EFFECT OF LABORATORY APPARATUS IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BIOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN CROSS RIVER STATE

1.1 Background of the study Science and technology have grown in importance as economic and social development tools (Aggarwal, 2019). Nature has been properly exploited and converted into valuable resources for a better life in the globe thanks to science. Man has a comfortable living within society thanks to the tremendous emerging trends in science education (FGN,2020). Fundamental research in scientific education and cognitive science focuses on how individuals acquire science and apply it in their everyday lives. Scientific inquiry is the basic mechanism through which scientific information is obtained in science fields. The laboratory, where students experience the inquiry process firsthand, is one of the most reliable ways to learn the process of inquiry. The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) published a report in 2005. The focus on science teaching and learning is on ensuring that instructors can not only explain the scientific method but also subject scientific notions to the learner's sensory experience. By doing so, learners' "hands" and "minds" must be focused on scientific tasks, allowing them to learn actively and therefore engage in knowledge building learning (Aggarwal, 2019). Because biology is so important to our existence, it is a tremendously intriguing topic of study. Biology has an impact on everyone's life and is involved in practically every element of our existence. Food, clothes, housing, health, energy, clean air, water, and soil all need biological science laboratory apparatus. Biological science laboratory apparatus improve people's lives in a variety of ways by offering innovative approaches to issues in health, materials, and energy use. Biology, as one of the major sciences, is concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes that occur in the human body during chemical reactions. The reason for this is that science has a powerful, if not decisive, impact on people's lives as well as a country's development efforts (Buseri, 2020). The foregoing submission's universal acceptance is responsible for the primacy that has been attributed to it ever since, especially in the field of biology. If biology is so vital to people's lives and the nation's, then investing in biology teaching and learning to improve student performance should be a top priority, but in reality, the opposite is true. The government's goal of admitting 60 percent sciences and applied sciences and 40 percent arts and social sciences to universities is often not followed since there are not enough students interested in science-related courses. Despite the significance of biology to humanity and researchers' attempts to enhance biology teaching and learning via the use of biological science laboratory apparatus, student success in the subject in Nigeria remains poor. Laboratory deficiencies are one of the reasons that have been identified as being accountable for the observed trend and are important to this investigation (Onyegebgu, 2019; Oludipe, 2016; Simpson, 2018). The national policy on education (NPE, 2004) has a section on educational services that is supposed to "ease the implementation of education policy and make learning experiences more relevant for students," according to the text. The policy goes on to detail how teachers resource centers, educational resource centers, science and mathematics centers, and workshops would be used to achieve the stated goals. Modern Science curricula place a greater emphasis on students' participation in Science activities and teachers' use of pedagogy that shifts from teacher-dominated to student-centered. When resources are employed for instructional objectives, pupils acquire higher learning in both the cognitive and psychomotor domains, according to empirical research conducted both within and outside Nigeria (Oyediji, 2020). The importance of the biological science laboratory apparatus in biology education cannot be overstated. Science laboratory is an important component in the learning of science subjects, but its effectiveness is dependent on how well it is used; simply having a Science laboratory is not a guarantee of students' performance until both students and teachers effectively use biological Science laboratory apparatus facilities (Gbamanja, 2022). Students' performance is measured by how well they utilize the laboratory and demonstrate their experiments. Only when science labs are employed in a classroom context are they significant. If science labs are offered to schools, there are three possible outcomes: they will be left unused, inefficiently utilized, or employed effectively. Due to a lack of funds, science laboratories are provided to schools with poor quality and insufficient quantities of equipment, apparatus, materials, and chemicals. Biological Science Laboratory Apparatus, on the other hand, may help students attain better academic levels if they are employed successfully and appropriately with a national commitment. "Over the years, many have claimed that science cannot be useful to students without significant practical experiences in the school laboratory," Oludipe and Lasisi (2016) said of the notion of using scientific laboratories. Unfortunately, the phrases "school laboratory" or "lab and practical" have been thrown about too loosely to include a broad range of activities. Traditionally, the phrases have referred to activities in which students engage with things in order to observe and comprehend the natural world in a classroom context. Some laboratory activities were created and implemented with the goal of engaging students individually, while others were created with the goal of engaging students in small groups and large demonstration settings. From highly regimented and instructor-centered to unstructured inquiry, teacher leadership and instructions have varied. The phrases have been used to refer to studies or projects that span many weeks, sometimes outside of school, but they have also been used to refer to experiences that last 20 minutes or less. Laboratory operations have included a high degree of instrumentation at times, while the use of any equipment has been carefully avoided at other times. According to Florendo (2017) and Buseri (2021), laboratory adequacy has an impact on students' biology performance. Similarly, Dienya (2019) suggested that students absorb and remember what they see more than what they hear when it comes to the utilization of laboratories. When labs are used in the teaching and learning of science, students notice. Similarly, Achimagu (2018) discovered that attending a biology workshop improved laboratory adequacy and therefore achievement. Biological Scientific Laboratory Apparatus is a critical resource input for science education and a strong predictor of academic success. In order to shed more light on school facilities and moral guiding provision, Olufuke (2019) asserted that, when provided, school facilities will aid teaching learning programs and, as a result, improve students' academic achievement, while the models guiding their provision to schools could take any form, including rational bureaucratic and political models. Regardless of the methodology used, he claims that there is always a difference in the distribution of facilities to schools. Chukwuemeka (2018), on the other hand, said that particular schools are favored. Biology education and learning need a significant amount of time and effort in the areas of practical and experimental work. Hence, there is need to carried out an investigation on the effect of laboratory apparatus in the teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary Schools in Obanliku Local Government Area, Cross River State. 