INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES AND STUDENT’S ACADEMY PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA
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ABSTRACT
The study investigated the influence of school facilities and student’s academic performance in physics in Public Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. To guide the study, five specific objectives, five research questions, and five null hypotheses were formulated. The design adopted for this study was survey design. The target population of the study was 1132 students from which 100 students were sampled randomly. The study used simple random sampling to select two public co-educational schools out of ten (10) schools in the study area. A researcher self-developed questionnaire formed the instrument for data collection. A 25-item questionnaire was used to get data from the respondents. Two experts validated the instruments and a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient method was employed to ensure the reliability of the instrument. The reliability coefficient was .90. Students t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The result of the findings shows that there is a significance influence between school facilities in student’s academic performance in physics. Some useful recommendations were made one of which is that schools should be provided with functional libraries equipped with current reading materials to help enhance both the student’s academic performance and the teachers’ effectiveness in academic activities in the school.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
Education is very important in any given society. It is a process by which the society establishes to assist young Individuals to learn and understand the heritage of the past, participate productively in the society and contribute meaningfully to the development of the society (Ugwanyi, 2003). This suggests that a nation that lacks sound educational culture and philosophy stands the risk of decay.
School facilities have been observed as potent factor to qualify education. It’s importance to the teaching and learning process cannot be over-emphasized. Effective learning can occur through one’s interaction with the facilities that are available to facilitate students learning outcome. This facility goes a long way to enhance students’ performance. These facilities include laboratory, library, school building, classrooms and furnitures, among others.
Laboratory has been conceptualized as a room or a building specially built for teaching and conducting experiments. The effect of using laboratories in teaching and learning of physics and other science related courses is that students tends to understand and recall what they see and touch than what they hear. Laboratory is essential to the teaching of physics and therefore a central position in physics instruction. Laboratory stimulates students interest as they are made to personally engage in useful scientific activities and experimentation. It also promotes the acquisition of basic skills and scientific method of solving problems as well as long term memory of facts.
No science course, especially physics can be considered as complete without including some practical works. Olarewaju (2004) claims that only few schools have science laboratory which are well equipped to carry out scientific experiments in physics and other science courses. An ill-equipped laboratory is no difference from a school without any laboratory. Schools with well-equipped laboratories have better results in the school certificate science examination than those that are ill-equipped.
At secondary school level, practical work is even more important because of the fact that learning by doing and applications are emphasized in the curriculum. It is an established truth that an object handled impresses itself more firmly on the mind than the object merely seen from a distance or in an illustration. Thus, practical work forms an important feature in any science course (UNESCO 2008).
The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary described library as a building or room in which collection of books, tapes and newspapers are kept for people to read, study or borrow.
Library is an essential factor in teaching-learning process. It forms one of the most important educational facilities. The educational process functions in a world of books. The chief purpose of a school library is to make available to students, at convenience, all books, periodicals and other reproduced materials which are of interest and value for learning. A library supports all functions of school-teaching and provides service and guidance to its readers. It must be well equipped and up-to-date, if not, it will have no effect on students’ academic performance.
Sadly, many schools operate without libraries or an organised school library. This spells doom to many secondary school students and had affected their academic performance. Academic performance correlates with well-equipped library. Definitely schools with well-equipped libraries will experience immense academic performance while schools without libraries experience poor or low academic performance.
School building is another variable that could influence learning. Many research findings have shown that the success of any educational endeavour rest on the availability of physical facilities especially the school building. The availability of the school building contribute to good academic performance as they enhance effective teaching and learning activities. The Encyclopedia of Educational Research recorded that the total environment within a school building should be comfortable, pleasant and psychologically uplifting. It should be able to provide to its occupant (students) a feeling of wellbeing. Schools without ceilings, doors, windows, classroom floors that have not been concreted has a way of reducing students’ academic performance because the environment the students find themselves is not comfortable and conducive. Mgbodile (2004) pointed out that for effective teaching and learning situation, school building and educational goals should be viewed as being interwoven. Apart from protecting the pupils from the sun, rain, heat and cold, school building represents learning environment which has great impact on the comfort, safety and performance of the students.
