School Location and Students’ Academic Performance in Biology
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate school location and student academic performance in Biology in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. The total population of this study consisted of 2000 SS2 students in public secondary schools in the study area. The total sample of the study consisted of 150 SS2 students which were selected in the population of the study. In order to achieve this objective, two research hypotheses were postulation to guide the study. A survey research design was used. The instrument used for data collection was the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) which consisted of 15 items. Simple percentage methods were employed for easy computation and interpretation of the data. The findings of the study revealed that school location influences students’ academic performance in Biology. The study recommended that the provision of teaching aids in secondary school should be a joint effort of the parents and Ministry of Education in order to enhance the effective academic performance of the students in school. It is concluded that school should be established in a place whereby the environment is conducive for effective teaching and learning, also school location should be made clean at all time and avoid dumping of refuse near the school environment in order to avoid pollution.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The school as a formal organization has many things in common with other formal organizations such as hospitals, churches and other bodies that depend on group co-operation for the achievement of their goals and objectives. The school has its own clearly defined goals as a formal organization. Location in school young lives full of potential are molded in order to help children to grow steadily until they become mature and well-adjusted adult useful to themselves and to the society at large programme.
The school location has a certain influence on students’ academic performance in learning Biology. The personnel structures of the school represent the larger society in that the young and old, the dull and the intelligent, the normal and abnormal, the emotionally stable and the maladjusted, and the students of varying personality traits and of different socio-economic status or backgrounds.
The population of the school is broadly categorized into three main groups such as the students, the teaching and the non-teaching staff. These groups of people continuously interact in a web of communication while performing their duties on a daily basis and it is through this network of relationships that learning takes place. For this reason, both the teaching and non-teaching staff find it very difficult to perform their duties successfully. If the atmosphere created is conducive for effective teaching and learning of Biology in the same vein, Adoayin (2004) opined that the school is an institution of teaching and learning. Its purpose is to help in the development of the individual and the entire society. As an institution of teaching and learning, the school has the following attributes, location, buildings, teachers, a designed curriculum and a group of students or learners and programs.
The school’s main purpose of existence is to educate the young ones and even adults in its formal settings. It is dedicated and committed to teaching and learning. It seeks to the development of the society of which the learners are members. The school occupies an important place in the community. It is regarded as a reservoir of talent, skill, knowledge, attitude and aptitude that can be tapped for the development of the community. Knezeuich (2007) emphasized that, importance should be attached to the impact of goods workable school buildings and facilities and educational processes and methodology be applied within the system.
School Location and Students’ Academic Performance in Biology
The school location basically covers the settings of buildings and the provision of equipment and facilities. It also includes the care of the immediate school environment and surroundings. School location is the actual problem of the school which can affect the school expansion and in turn, affect the students’ academic performance in teaching and learning of Biology. The other consideration in school location includes the size, topography, soil textures accessibility and water, the potential development of the people in the community towards the development of the project and site accessibility for the students among others. The school location should be, for example, where there is a minimum of the danger of highway crossing etc.
Adamachi (2004) pointed out that, this may be connected with certain influences and factors which the students are exposed to that affect the students as the case may be. This can be within and outside the school system in a given location. Therefore, the school location in this study is taken to means all the influences or factors either environmental conditions or geographical effect or a combination of both that can act as a hindrance to students’ academic performance in Biology such includes school location, environmental factors, geographical factors, socio-economic factors and government politics among others.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
One of the most inhibiting factors against students’ academic performance in learning Biology is school location. This factor has adversely affected the students to achieve optimum results in Biology. The study of Biology is faced with serious problems in recent times. The process has affected the students in an unprecedented dimension as evident in poor learning, lack of interest in learning and poor academic performance of students in Biology. Again, the poor academic performance of students in Biology has been linked to inadequate of instructional materials teachers’ attitude to teaching, lack of qualified teachers, and lack of Biology laboratory.
For this reason, it has caused students poor academic performance in Biology. It was against this background that the study was carried out to investigate school location on students’ academic performance in Biology in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to investigate school location and students academic performance in Biology in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:
- Examine the difference in the academic performance of students in Biology based on school locations (Urban and Rural).
- Determine the difference in the academic performance of students in Biology based on gender (Male and Female).
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study will be of immense significance in the following areas:
Government: The findings of this study will be of immense benefit to the government in order to check the location of schools in both urban and rural schools.
Teachers: The findings of this study will help to enlighten and further educate teachers on the influence of school location in relation to students’ academic performance in Biology. Teachers will benefit from this study in the sense that, they will modify their teaching method to suit all categories of students in Biology.
Students: The findings of this study will be of tremendous help to students in that there will be no form of distraction from their teachers that could affect their academic performance in Biology.
The study will be of great benefit to parents who want to know the part they have to play in the overall development of their children’s academic performance in Biology.
The study will also provide bases for personal, social, educational as well as vocational counseling.
The study will give accurate information to those who want to conduct further research in the related topic.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
For the purposes of this study, two research hypotheses were formulated for the study:
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in rural areas of Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in Biology in the urban area of Oruk Anam Local Government Area.