EFFECT OF AVAILABILITY AND USE OF CHEMISTRY LABORATORIES ON STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Chemistry is the study that deals with the composition, properties and the use of matter. It probes into the principles governing the changes that matter undergoes: (Advanced Level Chemistry by John Murray). Chemistry is an incredibly fascinating field of study, because it is so fundamental to our world. Chemistry plays a role in everyone’s lives and touches almost every aspect of our existence in some way. Chemistry is essential for meeting our basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, health, energy, clean air, water and soil. Chemical technologies enrich the quality of life in numerous ways by providing new solutions to problems in health and materials and energy usage. Chemistry as one of the major sciences is concerned with the composition, structure and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergo during chemical reactions. Chemistry is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes under different conditions of temperature and pressure.

The enviable position of which Science Education system of most countries of the world, including Nigeria is perhaps justifiable. The reason is that science can exert a dominant, if not decisive influence on the life of individuals as well as on the developmental effort of a nation. (Emoron, 1958) the universal recognition of the above submission is responsible for the prime position that has been accorded since and in particular, Chemistry worldwide. If chemistry is so important to the life of individuals and the nation, then the input into teaching and learning of chemistry to enhance greater performance by the students should be of great concern but in the real sense reverse is the case. The Government policy that admission into the universities should be 60% of sciences and applied sciences and 40% arts and social sciences are often times not accomplished because there are not enough students opting for science related courses. Despite the importance of chemistry to mankind and the efforts of researchers to improve its teaching and learning, the achievement of students in the subject remain low in Nigeria. Among the factors that have been identified as responsible for the observed trend and relevant to this study are laboratory inadequacies. (Okegbile, 1996, Raimi, 1998; Bajah, 1999 and Adeyegbe, 2005)

The National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) devoted section 11 of the policy on educational services which according to the document is meant to “facilitate the implementation of education policy…and make learning experiences more meaningful for the students”. The policy goes on to specify measures in achieving the above objectives through the establishment of teachers resource centers, educational resource centers, science and mathematics centers and workshops. More so, modern Science curricula stress students’ involvement in Science activity and teachers’ use of pedagogy that moves away from teacher-dominated to student-centered. Empirical studies within and outside Nigeria have established that students achieve greater learning both in cognitive and psychomotor domain when resources are used for instructional purposes, (Ifeakor, 2006). This conforms to a Chinese proverb that says; what I hear, I forget. What I do, I understand. Students cannot ‘do’, when the facilities of ‘doing’ are not provided. Instructions given in form of practical work improve the learners’ level of understanding. Not only would the resources make Chemistry to be activity-oriented, it would also make the student centered and self reliant. The indispensability of the resources to the teaching of Chemistry cannot be over emphasized. Science laboratory is an important component in the learning of science subjects but it depends upon the degree to which it is efficiently used, only the availability of Science laboratory is not a guarantee of students’ performance until both the students and teachers actually use science laboratory facilities efficiently (Lewin, 2000). The proper use of laboratory and demonstration of experiments are the indicators of student performance. Science laboratories are important only when they are used in the school setting. If Science laboratories are provided to schools, there are three possibilities that they remain unused, used inefficiently and used efficiently. Furthermore, Science laboratories are provided to schools with deficient quality and less quantity of equipments, apparatus, materials, and chemicals owing to limited funds. However, Science laboratories may contribute to higher level of academic achievement if used effectively and properly with national commitment. Hofstein and Mamlok-Naaman (2007) described the concept of the use of science laboratory in these words: “Over the years, many have argued that science cannot be meaningful to students without worthwhile practical experiences in the school laboratory”. Unfortunately, the terms ‘school laboratory or lab and practical’ have been used, too often without precise definition, to embrace a wide array of activities. Typically, the terms have meant experiences in school settings where students interact with materials to observe and understand the natural world. Some laboratory activities have been designed and conducted to engage students individually, while others have sought to engage students in small groups and in large-group demonstration settings. Teacher guidance and instructions have ranged from highly structured and teacher centered to open inquiry. The terms have sometimes been used to include investigations or projects that are pursued for several weeks, sometimes outside the school, while on other occasions they have referred to experiences lasting 20 minutes or less. Sometimes laboratory activities have incorporated a high level of instrumentation, and at other times the use of any instrumentation has been meticulously avoided.

