Problems of Teaching and Learning Science in Junior Secondary Schools in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Both parents and state government have repeatedly expressed the need to trace out the causes for the good results the fact that the specific goals of every state in Nigeria is to produce qualified  students for admission into institution of higher learning both within and outside the country. It has been observed that students shy away from the study of science. This is a negative attitude that brought about poor performance of students in basic science subjects. It was as a result of this that prompted the research into the problems of teaching and learning science in junior secondary schools. The research aimed at identifying the problems and suggests solution to them. As a result of these, two research questions were raised. (1) What factors are responsible for the difficulty in the teaching and learning of basic science in secondary schools?   (2) What strategies could be adopted to enhance better teaching and learning of basic science in junior secondary schools? Some factors such as quality and quantity of teaching staff, attitude of students, physical facilities, parents and government were investigated. Two different questionnaires were administered to one hundred and fifty (150) science students and twenty (20) science teachers drawn from ten (10) secondary schools in Nasarawa State in order to collect data. In administering it, Likert rating scale was used and simple mean was used to analyzed it. Some of the findings are: (a) The teaching and learning environment is not conducive (b) The foundation of teachers in science subjects is poor (c) The Students have poor foundation in science.  Based on the findings, it was recommended that (1) For effective teaching and learning to take place, the government should send science teachers for training (2) It has become necessary for Government to provide the necessary infrastructures and facilities that will enhance teaching and learning of basic science in the junior secondary schools.

Keywords: Science, Teaching, Learning, Performance