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Research article

Pedagogical Practices that Hamper Effective Teaching

and Learning of Biology in Secondary Schools in
Migori District, Kenya

Eunice O. A., Dr. Khatete, D. W. and Dr. Ondigi, S. R.

Educational Communication and Technology department,

Kenyatta University

P.O. Box 43844-00100

Nairobi

+254720823481

E-mail of corresponding author: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract

Biology is a very potent tool for social and economic changes in the contemporary world. However, students
constantly display low achievement in the subject at KCSE level countrywide and majorly in Migori district.
Teaching techniques are an important focus of national and local policy. Reforms and actions aim to promote high-
quality teaching in classrooms and team work both at school level and nationally. In order to tailor policies and
interventions to the needs of different stakeholders and to improve teaching and learning of students, it is important
to understand comprehensively what is happening in the classroom and schools in general. This study aimed at
contributing to this knowledge base. The study employed a descriptive survey design and a sample size of 28% and
three hundred and eighty five (385) respondents. The research instruments used included questionnaires for Biology
teachers and students, interview schedules for principals and Disrict Education Officer and observation checklists
for theory and practical lessons. The theoretical framework of the study was based on the knowledge that modified

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human behavior leads to prediction and control over performance and learning. The data was analyzed using
descriptive statistics; frequencies and percentages were used to describe the findings according to the various
variables under study. The findings of the study established use of inappropriate teaching techniques to be one of the
major factors contributing to poor achievement in Biology in Migori district. Therefore, the following
recommendations were made: more practical activities be carried out in the teaching of the subject in the schools,
school administration to provide for the resources in the school budgets, seminars, workshops, and other in-service
courses should be intensified by the Ministry of Education to encourage Biology teachers’ creativity and innovation
in teaching and that teachers to be consistent in the use of resources.

Keywords: Techniques, hamper, effective teaching, learning, education, achievement, instruction

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1.1 Introduction

The knowledge of biology is the major potent source for social and economic changes in the contemporary history
of mankind. It has contributed so much and still continues to contribute to make life comfortable for people both in
developed and developing countries. It has helped to promote health and control many diseases, increase in food
production through genetic engineering and other modern practices over famine, affluence over poverty, reason over
superstition and education over ignorance (Tsuma, 1998). However, students constantly display low achievement in
the subject at KCSE level countrywide and majorly in Migori district. The most effective methods of teaching
Biology are those that ensure the participation of both the teachers and the students. In these methods individual
students experience learning personally and discover personal meaning in every idea taught (SMASSE, 2000)

Teachers need to understand that the learner is the most important person in the classroom and the learner’s attitude
in the subject has to be nurtured so that this can lead to improved achievement (Khatete, 1995). What children learn
in schools influences their attitudes and beliefs of future generations. Some principles on effective teaching are
rooted in logic of instructional design, for example, instructional methods (Corno and Snow, 1986). No single
teaching method such as direct instruction, social construction of meaning, can be the method of choice for all
occasions. Instructional needs change as the students’ expertise develops and consequently, what constitutes an
optimal mixture of instructional methods and learning activities will evolve as student’s school years, instructional
units and even individual lessons progress (Harris and Taylor, 1983). Effective instruction needs to focus on the
range of knowledge, concepts and skills that students are not yet ready to acquire on their own but can acquire with
the help from their teachers and the knowledge of the relationship between classroom processes.

Teaching involves creating, enriching, maintaining and adapting instruction to achieve the objectives of the subject,
capture and sustain interest and engage students in building biological understanding. Teachers have a wide variety
of instructional strategies at their discretion, which differs in terms of the amount of teachers’ preparation and the
number and type of students being taught at any given time (Gastel, 1991). Constructivism brings about the desired

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outcome of conceptual change by creating a conflict between the student’s naïve ideas and the accepted biological
ideas (Driver, 1989).The student should be exposed to situations where his/her ideas are matched against the
biological concepts, which are backed up by evidence through experimentation, and therefore the student has to
justify her/his ideas against the conflicting scientific observations (Beck and Earl, 2003). This leads to better
understanding of the scientific concepts and hence greater achievement in Biology.

