ANALYSIS ON TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF DIFFICULT TOPICS IN BIOLOGY CURRICULUM

ANALYSIS ON TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF DIFFICULT TOPICS IN BIOLOGY CURRICULUM

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Science provides a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to a wide range of human, material, and environmental issues. It can also be divided into two broad complementary modes: acquiring information about the natural world through exploration and discovery, and applying that knowledge for human and material progress. Science is taught and practiced all over the world, including in Nigeria. Nigeria is a developing country with a growing demand for scientifically trained workers. This could begin in secondary school with the study and application of science topics such as biology, chemistry, integrated science, and physics. Among the science topics taught in Nigerian secondary schools, only biology was covered, which included biology, chemistry, integrated science, and physics. This is because

The study’s emphasis on biology education.

Biology is one of the senior secondary school courses taught in Nigeria. Biology is a fundamental scientific topic that serves as a foundation for students interested in careers in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, forestry, and fisheries, among other fields. Any science-related occupational specialty requires a credit pass or higher in biology.

As part of efforts to address educational challenges, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) was given the authority to create curriculum for use at all levels of Nigeria’s educational system. The National Council of Education (NCE) authorized the (NERDC) to examine and realign the current senior secondary school curricula to meet the tangents of the reform in the framework of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDs) and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) (M.D.G). In addition, the curriculum is used to provide the most textual resources as well as the best teaching and learning outcomes (Egwu,2009). The importance of biology as a discipline cannot be overstated. It is a prerequisite for many professional courses, including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, medical laboratory science, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and physiotherapy. Biology is required for Microbiology, Biochemistry, Botany, Agricultural Science, and Biology Education (FGN 2004). Students must provide at least one scientific topic in senior high school, according to the National Policy on Education. Biology is the most common scientific course available to all SSS students. Field studies, guided exploration, laboratory instruction and skills, and conceptual thinking were all emphasized in the current biology curriculum’s content and settings. The

Objectives cannot be met unless adequate and appropriate instructional resources are made available and utilized to the greatest extent possible (Babalola, 1998).

In his study on “Teachers’ Views of Important and Difficult Biology Material in Secondary Schools,” Abimbola (1998) discovered that the biology content areas deemed significant by teachers correspond to what could be dubbed “Applied Biology.” The survey also discovered that the biology curriculum areas considered difficult to teach by instructors fall under the category of “Pure Biology.” Biology topics that are difficult to teach include ecology, chromosomes, cells, respiration, growth, and heredity. According to Brennen (2002), Olorundare & Oni (2006), and Ariyo (2014), educators frequently assume that whatever subject instructors consider to be extremely important will be taught properly. What is considered difficult

almost certainly will not be taught. Teachers have little choice but to teach all subjects in a centralized educational system where the curriculum is largely dictated to them.

Nigeria operates a centralized system. The biology curriculum for all senior secondary schools in Nigeria was developed by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). As a result, all biology teachers for SSS 1, SSS 2, and SSS 3 classes are expected to cover all topics.

1.2 Problem Description
Students’ poor performance in secondary school external examinations such as Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) and General Certificate Examinations (GCE) has become a source of concern for education stakeholders.

sector, especially given the country’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2020. According to recent data from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO), the quality of teaching and learning in both public and private schools has continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate (Osuagwu, 2013).

When a teacher has difficulty understanding certain biology topics, he will be unable to teach such topics to the students’ good understanding, so such a teacher will likely avoid such topics, and students will likely not understand the area of the biology curriculum not taught by teachers, and students may even not prepare well for external examinations in such topics.

. Because the syllabus and questions are based on the senior secondary education curriculum, poor performance in the senior level certificate test is possible. The study’s goal was to investigate instructors’ perceptions of difficult topics in senior secondary biology curriculum.

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this research is to examine teachers’ perceptions of difficult topics in the senior secondary biology curriculum. The study was specifically designed to:

i. Identifying the areas of the biology curriculum that senior secondary biology teachers find difficult to teach.

ii. Determine whether the academic qualifications of teachers influence the difficulty of the senior secondary school biology curriculum.

iii. Determine whether teachers’ teaching experience contributes to the difficulty of the senior secondary school biology curriculum.

iv. To decipher strategies for

be used in other ways to solve the problem of difficult topics in the senior secondary school biology curriculum.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The following research questions have been posed.

i. What areas of the senior secondary school (SSS) biology curriculum do teachers find difficult to teach?

ii. Does the academic qualification of teachers influence the difficulty levels in senior secondary school biology curriculum?

iii. Does teachers’ teaching experience contribute to the difficulty of the senior secondary school biology curriculum?

iv. What strategies can be used to address the issue of difficult areas in senior secondary school biology curriculum?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

The researcher was compelled to conduct this research on difficult content areas in the secondary school biology curriculum by the current alarming situation.