According to Raimi (2002) and Adeyegbe (2005), laboratory adequacy was reported to affect the performance of students in Chemistry. Likewise, about the use of laboratory, Farounbi (1998) argued that students tend to understand and recall what they see more than what they hear. Students see when they actually use laboratories in the teaching and learning of science. Similarly, Adesoji and Olatunbosun (2008) found that laboratory adequacy was also found to enhanced achievement through attendance at Chemistry workshop.

Science laboratory is a very important resource input for teaching science and is an important predictor of academic achievement. Throwing more light on school facilities and moral guiding provision, Fabunmi (1997) asserted that school facilities when provided will aid teaching learning programme and consequently improve academic achievement of students while the models guiding their provision to schools could take any form as rational bureaucratic and or political model. Whichever model is adopted, according to him, there is always a common feature of differing allocation of facilities to schools. In his words, Ojoawo (1990), however, noted that certain schools are favoured.

The teaching and learning of chemistry demand lots of time, and a lot of hard work in the area of practical and experimentation. Hence, there is need to carried out an investigation on the Effect of availability and use of chemistry laboratories on student academic performance in senior secondary school.

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1.2 Statement of Problem

In many of our secondary schools today, students perceive chemistry subject as a difficult subject because it involves imagination of objects, this was why chemistry teachers have been urged to be more practical in their approach to the teaching of chemistry.

In developing countries like Nigeria, the importance of chemistry can not be over emphasized and its teaching is therefore a sine qua non to scientific and technological advancement.

The practical approach to the teaching of chemistry requires facilities, materials and equipment.

The assessment will attempt to study the availability of these facilities and its utilization.

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1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the Effect of availability and use of chemistry laboratories on student academic performance in senior secondary school. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To find out to what extent laboratory resources are available and used in Senior Secondary Schools and how this has affected the achievement of students in Chemistry.
2. To determine the availability and utilization of laboratory resources for teaching of Chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools;
3. To assess the achievement of students based on the availability and the usage of laboratory resources.

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1.4 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• What is the availability and utilization of laboratory resources for teaching of Chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools?
• What is the achievement of students based on the availability and the usage of laboratory resources?

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1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance

H₀1: There is no significant relationship between availability of laboratory resources and achievement of students in Chemistry.

H₀2: There is no significant relationship between the utilization laboratory resources and achievement of students in Chemistry.

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1.6 Significance of Study

Finding of this study are expected to be useful since science teaching and learning is essential for success of any nation, as there is a direct relationship between achievement in science and technology on one hand and economic growth of any given country on the other. Findings of these study will also benefit the Government in planning and budgeting so as to provide enough funds to support science subjects in schools, building laboratories, train more science teachers, purchase adequate teaching and learning resources including books, teaching model, laboratory equipment, apparatus and chemicals. Furthermore, findings will hopefully influence further research on how use of laboratories may promote learning of science for development of the nation.

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1.7 Scope of Study

This study focuses on the Effect of availability and use of chemistry laboratories on student academic performance in senior secondary school in Warri-South L.G.A., Delta State. The study does not intend to evaluate the effectiveness of the uses in the teaching/learning process.

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1.8 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.9 Definition of Terms

1. Assessment: In simple term, assessment means examination or testing of laboratory facilities.
2. Laboratory Facilities: This term means all forms of educational equipment that are used to perform experiments which makes learning more easy or simple.
3. Laboratory Practice: This involves the manipulation of apparatus in an experimentally determined environment to either find out the true theoretical assumption or to disapprove such assumptions.
4. Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination: The examination taken at the end of the senior secondary school programme.
5. Instructional Media: Instructional media is a way or act in which information is being transferred to another through the use of materials or equipment or aids.
6. Technology: Technology is the application of principles in science to everyday human activities on the science of individual arts.