Proceedings of the 18th International Academic Conference, London

THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER ON SCIENCE STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT USING PRATICAL ACTIVITIES IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE OF ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

CLARA AKUNNA ANIH, JOY JOHNBEST EGBO

Abstract:

The annual performance of students in the senior secondary school certificate examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) is unsatisfactory. Among the factors responsible for this problem are lack of practical activities and the problem of gender effect in achievement of science concepts. Three research questions were used for the study and two null hypotheses were posed to guide the study. The research design was a quasi- experimental design. Population for the study was one thousand six hundred (1600) SS II science students. A sample of one hundred and twenty students was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was Science Achievement Test (SAT) developed by the researchers. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was estimated to be 0.75 using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (P). The study showed that: the impact of practical activities on achievement of science concepts is high. Students taught using practical activities had a higher mean score than those taught with lecture method; male science students achieved higher than female science students in Science Achievement Test (SAT); there is significant difference in favour of the practical activities than the lecture method. It was recommended among others that well equipped laboratories should be provided for the schools by government.

Keywords: Gender, Practical activities, Achievement, Science.

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.018.013

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