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FACTORS INFLUENCING REASONING ABILITY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS
ABSTRACT
This study explored the factors influencing the reasoning
ability of secondary school students in Ezeagu Local Government Area (LGA) of
Enugu State, Nigeria. The general research objective was to analyse the effect
of demographic, attitude, and environmental factors on students’ reasoning
ability. As a result of the nature of the research objectives, a survey
research method was adopted. A cross-sectional data was generated from a
conveniently drawn sample of the students of Aguobu-Owa high school, Ezeagu LGA
with a research questionnaire. The questionnaire was face and content validated
prior to administering it to the respondents. A total of 255 out of 332
students in the school participated in the research. Out of the 225
questionnaires that were completed, only 137 were valid for further analyses.
Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used as tools for data
analysis. All the analyses were completed with SPSS version 15.0 software.
Findings indicate that male respondents far outnumbered their female
counterpart. It was also found that such demographic factors as gender and
family economic status does not have a positive relationship with reasoning
ability. Findings also show that apart from affect, every other attitude and
belief factor (i.e cognitive competence, value, difficulty, interest and
effort) correlated with reasoning ability. Finally, it was found that an ideal
learning environment does positively relate to reasoning ability. Based on the
above findings, it was recommended that both male and female children as well
as children from both poor and rich homes should be given equal opportunity to
acquire formal education. To bridge the gap between the opportunities afforded
the rich and the poor, it was recommended that the government should better
equip public schools and make the school fees affordable to the poor. It is
also recommended that teachers should work hard to get students interested in
science subjects by boosting students’ perception of the value of pursuing the
science profession; measuring students’ cognitive competence on continuous
basis to ascertain performance and taking a decision as to what whether a
change teaching and instructional materials are necessary. It is equally
important to boost students’ effort in science subjects by engaging them on
series of formative assessments. The difficulty perception of science subjects
can be relaxed by employing hardworking and qualified teachers who will teach
science subjects in a manner that the students will understand. Finally, there
is urgent need to create a good environment for learning science subjects in
secondary schools. There is need for government to refurbish public schools and
properly equip the science laboratories to support good learning and encourage
logical and creative reasoning among students.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE
STUDY
Education is frequently concerned about the need to improve
students’ academic achievements. The large number of research on student
achievement bears testimony to this concern (Babalola, 1979; Fakunle, 1986;
Okoye and Okecha, 2008). This is not only because a higher achievement
especially in the field of science is the foundation for technical skills which
is in short supply, but also because higher achievement is particularly valued
in a society which sets high premium on academic success as the stepping stone
for entrance into more prestigious occupation. However, to be able to perform
well in science subjects, students must possess sound reasoning ability.
According to Piraksa, Srisawasdi and Koul (2014), “as scientific literacy is
currently considered the central goal for development of the 21st century
citizens, scientific reasoning ability is determined as an important factor for
fostering student performance in science learning” (p. 486). Scientific
reasoning ability is therefore, a skill of critical importance to those
students who seek to become professional scientists.
The acquisition of new knowledge and its innovative
applications result in a continuous transformation of our cultural, social, and
political environments. Existing knowledge is being rapidly revised and, in
some cases, becoming obsolete. It is therefore clear that the methods and
processes by which new knowledge is acquired are of major importance in
successfully facing the abundance of knowledge and its consequent technological
applications (Valanides, 1997). This perspective presupposes a broadening of
learning objectives beyond those related to subject matter and
discipline-specific concepts. He further argued that emphasizing the
development of students’ reasoning abilities and the achievement of
procedural/operative knowledge is the only appropriate reaction to the current
exponential increase of knowledge. A central purpose of education is thus to
provide the conditions which will foster the development of students’ reasoning
abilities. Hence, schools should do more than teaching collections of
discipline-specific facts and concepts.
The Ministry of Education in Nigeria generally and Enugu
State Ministry of Education in particular has gradually introduced, among other
innovations, a new science curriculum where emphasis is placed on laboratory
work and on the processes of science. The new curriculum and the corresponding
teaching approaches are expected to enhance students’ reasoning abilities. This
expectation is in line with research studies related to interventions to
accelerate students’ cognitive development.
Some researches on reasoning abilities identified
demographic, attitude and belief, and environmental variables as the factors
influencing reasoning abilities (see for example, Jindal-Snape, Davies,
Collier, Howe, Digby and Hay, 2013; Hyde and Mertz, 2009; Okoye and Okecha,
2008; Tempelaar, Schim van der Loeff and Gijselaers, 2007; Valanides, 1997).
However, despite the results of these research efforts and the consequent
outcomes of accompanying theoretical debates, interest in the investigation of
students’ reasoning abilities and the process of their development will continue.
