CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Biology is a core science subject offered in the senior secondary school in
Nigeria. According to National Policy on Education NPE (2014), the objectives
of biology education includes the preparation of students to acquire adequate
laboratory and field skills in biology. In the pursuance of the stated
objectives, the content and context of the curriculum place emphasis on field
studies, guided discovery Laboratory techniques among others. Today, the
Nigerian teachers have deviated from the stated objectives, rather than
teaching biology in the natural settings, the talk and chalk approach to
teaching have become a phenomenon in most schools in Nigeria, an approach to
teaching where the teacher does the talking while the students are passive in
the learning process. Their duties only include listening and answering
questions from the teacher. Field trips are rich in educational possibilities
as students learn from actual hands-on experience rather than by simply reading
or hearing about something. The key to success in science is not just providing
students with a science immersion experience, but also enabling them to
conceptualize science as a creative process and of thinking other than a
defined body of knowledge. According to Yusuf (2011), the most natural learning
is realized through personal experience. Students involving in their work will
make them learn and enjoy it. Students who directly participate during a field
experience generate a more positive attitude about the subject. Many
researchers have investigated knowledge gain and learning that occurred during
field trips (Hudak, 2003; Kisiel, 2006a; Mawdsley, 1999; Michie, 1998; Nadelson
& Jordan, 2012; Scarce, 1997; Scribner-MacLean & Kennedy, 2007).
Research by Cwikla, Lasalle, & Wilner (2009) suggested that eighth grade
students with an interest in science were significantly more likely to acquire
science related careers than students with no interest in science. Yet, science
is often limited in elementary school curricula despite the recognized
importance of early development of science concepts and skills (Fries-Gaither
& Lightle, 2011). Teachers are in position to motivate and capture
students’ interest in the sciences. Effective methods to develop student
interest include experiential activities and field trips, which create
authentic learning opportunities for students, regardless of the content area.
However, experiential activities and field trips do not simply happen, teachers
need to understand that such activities require organization, planning, and
student reflection to maximize the learning experience, the same as
classroom-based experiential learning.
Quality of Biology education is of great concern for
stakeholders in education including educators, teachers, parents, students and
the Nigerian community at large. The underachievement of students in Biology in
different schools over the years has necessitated a series of workshop for
Biology secondary school teachers organized by the Inspectorate Division of the
Ministry of Education. Biology is one of the activity-based school subject. The
effectiveness of teaching in school can be measured by examining the method of
teaching applied by teachers and the achievement of students in the school
examination. In the measurement of students’ academic achievement in Biology as
a school subject, various tasks are undertaken within and outside the
classroom, the effectiveness of these activities lie in the instructional
methods used by the teacher. For the students of Biology to achieve the best in
the subject, teachers are expected to organize field visitation (fieldwork).
Educational visits may be organized to suitable places where fundamental
concepts, ecological process or events treated in the classroom become clearer
to the students with great comprehension. This is because, fieldtrips generally
appeal to the sense of sight, touch and hearing. Organized visits to the river
side or any Biological phenomenon make the students to see in practical what
was theoretically explained and learnt by them in the classroom. Fieldtrip is
an outing by the students to educational places of interest outside the
classroom under the guidance of a teacher or an instructor for the purpose of
getting firsthand information on people, places and things for purpose of
achieving permanency of learning experience. Fieldtrip strategy is a method of
teaching which helps to bring about an effective leaning of Biology. Fieldtrip
is far from just dishing out points to students as in traditional lecture method,
where the teacher simply becomes the expositor and drill master while the
learner remains the listener and a store house of facts that can be retrieved
when a student hear his name called by the teacher (Oganwu, 2004). This is not
to say that the traditional lecture method is completely unproductive but there
exists a difference between them. Fieldtrip is activity-based which offers
opportunity for learners to get first-hand information on people, places and
things in order to concretize their learning experience.
