AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF CHEMISTRY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study To the average individual, the physical world presents itself as a web of unexplained phenomena. However, science education serves as the key to unraveling these mysteries. In a technical sense, science refers to a systematically organized body of knowledge derived through observation and experimentation. According to Ugochiwu (2009), science is fundamentally used to explain, predict, and control the physical environment. Consequently, the study of science—especially its foundational concepts—is essential for human advancement, particularly if individuals are to understand their surroundings and utilize the principles embedded within them. Ugochiwu (2009) further emphasizes the global importance of science education. Within the broader discourse of science education, chemistry stands out as a core discipline. It is a branch of natural science that focuses on the composition and structure of matter and the transformations substances undergo due to molecular changes. Chemistry’s importance to both scientific and technological progress is widely recognized. As Dosmond (2005) notes, the role of chemistry in personal and national development is so vital that it has been elevated to a central subject in Nigeria’s educational framework alongside other core sciences and science-related disciplines. Inyang (2006) underscores this by stating that the deteriorating state of chemistry education in secondary schools has become a major concern for those committed to Nigeria’s scientific and technological advancement. Effective chemistry instruction should be student-centered and geared towards achieving specific learning outcomes. This can only be achieved when students are genuinely motivated to learn and when teachers effectively deliver instruction using appropriate teaching methods and instructional materials, with a clear understanding that the brain is an active processor of information (Robertson, 2002). Nonetheless, the level of chemistry comprehension in Nigeria remains inadequate. This sluggish progress has been attributed to several school-related factors and conditions, which this study seeks to explore and address. Research has consistently shown that school-related variables significantly influence learning outcomes. This is largely because the presence or absence of adequate educational resources and facilities can affect the quality of teaching and learning. Rhene (2014) categorizes these school factors to include infrastructure, facilities, personnel, learning spaces, student population, class size, overall school size, teacher expertise in subject areas, school management systems, teacher attitudes, and inadequacies in laboratory facilities. According to Chinek (2015), students are more motivated to learn when the learning environment is conducive, which in turn enhances the effectiveness of secondary school teaching and learning. Thus, the quality and availability of the above-mentioned school variables have a substantial impact on students' learning outcomes and academic performance. In light of these concerns, the present study seeks to examine how school factors influence students’ academic achievement in chemistry, with a particular focus on secondary schools in the Arewa Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Chemistry instruction is ideally designed to be both outcome-oriented and student-centered. This approach assumes that meaningful learning occurs when students are intrinsically motivated and when teachers utilize effective teaching strategies and relevant instructional resources—guided by the understanding that the human brain is not a passive recipient of knowledge (Robertson, 2002). However, in the Nigerian context, the teaching and learning of chemistry have been negatively affected by poor attitudes on the part of both students and teachers. These issues are further compounded by environmental and institutional factors such as oversized classrooms and the geographical location of schools. Given these challenges, this study aims to investigate the school-related factors that contribute to the ineffective teaching and learning of chemistry in secondary schools, with a view to identifying practical solutions. 1.3 Objective Of The Study The overall aim of this study is to investigate the Institutional Factors Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Chemistry in Secondary Schools. Hence, the study will be channeled to the following specific objectives; i.Determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between availability of educational facilities, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. ii.Determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between teacher’s level of professionalism, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. iii.Determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between class size, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. 1.4 Research Questions i.Does a significant positive relationship exist between availability of educational facilities, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools.? ii.Does a significant positive relationship exist between teacher’s level of professionalism, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools? iii.Does a significant positive relationship exist between class size, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. 1.5 Research Hypotheses The following statements will be validated in the course of this study; H01: There is no significant positive relationship between availability of educational facilities, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. H02: There is no significant positive relationship between teacher’s level of professionalism, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. H03: There is no significant positive relationship exist between class size, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. 1.6 Significance Of The Study The study expounds the causal relationship among the students and the teachers’ variable under investigation and achievement of students in chemistry. The outcome of the study assist all stakeholders in the teaching of chemistry particularly at the senior secondary school level, to fashion out appropriate strategies that would enhance teaching and learning of the subjects. Hence, the consideration of school variable and student academic achievement are important criteria in development and implementation of both curricula in instructional performance. 1.7 Scope Of The Study This study is structured to generally investigate the Institutional Factors Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Chemistry in Secondary Schools. However, the study will further determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between availability of educational facilities, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools, determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between teacher’s level of professionalism, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools, and determine whether a significant positive relationship exist between class size, and effective teaching/learning of chemistry in secondary schools. This study will be delimited to some selected secondary schools  in Arewa Dandi local government Area of Kebbi State. 1.8 Limitations Of The Study In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed.  More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world. 1.9 Definition Of Terms Class Size This is the number of students in a given classroom, especially either the number of students being taught by individual teachers in a classroom or the average number of students being taught by teachers in school. School Location A school location is referred to the community or geographical environment in which a school is located. it may be a village, rural area, small town, city or even a territory. Learning Learning is a relative permanent change on behavior resulting from experience. It is a step-by-step process in which an individual experiences permanent, lasting charges in knowledge, behavours, or ways of processing the would. Academic Performance Academic performance is defined as a raw information obtained by teachers from examination and test to use as means of accessing the level of students response to teacher’s variables. It is a raw score obtain from school recorded by teachers from various forms of achievement test he administer to a student.