These efforts have the potential to accumulate evidence which will enhance our
understanding of how reasoning ability develop and- how curricula and teaching
interventions can foster their development especially in a grossly
underdeveloped educational system such as the one found in most schools in
Nigeria (especially in the rural areas). Studying the factors that influence
the reasoning ability of science students from a very underdeveloped academic
background such as Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State will therefore
provide the Ministry of Education in the state as well as teachers with a
blueprint of what to emphasize to enable the students improve their reasoning
ability.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
“…'To know' science is a statement that one knows not only
what a phenomenon is, but also how it relates to other events, why it is
important, and how this particular view of the world came to be. Knowing any of
these aspects in isolation misses the point. Therefore, in learning science, students,
as well as having the opportunity to learn about the concepts of science, must
also be given some insight into its epistemology, the practices and methods of
science, and its nature as a social practice…” (Driver, Newton and Osborne,
2000, p. 297).
The field of science is rapidly expanding. As students choose
a science major, they need and expect the course and laboratory work that will
develop them into a scientist. This work includes the content knowledge and
skills necessary to be able to design a solid experiment, analyse the results,
and apply the findings to future work both within and across disciplines.
However, without sound reasoning ability, it will be difficult for students to
develop a successful career in science. Coletta, Philips and Steinert (2007)
argued that student reasoning ability can be used to identify students who at
risk of failing their exams. Furthermore, Lawson (2004) argued that scientific
reasoning plays a central role in scientific literacy. Specifically, Okoye and
Okechi (2008) also found that reasoning ability of Nigerian students correlate
positively with their achievement in biology. Science students in secondary
school are freshmen who are entering the career under-prepared both in content
and cognitive abilities. In addition, the report by Ojerinde (1998) on the
survey of the performance of candidates in science subjects in Nigeria over the
years revealed a discernible decline. This perennial decline has remained a
source of concern to science educators (Nnaka and Anaekwe, 2004). It is yet
unclear whether demographic, attitude and belief and environmental factors
influence the reasoning abilities of science students in secondary schools in
Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria.
An additional difficulty for science majors in secondary
schools is simply staying with their declared major. One possible explanation
for this ugly trend is that science is generally perceived as a difficult field
of study. However, being deficient in one area does not necessarily imply that
an individual is less intelligent (Pimsleur Approach, n.d). This therefore
exposes the need to study the main factors influencing reasoning abilities.
1.3 SCOPE OF THE
STUDY
This project work, factors influencing reasoning ability of
students in Nigerian secondary schools: A study of Ezeagu Local Government Area
of Enugu State focuses on three key factors which include demographic factors,
attitude and belief factors and environmental factors. With respect to the area
to be covered, the research work concentrated in one secondary school in Ezeagu
Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE STUDY
Scientific literacy is currently considered as a central goal
and critical learning outcome for science education standard in several
countries (Dani, 2009). This is because the teaching of science offers students
the ability to access a wealth of knowledge and information which will
contribute to an overall understanding of how and why things work like they do
because science is able to explain the mechanics and reasons behind the daily
functioning of complex systems, which range from the human body to
sophisticated modern methods of transport (Centre for Education in Science and
Technology, 2009). However, it may be very difficult to access the performance
of science majors especially those in secondary schools without understanding
the factors that influence their reasoning ability. Hence, the study of the
factors that influence the reasoning ability of science majors in secondary
schools in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State is significant in the
following respects:
Firstly, the significant of this study would assess the
factors needed to enhance the reasoning abilities of science majors in
secondary schools in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Secondly, solutions will be proffered to the problems facing
the educational sectors in designing appropriate study curriculum that will
enhance students’ reasoning abilities of science majors in secondary schools in
Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Finally, this study will also provide a first-hand guide to
science teachers on what to emphasis in their teaching techniques to enable the
students improve their reasoning ability.
1.5 PURPOSE OF THE
STUDY
The overall objective of this study to explore the factors
that influence the reasoning abilities of secondary school students majoring in
science subjects in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. The
specific purposes are:
1. To discover
whether demographic factors influence secondary school students’ reasoning
ability in Enugu State.
2. To evaluate the
influence of attitude factors on secondary school students’ reasoning ability
in Enugu State.
3. To assess the
influence of environmental factors on secondary school students’ reasoning
ability in Enugu State.
1.6 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The overall research question to be answered by this study
is: What factors influence the reasoning abilities of secondary school students
majoring in science subjects in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State,
Nigeria?
1. What are the
influence of demographic factors on secondary school students’ reasoning abilities
in Enugu State?
2. What are the
influence of attitude factors on secondary school students’ reasoning ability
in Enugu State?
3. What are the
influence of environmental factors on secondary school students’ reasoning
ability in Enugu State?
1.7 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
Below are the hypotheses which will be tested in this
research. The hypotheses are tested at 0.05 level of significance.
HO1: There is no significant difference between demographic
factors and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
HA1: There is significant difference between demographic
factors and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
HO2: There is no significant difference between attitude
factors and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
HA2: There is significant difference between attitude factors
and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
HO3: There is no significant difference between environmental
factors and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
HA3: There is significant difference between environmental
factors and secondary school students’ reasoning ability in Ezeagu
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