CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The academic performance in junior secondary schools in the country has been of great concern to parents, scholars, educators and the government at large. A number of seminars, conferences, symposia and workshop have been organized to look into the academic performance in sciences in the junior secondary as a take off into determining the relative academic performance of students in science subjects.Some people are of the opinion that students’ performance in science subjects is on the decline. Conforming this view, Ezewu (1986) lament, only about 40 percent of Nigerian candidates who sat for the West Africa School Certificate Examination in the pervious years passed science subjects with credits. The impression from the forgoing citation is that the percentage of failure in science subject is on the increase. The fact that problems of education have reached on alarming stage should not be over emphasized. There is the belief that the standard of education has fallen.

Many Nigerians and Newspaper columnist have written and aired their view on this on this issue. Akinbanyi (1992) while working on the standard/quality in Nigeria education assets that the standard of Nigerian education has fallen. In recent years, it is a conventional claim which nobody in the right mind dares dispute. In view of this, the researches are motivated to investigate the relative academic performance of the junior secondary in two science subjects (integrated Science and computer science) from the year 2004 to 2008 in Enugu North Local Government Area.These two science subjects are selected to be the take off into determining the relative academic performance of junior secondary students in science subjects.

This is because these two science subjects occupy a special position in secondary school curriculum. They represent the foundation stone for subsequent instruction in science in later life, for pupils who may wish to pursue a science related career in life and an introduction to science for others who may wish to pursue either humanity based on vocational inclined studies.Integrated Science for instance is the study of all the branches of science, which includes Biology, Chemistry and Physics under one Umbrella in order to avoid repetition of subject matter from various sciences. It is the root of all the science subjects. Akpan (1983) looking at integrated science said, “it is a natural response to the shifting views of science that the environment and all its natural phenomena can best be understood in the context of a unified scientific approach”. Also Khabele, (1995) said that ‘it is only an integrated approach in the study of science at early stage that will prepare a scientist for a proper take off into the existing world of science later in his school career”.

Statement of the Study

The increase decline of students’ performance in science subjects is the concern of all. The ultimate aim of education is to provide knowledge of the world. In an effort to do this, knowledge has been divided into a system of studies called subjects with science as one of the elements of the system.Integrated science therefore, attempts a unified view of the world thus some of these problems arose as a result of giving birth to integrated science and computer science in junior secondary school curriculum of our school system.

Some of these problems are: -

-The academic performance of the junior secondary school in integrated science and computer science.

-The competence of teachers teaching integrated science and computer science in our schools.

-The interest of students in learning both subjects (integrated and computer science).

-The availabilities of materials for teaching integrated science and computer science.

-The availability of integrated and computer science laboratories.Availability of a stand by generator in case of power failure.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to determine the relative academic performance of junior secondary students in integrated science and computer science from 2004 – 2008 in Enugu North Local Government Area.Specifically, the study is designed to: Determine whether the students’ academic performance in integrated science computer science from 2004 – 2008 is: -

Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Poor

If excellent, what can be done to maintain the excellent level?If poor, what can be done to revive the ugly condition?Factors that contributed to the excellent or poor performance of the students in integrated science and computer science from 2004 – 2008. Determine what can be done to retrieve academic excellent in integrated and computer science among junior secondary students.

Significance of the Study

The society at large, government, policy makers, schools, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, students, educators will benefit from this research.This study will help them to understand and appreciate relative academic performance of the junior secondary school in integrated science and computer science from 2004 – 2008.

The researchers believed that the knowledge which would be uncovered in the study would assist integrated and computer science teachers and student teachers in the formulation of methods, programmes designed to maintain or retrieve excellent academic performance among junior secondary school students in both integrated and computer science. It will equally serve as an effective tool for reference purpose to both students, scholars of education, teachers as well as the general pupils.

Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is limited to determine the relative academic performance of the junior secondary school students in integrated and computer science from 2004 – 2008 in Enugu North Local Government Area.

Research Questions

What are the major roles of teachers in the teaching and learning of computer and integrated science in schools?

What are the problems confronting teachers in the teaching and learning of computer and Integrated science subjects in junior secondary school?

What are the workable strategies for improving teachers and learners’ performances in the teaching and learning of computer and integrated science subjects in school?