AVAILABILITY OF LABORATORIES AND QUALIFIED TEACHERS FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER AND INTEGRATED SCIENCE IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOL A CASE STUDY OF UDI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA IN ENUGU

Abstract

This study was undertaken to ascertain the extent of availability of laboratories and qualified teacher for eective teaching and learning of Computer and Integrated Science in Udi Local Government Area in Enugu State. Three research questions were used as guide, the literature was reviewed under thee subheadings which include: 1. The concept of science laboratory 2. Eect of teacher’s qualification or on the teaching and learning of computer and integrated science in our secondary schools. 3. Important of equipment and materials in science laboratory and the need for adequate utilization of equipment and materials. This study adapted a linked scale design. It was carried out in Udi LGA of Enugu state. The population of the study was all the secondary school students and teachers in the field of integrated science computer science out of 19 secondary school in Udi Local, Government Area, 6 schools were randomly selected sixty students and twelve teachers from each school which gave as a total of 60 students and 12 teachers.

Were used as the sample for the study. Structured questionnaire was used for collection of data which was constructed in accordance with the research questions. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The interpretation of the data was based on real limit number of mean score. From the analysis of data, the following findings were made: 1. Students developed fear in the study of computer and integrated science because of the stories from the older students that integrated science as a subject is diicult to learn. 2. Procedures involved in the teaching and learning of computer and integrated science makes the students to feel tired of the subjects. 3. There are no adequate computer and integrated science laboratories in our secondary schools in Udi Local Government in Enugu State. 4. It was discovered that there are no adequate utilization of the available integrated science laboratories equipment in the secondary schools in Udi Local Government Area in Enugu State. It was also discovered that teachers with other science qualifications are allowed to teach computer and integrated science in our secondary schools thereby making the student to loss interest in learning because other science teachers without integrated and computer science qualification are not master of the subjects and cannot deposit what they do not have.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Science according to Attiji (2008) is a dynamic human activity concerned with understanding of working of our world. Ali (2000) believes that the word science stands for a variety of information, abilities and operations about the natural environment. He believes that science is more concerned with various investigative processes and activities with regards to developing acquiring and controlling knowledge, skills, acceptability, attitudes about the natural factors of the environment. Science is an intellectual activity through which ma seeks to understand nature. This definition emphasizes external sociology of science rather than seeing science from the academic or archival persecution, it views science as a human calling that has relevance to technology. This science is worth the study and eorts for the simple fact that it would ultimately serve economic, politically sociological and moderitizing purpose. During the 32nd ministerial council meeting of the material council on education in 2002, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to introduce computer Educations into National secondary schools system. This was followed by the migration of the National committee on computer Education the same year. The function of the committee include “planning for a dynamic policy on computer Education and literacy in Nigeria as well as devising clear strategies and terminologies to be used by the federal and state governments in introducing computer education” [Nigeria Tribuna, April 11, 2004] The general objective of the policy include: 1. Bring about a computer literate society in Nigeria by the mid 1990s. 2. Enable present secondary school children to appreciate and use the computer in various aspects employment (Report on National committee education 2000).

According to the National computer Policy (2000), the first objective is to ensure that the general populace appreciate the import of information and computer technology onto days society, the importance of its eective use and technologies that process, manages and communicate the information. Secondary general objective is to ensure that the people of Nigeria will know how the use and program computers develop soware packages, understand the structure operation of the computers and their history and appreciate the comic, social ad psychological impact of computer. The modalities and the strategies fracturing the state objective include: 1. Training teachers and associated personnel 2. Hard ware 3. Curriculum development Integrated science on the other hand came into Nigeria in 1968, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) asked (STAN) Science Teachers Association of Nigeria to review and improve science syllabus.

The written workshop was done at university of Ibadan on 1970 with laboratories and teacher guides produced and introduced into the secondary schools with this, the integrated science curriculum was introduced in 1968. Okoli (2000) stated that integrated science program evolved as a rescues operation to replace associate and uninteresting general science A laboratory is an individual or group activity involving a two-way approach, namely the exercise approach and experimental approach. Both approaches are used in the teaching of science for a number of reasons. According to caste (2000) laboratory equipments are sued in secondary schools to give meaning to verbal description of components of computer and circulatory system, Nwobu (2002). Laboratory equipment and materials offers students the opportunity to develop scientific attitude such as critical thinking and objectivity. Through laboratory student learns to handles apparatus and other instruments thereby developing manipulative skills, it also reinforce theoretical learning through reality. Therefore, for effective teaching and understanding, equipment and materials should be available in the laboratory for conceptual thinking and meaningful teaching by the science teacher. According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2000) Laboratory refers to a room where tools and equipments are kept for practical purpose mentor (2001)Added that practical work has an important role to play as it essentials for it gives students a feel for the problematic of measurement and an appreciation of the ever presence of uncertainty .Laboratory equipment refers to the various tools and equipment used by scientists working in a laboratory . Hopkin (2001) in his study on the importance of quality of teacher said that ,the most important factor in any science course of study is the teacher. Hence, students response to computer and integrated science also depends on the teacher’s qualification. Thomson (2001)Said that, we must be concerned about the high proportion of teachers serving in our schools who are inadequately qualified academically. Uzor (2004) In his study on effect of teachers qualification in teaching and learning of computer and integrated science in secondary schools in Enugu State discovered that the qualification of teachers influence the interest of the students negatively, that learning becomes ineffective and consequently leads to problem facing the teaching and learning of integrated and computer science. Soyibo (2004) Pointed out that before a science teacher could function efficiently, he must ,among other attributes, possess fairly sound academic and professional knowledge of the subject .It is very necessary that teachers of integrated and computer science should have a sound knowledge of what computer and integrated science is and how the different subjects area should be well integrated, when this is not done, it constitutes lot of problems in the learning of computer and integrated science in most schools were qualified computer and integrated science teachers are lacking.