PROBLEMS FACED IN TEACHINGAND LEARNING BIOLOGY PRACTICAL TOPICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OFFA LGA, KWARA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the problems faced in teaching and learning biology practical topics in senior secondary schools in Offa LGA, Kwara State. Three research questions were answered and two hypotheses were tested. The population comprised 184 respondents randomly selected in senior secondary schools in Offa local government area. Data was collected through a validated researcher-designed questionnaire with a reliability value of 0.92 from 60 Biology teachers and 124 students in Offa Local Government Areas, Kwara State, Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The findings showed that biology students and teachers encounter problem with biological concepts to real life, incorporating real-life application to Biology in teaching and learning biology among others. The results revealed that there was no significant difference in teachers’ and students in perceived problems encounter with biological concepts to real life, communication of complex biological concepts clearly and understandably and video animations. Based on the findings it was recommended that Biology teachers should explore innovative teaching methods to improve student engagement and comprehension remains essential, irrespective of perceived differences in instructional strategies