AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF BIOLOGY LABORATORY FACILITIES AND STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OGOJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE

Effiong, Effiom Etim, Ph.D

08162580639

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ORCHID ID: 0009000787449191

Department of Biology Education

Faculty of Science Education

University of Calabar

Calabar

Inyene-Obong Sunday Umoh

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Department of Biology Education

University of Calabar, Calabar

Abstract

The present study examined the availability and utilization of biology laboratory facilities as predictors of students' academic performance in Biology in secondary schools in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 2,184 Senior Secondary II (SS II) 52 Biology teachers from the 26 public secondary schools in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State. A sample of 420 respondents, consisting of 390 SS II Biology students and 30 Biology teachers, was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using two instruments: such as Availability and Utilization of Biology Laboratory Facilities Questionnaire (AUBLFQ) and Biology Achievement Test (BAT) developed by the researcher to measure students' academic performance in Biology. The instruments were validated by experts in Biology Education and Measurement and Evaluation, University of Calabar. Reliability of the questionnaire was established using Cronbach's alpha, yielding an overall coefficient of .89, while the reliability of the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was determined using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20), which yielded a coefficient of .83. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that both the availability and utilization of biology laboratory facilities had significant positive relationships with students' academic performance in Biology. The study concluded that adequate provision and effective utilization of biology laboratory facilities significantly enhance students' academic performance in Biology. Consequently, it was recommended that government and school administrators provide well-equipped Biology laboratories and encourage regular practical activities to improve students' achievement in Biology.

Keywords: Biology Laboratory Facilities, Availability, Utilization, Biology Achievement Test, Academic Performance, Secondary Schools. Download PDF