Dunkin (1989) states that children do not come to class ‘empty headed’, so when planning for teaching, teachers are
supposed to develop strategies that make the process of learning more meaningful, the kind of teaching and learning
process that will make the students change their unscientific conceptions. Effective teaching practices allow for
increased opportunity to learn. This is because students tend to learn more when most of the time allocated to
curriculum activities and the classroom management system emphasizes maintaining their engagement in those
activities.

Establishing a learning orientation is through beginning lessons and activities by communicating the purpose of
the activity, connecting it to prior knowledge and cueing the kinds of students’ responses that the activity requires
(Baez, 1967). It is practical and attractive to teachers. The lower ability students perform better and higher
achievers also benefit (Lord, 2001). May be these pedagogical practices have not gained easy access in most
schools in Migori district. Several reasons may account for reservations and reluctance on the part of many
teachers to adopt these strategies. These may include a general lack of adequate resources and facilities.

1.2 Materials and Methods

The study employed a descriptive survey design and a sample size of 28% which was three hundred and eighty five
respondents. The research instruments used included questionnaires for Biology teachers and students, interview
schedules for Principals and District Education Officer and observation checklists for Theory and Practical lessons and
resource checklists. The study employed stratified, simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Descriptive
survey provided the important leads in identifying the needed emphasis and changes aimed at enhancing appropriate
teaching techniques. It also enabled the researcher to obtain information on the opinions of Biology teachers, head
teachers, District Education Officers and students concerning the same. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques
were used in data analysis. Quantitative data provided leads to the indicators of the problem of use of ineffective
teaching techniques whereas Qualitative data sought to establish the options to problem solving and chat the way
forward. The research questions included;

i) What pedagogical practices constrain effective teaching and learning in Biology?

ii) What teaching and learning characteristics hamper appropriate choice of techniques in Biology?

1.3 Results and Discussion

Item 1: Students’ responses on Pedagogical practices that constrain effective teaching and learning in Biology

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Table 1: Results from students

Statement Response by Percentages (%)

SA A UD D SD

1.We have class practical lessons regularly in biology 7 10 3 28 52

2. Our Biology teacher gives us assignments, marks them frequently and 13 25 - 42 20

insists that we do corrections

3. Our Biology teacher uses resources during lessons 18 22 - 25 35

4. I score 70% and above in every Biology test I do. 8 8 - 44 40

5. We do regular Biology tests in class 7 11 4 58 20

6. Our class completes the Biology syllabus on time - 16 5 40 39

7. We lag behind in syllabus coverage 39 40 5 16 -

8. Our school has adequate and up-to date Biology teaching/learning 11 10 - 50 29

resources

9. We are 50-70 students in our Biology class 57 30 3 - 10

10. We have a separate laboratory for Biology 28 30 - 12 30

11. I score just between 50 to 40% in every Biology test I do 20 30 - 30 20

12. We utilize our Biology laboratory adequately 12 30 - 30 28

13. We use teaching/learning aids frequently during Biology lessons 11 10 - 59 20

14. Our Biology teacher does not use resources during our Biology 10 11 - 20 59
lessons

15. We do not adequately utilize the Biology laboratory 12 30 - 30 28

16. Our school administration and management is not supportive in the 5 8 13 40 34

teaching and learning of Biology.

