The status and impact of practical activity in biology at Kintampo Senior High School

Abstract

The study investigated the status and impact of practical activity in biology at Kintampo Senior High School(SHS) in the Bono East Region of Ghana. The main objective of the study was to assess the status of practical activity in Biology and its impact on students’ academic achievement in Kintampo SHS. The specific objectives were to determine the practical skills that are taught in Biology practical lessons in the school, to determine the practical skills that are taught in Biology practical lessons in the school; to find out the extent to which students’ attitude towards Biology practical lessons affects their performance in Biology practical examination; to determine how often SHS 3 Biology students perform Biology practical to acquire practical skills in Biology and to determine the extent to which the organisation of Biology practical lessons impact the performance of SHS3 Biology students in Kintampo SHS.A sample size of 72 Biology students and 6 Biology Teachers were selected for the study. Biology Practical Performance Tests (BPPT), Questionnaire, structured interviews and classroom observation were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used in analysing the quantitative data. The findings show that, although there was evidence that Biology teachers in the school organise Biology practical lessons for their students, they did not use the appropriate pedagogy and methodology in teaching. The methods used in teaching the biology practical did not allow the students to inculcate the biology practical skills which were needed in their study of Biology. The following were some of the findings of the study; 1 out of the 4 Biology practical skills was taught by the Biology Teachers 87.5% of the respondents responded that poor attitude affects their perfomamce,84.73% of the Biology teachers organizes practical for their students,93.05% responded that frequent Biology practical influences performance. The following recommendations were made; Teachers in Kintampo SHS should teach; observation, interpretation, classification and drawing (biology practical skills) in their biology practical classes and the teachers should employ inquiry-based learning in their teaching of the biology practical skills.