Examining the use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of biology in some selected senior high schools in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

This study was designed to find out the types of instructional materials available, the frequency of use, the effective utilization as well as perceptions of teachers and students on the use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of Biology in the Senior High Schools in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western region of Ghana. The research design used was descriptive. In all, one hundred and twenty respondents made up of a hundred biology students and twenty biology teachers responded to questionnaires specially designed for the purpose. It was found out that the most available and frequently used instructional materials in the sampled schools were chalkboards/whiteboards and textbooks. Instructional materials such as bulletin boards, projectors radios/recorders and camera/pictures were unavailable. The research also revealed that the major problems confronting the use of the available instructional materials were overcrowded classrooms/laboratories, lack of storage facilities among others. It was recommended by the researcher that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should as a matter of urgency procure and supply all the needed but unavailable instructional materials for the schools for effective teaching and learning of Biology. Also the biology teachers should be trained periodically on how to handle the available instructional materials. Furthermore, the administrators of the Senior High Schools should liaise with the educational directors in the various districts to appeal to Non-Governmental/ donor organizations for support to organize regular in-service training for the Biology teachers to update their skills in handling the available instructional materials.