The Impact of Media on Secondary School Students’ Performance in Biology

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Biology is a natural science concerned with life on Earth. How the world is organized, how it operates and what these functions are, how it evolves, how life originated, and how living things interact with one another and their surroundings (Umar, 2022). Among these include medical, pharmacy, nursing, agriculture, forestry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology (Ahmed & Abimbola, 2022).

Biology is considered one of the key courses in the curriculum of secondary schools. Due to its significance, more pupils registered in biology for the senior secondary school certificate exam (SSCE) than in physics or chemistry (West African Examination Council, 2021). At the senior secondary school level, biology is taught to students as a foundation for human development, where career skills are honed, and potentials and talents are recognized and fostered (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2022). The quality and amount of scientific education that secondary school students get is focused on fostering the development of future scientists, technologists, engineers, and related professionals ( Kareem, 2022).

Despite the significance and popularity of biology among Nigerian students, senior secondary school performance has been dismal (Ahmed, 2022). The upshot of this educational failure is that Nigeria may face labor shortages in scientific and technology-related fields. This may hinder Nigeria’s goal of becoming one of the world’s 20 industrialized nations by 2030.

One of the key issues leading to the low performance of students in biology at the senior secondary school level in Nigeria is the use of ineffective teaching strategies (Ahmed & Abimbola, 2022). The convectional teaching approach is classroom-based and comprises of teacher-led lectures and direct instruction. This technique focuses on learning through the constant direction of the instructor. Students are required to listen to and learn from lectures. Instead of fostering interaction, question-asking, and comprehensive comprehension, the teacher frequently speaks directly to the students. The majority of classes employ rote learning, in which students rely on memory without a comprehensive comprehension of the material. To finish the program, just passing the examinations, which consist of descriptions, matching, and other types of indications, is necessary (Adegoke, 2022).

Students become passive rather than active learners due to the persistent employment of this strategy. It does not encourage perceptive learning and long-term memory of some complex biological notions (Ahmed, 2022).

Based on study findings, educators recognize the urgent need to reassess the approaches and methods of senior high school education. To solve these obstacles, a technology-supported instructional system for meaningful learning is required. In the 21st century, a stimulating and engaging approach should be promoted to assist students in learning, comprehending, and retaining biological topics and to support their future engagement. According to Moreno & Mayer (2022), one of the potential ways incorporates multimedia presentations supported in visual and verbal forms and complemented by images, animations, texts, and narrative.

Media refers to the instructional delivery mechanism. Students’ attention and retention might be stimulated and maintained by the application of a multimedia educational strategy (Adegoke, 2022). When using multimedia to teach genetics, Starbek, Eriavec, & Peklai (2010) found that students had greater knowledge retention and understanding than other groups. Similarly, Achebe (2022) and Gambari & Zubairu (2008) discovered that students who were taught food and nutrition at the senior secondary school level and pupils who were taught primary science at the nursery and primary school levels performed better and retained more information than students who were taught using traditional methods.

According to Kim & Gilman (2022), successful multimedia training requires the use of learning theories. Mayer and his colleagues, for instance, proposed six principles of multimedia learning. (a) the multimedia principle – students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone; (b) the spatial contiguity principle – students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented close or next to each other rather than far apart on the page or screen; (c) the temporal contiguity principle – students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively; and (d) the coherence principle – students learn better when there is coherence between words and pictures (Mayer, 2022).

According to Adegoke (2022), all six principles have been repeatedly supported by empirical research, discovered that the redundancy principle does not apply to typical classroom circumstances. In his study, Muller (2022) stated that adding intriguing material to a typical classroom setting might assist sustain the learners’ interest.

Other study demonstrates the effectiveness of animation and its favorable effects on instructional message design. Nusir, Alsmadi, Al-Kabi, & Shardqah (2022), for instance, discovered that computer animation learning courseware had favorable effects on students’ academic performance and accomplishment level (high and low).

Moreno & Mayer (2022) & Tabbers (2022) discovered that the learning outcomes of students who studied biology with the courseware version of animation and narration were superior to those of their peers who studied biology with animation and on-screen text or animation and narration and on-screen text. Mayer & Anderson (2022) found that combining animation and narrative enhanced learning. However, Grobe and Struges, quoted by Saibu (2022), discovered that those taught using conventional techniques got a slightly higher mean posttest score than those taught with audio-tutorial (narration) approaches.

