THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY

THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND

A natural science called biology studies life on Earth. How the world is structured, how it performs and what these functions are, how it changes through time, how life first began, and how living things relate to one another and their environment (Umar, 2022). Medical, pharmacy, nursing, forestry, agriculture, and biotechnology are a few of them (Ahmed & Abimbola, 2022).

One of the most important classes in secondary school curricula is biology. More students applied for the senior secondary school certificate exam (SSCE) in biology than in physics or chemistry due to its importance (West African Examination Council, 2021). Biology is taught to students at the senior secondary school level as the basis for human development, where career skills are developed and potentials and abilities are identified and promoted (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2022). Future scientists, technicians, engineers, and associated professionals are encouraged to develop through the quality and quantity of scientific education that secondary school pupils get (Kareem, 2022).

Although biology is important and well-liked among Nigerian students, senior secondary school performance has been appalling (Ahmed, 2022). As a result of this educational failure, Nigeria may experience a manpower shortage in fields related to science and technology. Nigeria’s ambition to join the top 20 industrialized nations by 2030 may be hampered by this.

The employment of poor teaching techniques is one of the main factors contributing to the low performance of pupils in biology at the senior secondary school level in Nigeria (Ahmed & Abimbola, 2022). The classroom-based convectional teaching technique includes teacher-led lectures and direct instruction. This method emphasizes on learning under the ongoing guidance of the teacher. Lectures must be listened to and learned from by students. The teacher frequently addresses the class directly, preventing dialogue, questioning, and thorough understanding. Most classrooms use rote learning, which relies on memorization rather than thorough understanding of the content. Simply passing the exams, which include descriptions, matching, and other forms of signals, is sufficient to complete the curriculum (Adegoke, 2022).

Consistent use of this method results in students being passive rather than active learners. Some complex biological concepts do not benefit from perceptive learning or long-term memory (Ahmed, 2022).

Educators are aware of the urgent need to review senior high school education methodologies and procedures in light of study findings. A technology-supported instructional system for meaningful learning is necessary to overcome these challenges. To help students learn, understand, and recall biological concepts and to encourage their future participation, an exciting and engaging approach should be supported in the twenty-first century. One of the possible approaches, according to Moreno & Mayer (2022), includes multimedia presentations that are supported in both verbal and visual forms and are supplemented by pictures, animations, texts, and narrative.

The term “media” relates to the means of delivering education. The use of a multimedia instructional technique may encourage and retain students’ attention and retention (Adegoke, 2022). Starbek, Eriavec, and Peklai (2010) discovered that while teaching genetics via multimedia, students retained and understood more information than other groups. In a similar vein, Achebe (2022) and Gambari & Zubairu (2008) found that students who were taught primary science at the nursery and primary school levels and students who were taught food and nutrition at the senior secondary school level performed better and retained information than students who were taught using traditional methods.

Successful multimedia instruction necessitates the application of learning theories, claim Kim & Gilman (2022). For instance, Mayer and his associates suggested six principles for multimedia learning. According to the following principles, students learn better when words and pictures are presented together rather than separately: (a) the multimedia principle; (b) the spatial contiguity principle; (c) the temporal contiguity principle; and (d) the coherence principle. Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively.

Adegoke (2022) claims that the redundancy principle does not hold true in regular classroom settings, and all six principles have been frequently supported by actual study. Muller (2022) said in his study that incorporating engaging content into a typical classroom setting might help maintain the students’ interest.

Other research highlights the value of animation and how it improves the layout of educational messages. For instance, Nusir, Alsmadi, Al-Kabi, and Shardqah (2022) found that computer animation learning courseware improved students’ academic performance and level of accomplishment (high and poor).

The learning outcomes of students who studied biology using the courseware version of animation and narration were found to be superior to those of their peers who studied biology using animation and on-screen text or animation and narration and on-screen text, according to Moreno, Mayer, and Tabbers (2022). Mayer and Anderson (2022) discovered that adding animation to a story improved learning. Saibu (2022), citing Grobe and Struges, found that students who were taught using conventional methods received a little higher mean posttest score than students who were taught using audio-tutorial (narration) methods.

