A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIOLOGY PRACTICAL LESSONS IN SELECTED WELL-ENDOWED AND LESS-ENDOWED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN GHANA

The teaching and learning of biology in the Senior High Schools has of late not been very effective since the practical aspect of the subject is seemingly neglected by many teachers. The main objective of this study was to investigate and compare how biology practical lessons were conducted in some well-endowed and less-endowed Senior High Schools in Ghana. The main instruments used for gathering the data for the study were questionnaires, document analysis and informal observation of some biology lessons. This enabled the Researchers to capture as closely as possible, the real picture of what happened during the observed lessons. The sampled population for the study consisted of 408 students and 24 biology teachers from twelve selected Senior High Schools in the Eastern and Central Regions of Ghana. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. The research findings showed that the time allotted to practical lessons in biology varied from one school to another, as 35.8% of students from well-endowed schools complained of insufficiency of time as against 78.9% of students from less-endowed schools. The study also found that the teaching strategies employed in the two categories of Senior High Schools were not different. However, students from the selected well-endowed schools tend to have a greater advantage than their counterparts from the less-endowed schools, as they were exposed to less lecture method 7.4% compared to 27.9% from the low-endowment schools. To ensure efficiency in the teaching of the practical aspect of biology in the Senior High Schools, the study recommends that the government and all other stakeholders in education must supply laboratories in all Senior High Schools with the necessary equipment, materials and chemicals to enable students to develop the necessary skills, attitudes, and interest in science.