Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools

Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

The relevance of motivation and teachers job performance is very crucial to the long term growth of any educational system around the world. In Nigeria, it may not be an over-statement to say that teachers have not been given adequate priority as stipulated in the national policy of education.

According to Agharuwhe (2013), teachers are expected to earn both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards from work. It is believed that if teachers’ payment, working conditions are judged to be normal by the teachers, they will put in more effort at work.

The success or failure of any educational system depends mainly on the teachers. This is where effective motivation of teachers comes to play. It is a well-known fact that a well-motivated teacher who is provided with working incentives, good working conditions, and adequate remuneration is bound to be dedicated to his/her teaching so as to bring about the needed learning.

Theoretically, lack of salary for teachers could have effect on teachers’ prompt and regular attendance in school, his attitude towards lesson plan and student’s learning effectiveness. Dweck (2014) put it that, it is a known fact that many teachers fail to develop self-efficacy with educational setting. He further opined that; needs, satisfaction and motivation to work are very essential in the life of teachers because they form the fundamental reason for working in life. While almost every teachers works in order to satisfy his or her life needs, he/she constantly agitates for need and satisfaction.

Motivation can be seen as the ability of employer to meet the needs of employee for effective improvement of their performance. On the other hand, students can also be motivated. The ability of teachers to guide the students to learn, give them the necessary appreciation, this will motivate them to learn.

Teachers are the producers of the bank managers, oil miners, judges, accountants, lawyers, senators, governors, and even the presidents. But it is the teachers’ salary that is always delayed and their salary is lower compare to those they produced.

However, it is assumed that teachers’ agitation and demands are beyond the resource of the ministry of education. As the result, the government and Nigerian Union of Teachers are in a constant discussion over the increase in salaries, benefits and improvement in working conditions of teachers. Government accuses the teachers of negligence, laziness, purposeful lethargy and lack of dedication and zeal to work. They further argue that teachers’ level of efficiency and effectiveness does not necessitate the constant request for salary increase, incentive and better working conditions while teachers on their part argue that the existing salary structure, benefit, development and working conditions do not satisfy their basic needs in as much as other sectors of the economy have bigger salary structure, better motivation and enhanced working conditions (Effiok, 2013).

Ekpo (2016) opined that the level of teachers depends on how effective the teachers are motivated themselves. Awodun (2013) study the impact of teacher’s motivational strategies on the learning of Biology, the result revealed that teacher’s motivation has significant relationship with the learning of Biology among students. Based on this background, the researcher considered it necessary to examine the Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools.

Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Biology is an important subject whose knowledge helps in the care and maintenance of our body. The important of Biology to human being cannot be overlooked. But the academic performance of students in this important subject has been observed by many researchers to be below the expectation of the general public.

The cause of this low/poor academic performance of students in Biology has been attributed to so many factors such as home factors, school factors, teaching method, class size, students factors but little has been researched on motivational strategies. It is on this note that the researcher finds it necessary to examine Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to examine Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools in Ikono L.G.A.

Specifically, the study aimed at;

(1)     Examine how motivational strategies influence the teaching of Biology among Biology teachers in Ikono L.G.A.

(2)     Examine how motivational strategies influence the learning of Biology among Biology students in Ikono L.G.A.

1.4     Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

(1)     How does motivational strategies influence the teaching of Biology among Biology teachers in Ikono L.G.A?

(2)     How does motivation influence the learning of Biology among Biology students in secondary schools in Ikono L.G.A?

1.5     Significance of the Study

It is hopeful that the findings of this study will be of huge benefits to the educational stake-holders, teachers, students and even the society as the whole in the following ways:

(1)     this research study will be of importance to the school administrators and educational stakeholders because they will know the impacts of motivation to teachers on the teaching effectiveness.

(2)     teachers will be committed to their duties when there is proper motivation by the government.

(3)     the students will also benefit because when teachers are motivated there will be effective teaching and learning in the school.

(4)     the society will have graduate who can defend themselves and work for the growth of the society.

1.6     Delimitation of the Study

This study is delimited to the Biology teachers and all the Biology students in the study area. The motivational strategies under consideration include: prompt payment of salary, promotion, provision of in-service training, all to the teachers and some strategies for students’ motivation.

1.7     Limitation of the Study

The problems encountered by the researcher for the execution of this study were: high cost of transportation fare, much time was spent, and there was too much stress generated during the instrument administration.

Impact of Motivational strategies on the Teaching and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools

1.8     Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined as they were utilized in the study.

(1)     Motivational Strategies: These are the ways of encouraging someone to do a particular thing. E.g by giving incentive.

(2)     Promotion: This is the act of uplifting someone in an organization from the low to the higher rank.

(3)     In-service Training: This is the kind of training provided to the workers who are already in service.

(4)     Teaching: This is the act of transferring knowledge from more knowledgeable person to less knowledgeable person.

(5)     Learning: This is the process of receiving knowledge from another person.

(6)     Conducive Working Environment: This is a condition whereby an individual stay in a favourable place which can promote effective services.