower than national standards. Students believe that their continuous poor performance in chemistry is due to a number of factors, including their attitude toward chemistry, their learning resources, their interpersonal relationships, and their attendance in class (Okonkwo,1989). However, it is unclear which of the variables is to blame for the low chemistry achievement in Kano State’s Dawakin Tofa local government area.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study’s overall goal is to assess students’ perceptions and academic progress in chemistry through a case study of a few selected secondary schools in Kano State’s Dawakin Tofa local government region.
The following are the precise goals:
To determine whether a lack of qualified teachers to teach chemistry is the cause of poor academic achievement.
To determine whether students’ attitudes about chemistry have an impact on their academic performance.
To learn about students’ perceptions of resource availability and chemistry academic achievement.
To determine how students’ perceptions of their Chemistry classroom setting affect their academic performance.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
For this study, the following questions have been written.
- Is a lack of qualified professors the cause of poor chemistry academic achievement?
- Does a student’s attitude toward chemistry influence their academic performance?
- Is there a link between student academic success in chemistry and resource availability?
- What are students’ impressions of their Chemistry classroom setting and how does this influence their academic performance?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will assess students’ perceptions of chemistry and their academic performance in the subject. As a result, it will be important in the following ways:
Ministry of Education: This study will benefit the Ministry of Education since it will reveal shortcomings in academic success of students in chemistry, which are likely due to a shortage of skilled professors, allowing them to give a long-term remedy.
The academic community will benefit from this study since it will add to the existing literature on student academic accomplishment.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study will look into students’ perceptions of whether a lack of trained professors is the cause of poor chemistry academic accomplishment. The study will also assess if students’ attitudes toward chemistry have an impact on their academic performance. The study will also look into students’ perceptions of resource availability and their chemistry academic achievement. Finally, the study looks into how students’ impressions of their Chemistry classroom setting affect their academic performance. As a result, the scope of this research will be limited to Kano state’s Dawakin Tofa local government region.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The researcher faced some challenges in conducting this research, including time limits, money constraints, language barriers, and the respondents’ attitudes.
Furthermore, there was the issue of researcher bias. The researcher may have had certain biases, which showed up in the method the data was obtained, the kind of people questioned or sampled, and how the data was evaluated afterward. All of this has the potential to have an impact on the findings and conclusions.
Furthermore, because the results of this study are limited to a sample population in the study area, they may not be applicable to other firms or places.
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