Abstract
This study, gender
differences and students academic performance in Biology was performed in
selected secondary schools in Eket L. G. A.
the population of the study comprised of all science teachers in public
secondary schools in Eket. A sample population of 100 science teachers drawn
from five (5) pre-sampled hypotheses were formulated to guide the study.
Questionnaire was the instrument used to gather data. Data generated was
analyzed using the chi-square (X2) statistics. The
result was checked at 0.05 level of significance. from the result of analysis,
al the three null hypothesis were rejected. Hence there was a significant
relationship between gender difference and academic performance; there is a
significant influence of gender factors on the students’ performance, there is
a significant difference between students’ gender and his / her attitude
towards learning. From the result, it is hereby recommended that students be
given guidance counseling to address the inferiority complexes perceived in the
students. Teachers should expose all the students equally without reference to
gender. Chauvinism should be practiced in the classroom.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction and Theoretical Background
It is important to realize that formal education as provided in schools is one of the permanent forces which influences boys and girls to acquire educational development expected of them.
Education changes the behaviour of individuals to be useful and acceptable members of the community. National Policy on Education (1981), has maintained that “children be allowed to attain equal educational level despite sex, class and religion. Some years ago girls where only assumed to do working, work and follow the mother to the farm.
Nowadays, woman studied to become medical doctors, professional teachers, nurses even some are engineers just like their male counterparts.
Akpan (2001) opines that girls are the young female of human race, a wife and a mother to be, a mistress and a female sex of the creation. She is the other sex of the two sexes that exist in the world. She is biologically a woman like her male but only the womb makes the differences.
The womb found in a girl is a reservoir for life in a woman, natural incubators, beside every other thing girls are equal to boys.
Academically their performance depend on their effort and potentiality of the girl. Biology is the science which study living things, but living things have certain characteristics which distinguish them from non-living things. They grow, respire, excrete, respond, reproduce and eventually die.
The experts who are handling biology are called Biologist. The wide range of knowledge which variable today and discovery of physics and chemistry have helped biologist to understand more about living organisms. Biology is one of three core subjects which is taught in secondary schools as science, it explains their structure, functions, evolutionary development and surrounding. It is divided into two branches Zoology and Botany. Those two sections break into such area as: Anatomy, Physiology and embryology which deal respectively with the structure, the function and the development of organisms.
Beside, a number of students perceives Biology as relatively an easy subject compared with other science subject. Since biology is usually considered as the easiest of the science subject which the students is expected to offer. It belongs to a large number of students who form themselves into groups; called peer group; students interest towards learning and teaching in selected secondary schools could be attributed to a number factors from the perceptions of biology by differences students group which can lead to either positive or negative attitude to the study of biology.
This can be so because the group constituting an influential socialization factors among the pre-adolescent and adult stage of human development and this in turn influences their behavioural pattern and communication skills not strongly on the sex differences. The way learners perceives the status of the condition around their environment constitute a major determination of how they learn and appreciate concepts in a given subject like biology. It is widely observed that learning of a particular course is best handled by effective teaching of the subject by the teacher improvement of the course is done by students’ interest and their positive attitude towards biology.
This can be so because the group constitute an influential socialization factors among the pre-adolescent and adult stage of human development and this slow the learning attitude of students.
Okpala (2004) opines that effective learning is governed by the ability to understand what is being taught. It is exaggeration that children without knowledge of biology are likely to be under develop despite sex as Biology open the learners mind to the world around them to see and appreciate nature. Biology instruction require systematic approach, which must as a matter of seriousness be backend up with achievement of good academic result. The teaching of Biology require dedicated teachers who should not see teaching as a last resort.