According to Instructional Strategies Online (2013),
fieldtrip is a study trip taken outside the classroom to obtain direct
experience from the natural setting and to improve student’s interest in
learning for collecting data, materials or objects classroom as well as to
observe objects or phenomena not possible to bring within the classroom. During
fieldtrips, the entire class visits a point of instructional interest such as
Museum, factory, Hill Mountain, inselbergs valleys, river side etc. According
to Duvall and Krepel (1981), fieldtrip is an outdoor or fieldwork or learning
exercise undertaken by the teacher and the students in certain aspect of
subject, particularly in Biology so as to give the students the opportunity to
acquire knowledge. It is a trip arranged by the school and undertaken for
educational purpose in which the students go to places where the concepts for
instruction may be observed and studied directly in their functional setting.
NERDC (2007) states that the Basic Technology curriculum reports that real-life
experiences through community resource, fieldtrip, information and
communication technology (ICT), learning and instructional materials and so
forth, should be used to facilitate teaching and learning. Meanwhile, schools
lacking the basic requirement could engage in industrial visitation through
community resource persons to share their skills, knowledge and expertise. The
adoption of this teaching strategy in schools will be of great significance as
it will help address the present issue of students’ underachievement and the
over reliance of teachers on the conventional method of teaching. Fieldtrip is
one of the major constructivist methods of teaching and learning. The teaching
strategy is student-centered and students-directed. Teachers simply facilitate
the learning task. The method allows the learner to learn through participation
and observation in the learning process. Through interaction with others,
learners come to understand what is being learned in the permanent way. The
attempt is to shift from teacher centered to learner- centered mode of
teaching. Fieldwork is a trip to places of Biological interest (Ajeagbu, 1972).
Such trips may be short or long and they may be within the school environment
and locality, and/or they could be considerable distance covering a number of
days out of the classroom. Fieldtrip is educationally valuable to Biology
teacher and students to the extent that it meaningfully relates phenomena
observed outside the classroom to the subject matter taught in the classroom.
For instance, students who were taught about various Biological phenomena would
see it for themselves and appreciate it better and relate issues each time they
are taught of Biological concepts. The importance of such a fieldtrip is made
known to the learner for his learning and his future. The particular needs and
learning experiences required for fieldtrip should adequately be provided by
the teacher. It is within this premise that the study examined the factors
affecting the use of field trip in teaching and learning of Biology in
secondary schools.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
Field trips help students appreciate the relevance and importance of what they
learn in the classroom. According to Akubuilo (2010) field-trip is a method of
teaching that involves taking the students on an excursion outside the
classroom for the purpose of making relevant observation necessary for
understanding of the topic under study. Often times such trips / excursions
enable student to obtain scientific, technological and vocational information.
Field trip offer students firsthand experience since they see and observe
processes in natural life settings. Field trip enables students to discover and
explore new information and also apply/organize previous knowledge by giving
concrete examples. Field trips are aids the teacher uses to arouse the interest
of the learner thereby enabling the learner to gain direct experience (Ilori,
2010). According to Bitgood and Stephen (2009), Field trip is a trip by
students to gain firsthand knowledge away from the classroom, as to a museum,
factory, geological area, or environment of certain plants and animals. Field
trip is a trip arranged by the school and undertaken for educational purpose in
which the students go to places where the materials for instruction may be
observed and studied directly in their natural setting. In field work, students
assume active investigative roles, thinking like a scientist and doing real
science. Direct experience with real objects and processes can give form and
meaning to primary concepts. Nature plays an active role in effective learning.
Environmental learning creates close association between the learner and the
environment thereby granting the students (learner) the opportunity to involve
the complete senses in the learning process. Field-based approach to learning
will create a platform for social learning amongst students. Field trips
provide an opportunity to involve students, parents and the teachers in the
instructional program. Students can select the place to be visited, developing
questions to ask, writing reports or thank you letters after the trip, or
evaluating the experiences. Since parents must give their permission, a letter
sent home with the permission form explaining purpose of the trip is a good way
to arouse their curiosity and encourage them to ask the student or teacher
about the trip. The parent guides their child in order to make sure that they
do not come to any harm. This role allows the parents and teachers to establish
a much closer relationship. Science education in the field centers primarily on
observational and experimental activities. The natural environment is the main
source of information for learning activities. Pupils learn how to use the
scientific methods for solving problem. They take and analyze samples, create
hypothesis and plan experiments. Also field trips offer a lot of meaningful and
educative opportunities to students. These opportunities according to Wilson
(2011) are as follows: i. Field trips provide real learning experience to
students as it provides them with the opportunities to put what they learn
through other method of teaching into practice. ii. Field trips activities give
students the opportunities to see the world. (Its cultures, diversities and
realities) for themselves. iii. Biology field trips give the students
opportunities to gather real ecological data iv. As the students go out and
study in groups during field trips, their interpersonal relationship improves as
they learn to live and work with others, supporting each other during group
learning activities. v. Field trips enhance student’s memory as the students
have been found to remember what they learn in the trips for many years.
