PERCEPTION OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ON TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE AND COMPETENCE IN BASIC SCIENCE TEACHING IN SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA. A RESEARCH PROJECT TOPIC ON SCIENCE EDUCATION
ABSTRACT
This study investigated perception of junior secondary school students on Teachers’ Attitude and Competence in Basic Science teaching in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey method was employed in the study. The population consists of 4,823 JS III students and sample consists of 342 JS III students drawn from nine (9) secondary schools within Sokoto State. Stratified sampling technique was used to select the schools where respondents were drawn. Four research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The instruments for data collection was 40 items questionnaire designed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by experts including my supervisors. The reliability index for attitude is 0.74 while that of competence is 0.78. Analysis of data was done using simple percentage and Chi- square statistical tools were used to analyze the data collected from the field. The major findings of the study are, Majority of Junior secondary schools students in Sokoto State perceived that their Basic science teachers’ have positive attitude in dis-charging their duties i.e teaching. There is no significant difference in the perception of male and female JS III students on the Attitude of Teachers Teaching Basic Science as a subject in junior secondary schools located in Sokoto State. The study recommended among others that teachers of Basic science should try as much as possible to show positive attitude to the teaching of the subject.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Science in modern time becomes critical factor in the determination of the economic well being of any nation. Science is acknowledged as an important part of every child’s education. The role of science in a society cannot be overemphasized; it is explicitly clear that classification of countries according to their status reflect levels of science and technology advancement (Soyibo, 1983). Wasagu (2007) observed that the present demarcation where some countries are referred to as developed, developing and underdeveloped is nothing but enmeshing bluntant truth in obscured language. The classification is rather scientific or technological. It simply refers to scientific and technologically literate societies or nations and scientifically illiterate ones of which Nigeria is third ranked after Pakistan and Bangladesh.