A still image is superior to (sound) words, animation is superior to a still image, and sound is superior to quiet, according to Mubaraq’s (2022) studies on animation plus narration plus on-screen text. Adegoke (2022) and Chuang (2022) conducted studies that looked at the effects of animation, narration, and on-screen text-based materials when used simultaneously. The findings revealed that students in the animation + narration + onscreen text group outperformed both their peers in the animation + narration only group and those in the animation + narration + onscreen text group by a significant margin on the postbiology achievement test. These investigations also ran afoul of the redundancy principle. The three medium (video, audio + picture, and audio) were found to be equally successful for teaching biology, with no significant impact differences across the approaches, according to Okwo and Asadu (2012).

SITUATION OF THE PROBLEM

The status of biology education now is appalling. Given that these kids will go on to become scientists, the results of the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) for biology students in Nigeria are exceedingly concerning.

The percentage of Nigerian students who passed biology at the credit level (A1-C6) has remained below 50% over the preceding five years (2009-2014), according to the West African Examination Council 2009-2014 Annual Report.

Educators are aware of the urgent need to review senior high school education methodologies and procedures in light of study findings. A technology-supported instructional system for meaningful learning is necessary to overcome these challenges. To help students learn, understand, and remember biological concepts and to encourage their future engagement, a dynamic and engaging approach should be supported in the twenty-first century. One of the potential solutions, according to Adegoke (2022), Kuti (2022), Mayer, Dow & Mayer (2022), and Moreno & Mayer (2022), involves multimedia presentations that are supported in both verbal and visual forms and supplemented with graphics, animations, texts, and story.

It is commonly known that using multimedia effectively can still improve student learning. How far this has been achieved has not yet been covered in biology instruction. The effectiveness of teaching and learning resources on secondary school students’ biology performance is investigated in this study.

1.3 STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

Examining how the media affects secondary school students’ biology performance is the main goal of this study. This study specifically aims to:

i. To determine the degree to which media are used to teach biology in secondary schools.

ii. To investigate the various media platforms used in secondary school instruction.

iii. To determine whether the usage of media in the classroom affects student achievement.

iii. To investigate the difficulties associated with employing media to teach biology in secondary schools.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

In this investigation, the following research queries will be addressed:

i. To what extent do secondary schools use media to teach biology?

What various forms of media are employed in secondary school instruction?

Does the usage of media in secondary schools have an impact on student academic achievement?

iv. What difficulties do secondary schools have when employing media to teach biology?

1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES

The purpose of this study is to look into how secondary school students’ academic performance in biology is affected by teaching and learning resources. The government, curriculum designers, parents, teachers, students, and the entire country should take note of this research. This study will help clear up common misconceptions about the media that both teachers and students may have. This research will also encourage curriculum planners to create curricula that use media as a tool to promote learning and comprehension in a topic area or interdisciplinary context, and it will help educators appreciate the importance of integrating media into education.

This study will be helpful to students since it will demonstrate how the media environment aids learning in novel ways. When students can quickly select the sources they want to learn from, analyze and synthesize the information, and successfully present it, integration becomes effective. More students are participating in class and taking ownership of their own learning.

This study will show how media offers teachers a positive attitude on their career, which enables teachers to deliver more individualized education, which will be helpful to the teachers. The teacher discovers a useful technique for gathering and keeping track of student records while using media.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

The primary goal of this study is to determine how media use affects secondary school students’ biology grades. This study specifically focuses on determining the extent to which media are used to teach biology in secondary schools, examining the various media types used in secondary schools, determining whether the use of media to teach has an impact on academic performance, and examining the difficulties associated with using media to teach biology in secondary schools.

Participants in the survey for this study will be teachers and students at certain secondary schools in the Aba North LGArea of Abia State.

Limitations of the study: 1.7

Like any human endeavor, the researcher encountered a few minor difficulties while carrying out the study. The researcher decided on a small sample size because there isn’t much literature on the topic as a result of the discourse’s nature, which resulted in additional costs and time spent looking for pertinent materials, literature, or information as well as during the data collection process. Additionally, the researcher combined this investigation with other academic endeavors. Additionally, the findings cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state because only a limited sample of respondents was chosen to complete the study instrument. No matter the constraints encountered during the study, all factors were minimized to guarantee the best results and the most fruitful research.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Impact: A noticeable outcome or effect.

Media: Media are the channels of communication or the means through which data or information is held and disseminated.

Biology: The scientific study of life is known as biology. Although it is a natural science with a large reach, it is tied together as a single, cohesive field by a number of commonalities. For instance, every organism consists of cells that process genetic information that can be passed on to future generations.