Considering the importance of biology and the number of students doing it, it
is a disturbing situation to note that large number of students failed biology
in the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE). Statistics from the West
African Examination Council for the past six years has revealed persistent poor
performance in science subjects especially in biology (WAEC Chief Examiner’s
reports for 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015). Among the causative factors are
Biology teachers’ widespread uses of ineffective lectures and inadequate
materials or resources needed for effective teaching of biology. (Egbunonu and
Ugbaja 2012). This may be due to the fact that emphasis is primarily on
students’ poor acquisition. Thus, biology is presented to the students as a
static body of knowledge rather than a dynamic growing field of discovery.
There is need to investigate the use of more efficacious strategies in the
study of biology. The problem confronting the
research is to determine the factors affecting the use of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school. This is particularly
imperative to ensure the effectiveness of field trips and the attainment of its
objectives.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION
1 What is the nature of field trips
in teaching and learning
2 What is the significance of field
trips in teaching and learning
3 What constitute the factors
affecting the use of field trips in teaching and learning of biology in
secondary school
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE
RESEARCH
1. To determine the nature of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school.
2. To appraise the significance of field trip
3. To determine the factors affecting the use of
field trips in teaching and learning of biology in secondary school
4. To determine the extent to which biology teachers use
field trips in teaching and learning of biology
1.5 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What is the nature of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school?
2. What is the significance of field trips ?
3. What are the factors affecting the use of
field trips in teaching and learning of biology in secondary school?
4. What is the extent to which biology teachers use field
trips in teaching and learning of biology ?
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH
The research shall elucidate the nature of field
trips in teaching and learning in biology in secondary school.
Practically, the following people will
benefit from the finding of this study, student, biology teachers and the
government. The result of the study could enable the students realize the
importance of group and individual influence of field trips in the effort of
learning biology concepts. It could also help the students to become
knowledgeable in the following areas: communication, problem-solving, self-confidence
and critical thinking. These are knowledge they are expected to acquire from
practical activities which could lead to student’s improvement on their
academic achievement.
The
finding of this study will be of help to science teachers as it will enable
them understand the right field trip which could be useful in teaching and to
help the students to understand biology concepts with the abilities of carrying
out practical work successfully. The teacher will realize that biology concepts
are not taught in isolation but should be incorporated into practical work to
maximize the achievement.
The
study will make the government, through the ministry of education to realize
the need for provision of science equipment to schools and posting of qualified
biology teachers to secondary schools, it is not the issue of jack of all
trades master of non-teaching has attained professionalism and specialization.
1.7 STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS
1 Ho Teaching and learning of biology in
secondary school is low
Hi Teaching and learning of
biology in secondary school is high
2 Ho The use of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school is low
Hi The use of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school is high
3 Hi The factors affecting the use
of field trip in teaching and learning of biology in secondary school is high
1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is on the influence of field trip in
teaching and learning of biology in secondary school. The study is limited to
student in senior secondary school in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu
State. The scope is delimited on senior secondary two biology students’
achievement.
1.9 DEFINITION OF
TERMS
FIELD TRIP
Concepts of Field Trip strategy was
introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in
Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom. A field trip is a visit to a place
outside the regular classroom which is designed to achieve certain objectives,
which cannot be achieved as well by using other means. For example, if
the lesson is on “making cheese”, and if there is no hand on experience it is
very difficult to achieve the objectives. In such a lesson this strategy is
required. Field trips give opportunity for students to get out of the
classroom and experience something new. The located place for field trip can be
zoos, collages, museums, theater and schools.
LEARNING
The act, process, or experience of gaining
knowledge or skill. Knowledge or skill gained through schooling or study.
Behavioral modification especially through experience or conditioning.