A classroom is a learning space, a room in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds. The classroom attempts to provide a space where learning can take place uninterrupted by outside distractions. A conducive classroom is very important in teaching physics. A conducive classroom, with adequate spacing, lightening, ventilations and designs goes a long way in enhancing the academic performance of physics students. Theoretical aspects of physics are mostly taught in classrooms, because it appears to be safer and free from any form of accidents, unlike using the laboratory.
According to Dada (2004) anyone who is familiar with classrooms in Nigeria will certainly agree that no meaningful teaching/learning activities can effectively take place in most of them. The problem is that where there is a classroom, and its overcrowded to the extent that the rooms originally meant for between 30 or 40 students now take between 60 and 80 students with a good number of students sitting on windows, bare floors or under the tree to receive lectures. This situation does not ease free movement of teachers and students, hence can affect teaching and learning process.
Furniture plays an important part in the physical and mental welfare of students. Great care should be taken in providing furniture. But this is also true that sufficient furniture, good apparatus and useful appliances in the hands of a class teacher can produce results which cannot be obtained under any other circumstances.
In order to guarantee success and an improved academic performance of physics students, the above school facilities cannot be left out or be in a state of dilapidation.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The influence of school facilities in the development and growth of the educational sector cannot be over emphasized. Many schools in Nigeria today do not have adequate and functional school facilities that can make teaching and learning easy and enjoyable to both the teachers and students. Most times, there is a high level of inadequacy in the provision of the school facilities, especially the laboratories, classrooms and libraries.
Students and teachers in the science courses like physics finds it difficult to experiment and carryout practical in schools. The resultant effect is that most physics students perform poorly in internal and external examinations like WAEC, NECO and GCE.
Due to lack of provisions of libraries and sufficient classrooms in the school, year after year, the academic performance of physics students continues to go down, this is because so much cannot be achieved without the school facilities put in place. Infact, the inadequacy of school facilities in our secondary schools and its immense influence on the academic performance of students is what prompted the investigation of this study.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find out the possible influence school facilities have on student’s academic performance in physics in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the objectives are:
i. To determine the influence of school building on the students’ academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
ii. To determine the influence of school laboratory on the students’ academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
iii. To determine the influence of school library on the students’ academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
iv. To determine the influence of class rooms on the students’ academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
v. To determine the influence of furniture on the students’ academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area.
1.4 Research Questions
These research questions were raised for the study:
i. What is the influence of school building on students academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area?
ii. What is the influence of school laboratory on student’s academic performance in physics public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area?
iii. What is the influence of school library on student’s academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area?
iv. What is the influence of classrooms on student’s academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area?
v. What is the influence of furnitures on student’s academic performance in physics in public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated for the study:
i. School building will not significantly influence student’s academic performance in physics.
ii. School laboratory will not significantly influence student’s academic performance in physics.
iii. School library will not significantly influence student’s academic performance in physics.
iv. Classrooms will not significantly influence student’s academic performance in physics.
v. Furnitures will not significantly influence student’s academic performance in physics.
1.6 Significance of the Study
It is hoped that students will benefit from this study because they would be able to have proper insight and understanding that lack of facilities in the secondary schools will adversely affect their academic performance.
Teachers, it is hoped, would through the study come to terms with the fact that the provision of adequate facilities will help both students and teachers to facilitate the teaching and learning processes. The school authorities would utilize the findings and recommendations of this study to find solutions to the problem of inadequate provision in our secondary schools. They would through this study understand better the effect of inadequate facilities on academic performance of students.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
School facilities have a great influence on student’s academic performance in physics. This study concentrated mainly on school facilities such as laboratories, libraries, school buildings, classrooms and furniture in selected public senior secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The following terms were defined as used in the study for clarity and understanding:
School facilities: It’s refers to both the physical and material resources available to the students in the school to facilitate the learning process. Examples of school facilities are school building, laboratories, libraries, classrooms and furniture, amongst others.
Laboratory: A laboratory is a room equipped for scientific experiments and teachings. It is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific experiments and may be carried out by physics students.
Library: A library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to students for reading or borrowing.
School Building: A school building refers to a physicals or tangible structure which serve as shelter for educational activities.
Academic Performance: This means the level of attainment on what the students have been able to achieve in terms of success in examination.