1.2 Statement of the problem The laboratory has been highlighted as the center of a strong scientific curriculum, allowing students in schools to get experience that is aligned with scientific literacy objectives (Mathew, 2018). Practically based subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and agriculture make up a large part of hands-on learning, and if they are not taught properly, students' education will be negatively impacted, resulting in poor performance, low quality understanding of subject matter, and low half-baked students in science subjects, which further leads to students' imaginative perception that science subjects are difficult to achieve (Ango, 2020). The study of biology teaching and learning is a fundamental goal of Nigerian education. The attainment of these goals requires the involvement of both the government and private school owners, as well as classroom instructors. In order to achieve the goal of the emphasis placed on the importance of biological science laboratory apparatus in the teaching of biology in senior secondary schools at all levels of our educational system, there is a great need for proper provision and biology science laboratory apparatus in the teaching of biology also utilization of instructional materials (Ango, 2020). The provision and improvement of biology scientific laboratory apparatus, as well as their right use in giving instructional on biology lessons, would surely increase the subject's teaching and learning outcomes, as well as the learners' learning outcomes. Despite widespread agreement on the necessity and role of biology in biology education, these resources are in little supply and poorly used by instructors (Oludipe,2016). The lack of these biology scientific Laboratory Apparatus, as well as their inadequate application, has resulted in widespread failure in biology examinations in most schools.Therefore the study seeks to examine the effect of laboratory apparatus in the teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary Schools in Obanliku Local Government Area, Cross River State . 1.3 Objective of the study The general objective of this study is to examine the effect of laboratory apparatus in the teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools in Obanliku Local Government Area, Cross River State. Specifically, the study will be guided under the following objectives: i. To investigate the availability of laboratory apparatus in senior secondary school in Obanliku LGA. ii. To find out whether the utilization of laboratory apparatus by teachers enhances teaching of biology. iii. To examine whether the use of laboratory apparatus by teachers makes learning of biology interesting. iv. To evaluate whether the use of laboratory apparatus improves student academic performance in biology. 1.4 Research Questions The following questions have been prepared for this study: i. Is there an availability of laboratory apparatus in senior secondary school in Obanliku LGA? ii. Does the utilization of laboratory apparatus by teachers enhances teaching of biology? iii. Will the use of laboratory apparatus by teachers makes learning of biology interesting? iv. Will the use of laboratory apparatus improves student academic performance in biology? 1.5 Research hypotheses The following null hypotheses have been formulated for this study; H01: There is no availability of laboratory apparatus in senior secondary schools in Obanliku LGA. H02: The utilization of laboratory apparatus by teachers will not enhances teaching of biology. H03: The use of laboratory apparatus by teachers will not make learning of biology interesting. H04: The use of laboratory apparatus will not improve student academic performance in biology. 1.6 Significance of the study This study will examine the effect of laboratory apparatus in the teaching and learning of biology. Hence the study will be significant to the following: Government: this study will be significant to the government as they are the ones responsible in the policy making concerning education, it will also improve the extent to which the government provide biological science laboratory apparatus for teaching of Biology. The teacher’s efforts at improvisation and utilization of these biological science laboratory apparatus will endear the subject of Biology to students of Biology to students. The study is also significant as it will help to find out some of the factors that hinder the utilization of biological science laboratory apparatus. The rate at which students record and their performance improved. The society at large will also enjoy the services of well trained and capable users of this all biological science laboratory apparatus. Academia: this study is significant to the academic community as it will contribute to the existing literature on effect of laboratory apparatus in the teaching and learning of biology. 1.7 Scope of the study This study will investigate the availability of laboratory apparatus in senior secondary school in Obanliku LGA. The study will also find out whether the utilization of laboratory apparatus by teachers enhances teaching of Biology. The study will further examine whether the use of laboratory apparatus by teachers makes learning of Biology interesting. Lastly, the study will evaluate whether the use of laboratory apparatus improves student academic performance in Biology. Hence the study will be delimited to senior secondary Schools in Obanliku Local Government Area, Cross River State . 1.8 Limitation of the study Just like any other research, ranging from unavailability of needed accurate materials on the topic under study, inability to get data were among the challenges of the researcher. Financial constraint, was faced by the researcher, in getting relevant materials and in printing and collation of questionnaires. Time factor: time factor pose another constraint since having to shuttle between writing of the research and also engaging in other academic work making it uneasy for the researcher. 1.9 Definition of terms Laboratory: a room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching, or for the manufacture of drugs or chemicals. Teaching: the occupation, profession, or work of a teacher. Learning: the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught. Biology: the study of living organisms, divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, origin, and distribution.