INVESTIGATING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AVAILABILITY OF LABORATORY FACILITIES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ZAMFARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated relationships between Utilization of Laboratory Facilities and Academic Performance of Students in Biology in Senior Secondary Schools in Zamfara State, Nigeria. A total of sixty three (63) schools were sampled from the four Educational Zones of the State. Three hundred and seventy five (375) students and one hundred and fifty- five (155) teachers were selected using stratified sampling technique. The research instruments were Biology Laboratory Facility Checklist (BLFCL) for teachers and Students Utilization of Biology Laboratory Facilities (SUBLF). The Students Utilization of Biology Laboratory Facilities has reliability coefficient of 0.71 which was used. Descriptive survey design was used. Three null hypotheses were tested. Spearman’s Rank order and t-test statistics were used to determine relationship and differences at p ≤ 0.05. The major findings from the study are: a.) There is no Adequate Functional Biology Laboratory Facilities in the Senior Secondary Schools in Zamfara State. b).There is significant relationship in the mean scores of utilization of Biology laboratories facilities and students’ performance in Biology in Senior Secondary Schools in Zamfara State c.) There was no significant difference in the availability of Biology laboratory facilities in female and male public schools, d) there was no significant difference in the supply of Biology laboratory facilities to private and public schools. Based on these findings, some of the recommendations made are: a) that the Inspectorate division of Ministry of Education and the Head of Biology Department to conduct regular inspections to the public schools to see that the facilities are used for the purpose for which they are meant. b). the state government should address the problem of large class syndrome that hindered the students from using the facilities for improving their academic performance