The Impact of Reducing Mathematics Component in Biology “O” Level Examinations on Student’s Performance in Mathematical Related Biology Courses at Diploma Level in Zambia

Abstract

Mathematics has played important roles in many fields of biology, and can be a powerful tool for understanding biological observed phenomena which cannot be understood by verbal reasoning alone. Quantitative questions in Zambian Biology O level examinations has kept on reducing irrespective of its importance in higher level biology courses. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the effect of reducing mathematics component in biology “O” Level examinations on students’ performance in mathematical related biology courses at diploma level. Primary data was collected using five point Likert scale questionnaire and assessment test for mathematical biology. Secondary data was collected from Zambian, Cambridge and Edexcel biology “O” Level examination question papers from 1999-2017, Syllabi for Biology and examination results for mathematical biology related courses at diploma Level.The sample size for the study was 200 education and pharmacology students from Mansa School of Nursing and Zambia College of Open and Distance Learning and 50 teachers and examiners from the surrounding schools of Mansa District.  The analysis of biology papers for the three examining bodies have revealed that International examinations had more mathematics component and it was consistent from 1999 to 2017 whilst in Zambian had less and kept on reducing from 2008 to 2017. Further, the syllabi for these examining bodies revealed that key aims and objectives are the same except that Zambian (Curriculum Development Centre) had no assessment objective weightings. The assessment test results analyzed using independent sample t-test at 0.05 level of significance revealed that students who did biology with more mathematics component performed better in mathematical related biology courses compared to the one with less mathematics component at diploma level. Further, the comparison of means of the results of pharmacology and biology education at diploma level also agreed with the outcome of the sample test.From the analysis of questionnaires for biology teachers and examiners revealed that pupil’s attitude and performance in mathematics related biology questions and the general failure rate in biology had led to the reducing of mathematics component in Zambian biology.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-30-09

Publication date:October 31^st 2021