IMPACT OF LABORATORY PRACTICALS ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY IN ILORIN SOUTH LGA, KWARA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of Laboratory practical on senior secondary school students’ performance in Biology in Ilorin South LGA, Kwara State. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey was adopted for this study. The population comprised SS1 to SS3 Biology students in Ilorin South LGA, Kwara state. Questionnaires were designed for one hundred and eighty (180) Biology students and the data collected were analyzed using descriptive mean, t-test and analysis of variance ANOVA. The findings revealed that the impact of Laboratory practical was significant to the students’ performance. There was no significant difference in students' opinion towards the impact of Laboratory practical on the performance of students based on gender and school type. The following recommendations are made: Adequate laboratory equipment should be provided for senior secondary school students to ease the learning difficulty experienced in learning Biology practical. School authorities as well as teachers should ensure that both male and female students engage in the carrying out Biology practical exercise in the laboratory. Government and private school owners should ensure the provision of well-structured infrastructural facilities and equipment that would improve practical work.