Effect of utilization of biology teaching and learning resources on students' academic performance in secondary schools in Siaya District - Kenya
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Date
2014
Authors
Ong'amo, Bernard Lawrence
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Abstract
This study sought to find out the effects of utilization of biology teaching and
learning resources on students' academic performance. The study was carried
out in public secondary schools in Siaya District. The researcher used a sample
of twenty-three schools drawn from ninety two public secondary schools.
They were selected through stratified random sampling. The teacher
respondents were purposively or randomly sampled. Purposive sampling was
used to choose an experienced teacher where two or more teachers taught
biology in form two classes and the teacher was the most experienced. Where
there existed more than one long serving and experienced teachers teaching
form two classes, random sampling was employed to pick one of them for
interview. Student respondents were chosen through random sampling in
single sex schools and stratified random sampling in mixed schools.
Headteachers from each of the sampled schools were selected for personal
interview. The data were collected using questionnaires, checklists,
observation schedules and interview guides for headteachers. Observation
schedules were used by the researcher to ascertain use of resources by teachers
and learners and the resultant tests used to determine the score differences in
achievement between classes taught using resources and those taught without
resources. Interviews with headteachers of schools were used to countercheck
the information given by teachers and students on utilization of resources. The
findings of the study established that textbooks were the most widely used
teaching and learning resources while audio visual resources were the least
used. The resources were mainly bought by the headteachers and very few
improvised by teachers. The textbooks in schools were inadequate and had to
be shared by students who could not buy their own or borrow from friends. It
was also observed that schools that were endowed with abundant resources
were performing much better than those schools with few resources. The
researcher's assessment during live lesson teaching using observation schedule
showed that students taught using teaching and learning resources performed
better than those taught without the use of resources. The research also
established that availability or utilization of resources was not the only factor
determining student's academic performance but other factors like teacher's
qualification, pedagogy, attitudes and students entry behaviour also playa role
in the levels of students' academ ic performance.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of master of education in the school of education of Kenyatta University, 135p. April, 2014