The status of biology teaching and learning materials in selected central regional schools, Ghana

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigated constraints associated with biology teaching and learning materials in selected schools in the Central Region of Ghana. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the classroom implementation of biology curriculum. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used for the study. The target population comprised 187 biology teachers and 7790 second year biology students in all the 58 public senior high schools that offered elective biology during the 2016/2017 academic year. The accessible population however consisted of 4500 second year biology students drawn from 21 schools. The final sample comprised 106 biology teachers and 354 biology students. Factor analysis was used to perform inferential analysis and draw conclusions on the research questions. Resources for teaching and learning biology was inadequate in all schools visited. Most teachers did not organise practical activities regularly and this affected some profile dimensions suggested by the teaching curriculum. It is recommended that only qualified and experienced teachers should be employed to handle senior high school students in order to build a good and strong foundation for them.

Keywords

• Biology teaching and learning resources
• science education
• biology curriculum