Mubaraq’s (2022) studies on animation + narration + on-screen text revealed that a still image is superior to (sound) words, animation is superior to a still image, and sound is superior to silence. This was supported by Adegoke (2022) & Chuang (2022), whose studies examined the effect of animation, narration, and on-screen text-based materials when used concurrently; the results showed that students in the animation + narration + onscreen text group scored significantly higher on the postbiology achievement test than their colleagues in the animation + narration only group, as well as those in the animation + narration + onscreen text group. In addition, these investigations contradicted the redundancy principle. However, Okwo and Asadu (2012) indicated that three medium (video, audio + image, and audio) were found to be equally effective for teaching Biology, with no significant impact differences across the methods.

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The current state of biology education is dismal. The results of the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) for biology students in Nigeria are extremely alarming, given that these children will become scientists in the future.

According to the West African Examination Council 2009-2014 Annual Report, the percentage of Nigerian students who completed biology at the credit level (A1-C6) has remained below 50 percent for the previous five years (2009-2014).

Based on study findings, educators recognize the urgent need to reassess the approaches and methods of senior high school education. To solve these obstacles, a technology-supported instructional system for meaningful learning is required. In the 21st century, a stimulating and engaging approach should be promoted to assist students in learning, comprehending, and retaining biological topics and to support their future engagementștiinștiin According to Adegoke (2022), Kuti (2022), Mayer, Dow & Mayer (2022), and Moreno & Mayer (2022), one of the potential ways incorporates multimedia presentations supported in visual and verbal forms and enhanced with images, animations, texts, and narrative.

It is widely acknowledged that multimedia remains the key to enhancing educational results. Biology education has not yet addressed the extent to which this has been accomplished. This study examines the impact of teaching and learning media on the Biology performance of secondary school students.

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of media on secondary school students’ performance in biology. Specifically, this study seeks to:

i.          To find out the extent media is used in teaching biology in secondary schools.

ii.        To examine the differnt types of media used in teaching in secondary schools.

iii.      To find out whether the use of media to teach impacts on academic performance.

iv.      To examine the challenges of using media in the teaching of biology in secondary schools.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          To what extent is media used in teaching biology in secondary schools?

ii.        What are the differnt types of media used in teaching in secondary schools?

iii.      Does the use of media to teach in secondary schools impacts on academic performance.

iv.      What are the challenges of using media in the teaching of biology in secondary schools?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study’s objective is to investigate the impact of teaching and learning media on the academic performance of secondary school students in Biology. This research is significant for students, teachers, parents, the government, curriculum developers, and the nation as a whole. This study will aid in correcting media misconceptions held by both students and teachers. This research will also assist educators to recognize the need to integrate media into education, and it will motivate curriculum planners to build curricula that use media as a tool to increase learning and comprehension in a topic area or interdisciplinary context.

For the students, this study will be beneficial to them because it will show how media environment helps students to study in unprecedented ways. Effective integration is achieved when students can pick media to receive knowledge in a timely manner, evaluate and synthesize the material, and effectively deliver it. Students are more involved in the class and take responsibility for their own learning.

It will be beneficial to the teachers as this study will reveal how media gives teachers an optimistic outlook on their profession which makes teachers able to deliver more tailored instruction. Using media, the instructor also finds a handy method for collecting and maintaining student records.

 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Mainly, this study is focused on examining the impact of media on secondary school students’ performance in biology. Precisely, this study is focused on finding out the extent media is used in teaching biology in secondary schools, examining the differnt types of media used in teaching in secondary schools, finding out whether the use of media to teach impacts on academic performance and examining the challenges of using media in the teaching of biology in secondary schools.

Teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Aba North LGArea of Abia State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

As with any human endeavor, the researcher experienced small impediments while performing the study. Due to the scarcity of literature on the subject as a result of the discourse’s nature, the researcher incurred additional financial expenses and spent additional time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as during the data collection process, which is why the researcher chose a small sample size. Additionally, the researcher conducted this inquiry in conjunction with other scholarly pursuits. Additionally, because only a small number of respondents were chosen to complete the research instrument, the results cannot be applied to other secondary schools outside the state. Regardless of the limits faced throughout the investigation, all aspects were reduced to ensure the best outcomes and the most productive research.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact: A marked effect or influence.

Media: Media are the communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data.

Biology: Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary information encoded in genes, which can be transmitted to future generations.