17. Our school administration is very considerate and supportive in 34 40 13 8 5

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academic matters

18. We are less than 50 students in our Biology class - 10 3 37 50

19. I like biology since it deals with everyday life 36 50 3 4 7

20. I spend time studying Biology outside the school timetable 50 29 - 11 10

21. I always score 40% and below in Biology tests I do 14 20 - 32 34

22. My future career will not require Biology - 11 3 36 50

23.My fellow students help me improve in Biology 40 21 7 12 20

24. My fellow students are never concerned about our learning in 12 20 7 21 40

Biology

25.Our Biology teacher is very friendly and assists us with our 26 60 3 7 4

assignments

26. Our Biology teacher is harsh and does not care whether we 7 4 3 26 60
understand the concepts or not

Practical lessons

Practicals play an important role in achievement of a student since it’s also done as a separate paper at KCSE level.
This item was intended to find out whether students had practical lessons regularly. The results show that 17% of the
students indicated they did practical regularly, 80% indicated they did not while 3% were undecided.

Giving and marking of assignments, tests and exams by Biology teachers

Assessment in classroom setting makes important contribution to the teaching and learning process. This item was
aimed at establishing whether the Biology teachers gave frequent assignments and tests to the students. The findings
indicated that 38% of the students agreed that their teachers gave frequent assignments and marked them, 62%
disagreed. Similarly, 18% of the students indicated that they did regular tests, 78% indicated they did not and 4%
were undecided.

Completion of Biology syllabus

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This item was intended to find out whether the students covered the Biology syllabus within the time given. The
results reveal that 16% agreed they covered the syllabus on time while 79% indicated they lagged behind in syllabus
coverage and 5% were undecided.

Item 2: Teachers’ responses on pedagogical practices that constrain effective teaching and learning in Biology

Table 2: Results from teachers

Statement Responses by Percentages (%)

SA A UD D SD

1. Our school has adequate resources required in Biology 12 30 - 28 30

2. I use resources to ensure mastery of biological concepts, skills and ideas 25 25 - 25 25

frequently

3. Most students in my Biology class are average ability students 30 28 - 22 20

4. Most students score 70 marks and above in Biology tests 15 2 - 59 24

5. Most students in my Biology class are below average 13 12 - 35 40

6. There are 50-70 students in my Biology class 50 25 - 5 20

7. My Biology students are less than 50 in class 5 20 - 25 50

8. Students who spend more hours studying Biology achieve better than those 53 30 - 11 6
who do not spend more hours

9. I give regular assessments with feedback to students 13 20 2 40 25

10. I do not give regular tests since marking involved is tedious 19 14 4 40 23

11. We work as a team with other Biology teachers to ensure our students are 45 40 - 8 7
learning effectively

12. We have a separate Biology laboratory in our school 22 20 - 23 35

13. The current Biology syllabus has very little content to be covered in the four - - 9 51 40
years

14. A committed teacher can still improve students’ achievement in biology 34 46 11 9 -

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with limited resources and facilities

15. The current Biology curriculum has a lot of content that is too much for the 20 47 4 6 23
four-year course.

16. I mostly use lecture and demonstration methods since my Biology class has 50 25 - 11 14
more than 50 students

17. My Biology class do practicals and projects frequently and I mark the 22 33 5 10 30
practical record books

18. We do practicals very infrequently and my students have no practical record 10 35 - 31 24

books

19. The current Biology curriculum has just enough content to be covered 13 20 7 20 40
within the time given at each level and so has nothing to do with the students’
poor achievement in Biology

20. Our school administration is supportive in terms of availing the necessary 33 50 2 10 5

resources

21. My students like coming to me with Biology problems 35 40 5 10 10

22. My students rarely come to me unless I tell them to 11 14 5 45 25

23. I have taught Biology for more than five years 50 25 - 13 12

24. I have taught Biology for less than five years 15 10 - 50 25

25. I have adequate time to plan for the Biology lessons and mark the 17 23 - 30 30
assignments

26. There is inadequate time to plan for the Biology lessons and mark the 27 13 2 10 48
assignments

Teaching techniques

The findings established that 75% of the Biology teachers mostly used lecture and demonstration techniques while
57% used practical and projects during lessons.

Giving of regular tests and examinations to students

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The results established that 33% of the teachers gave regular tests and examinations with feedback to student
whereas 67% did not.

Teamwork

Findings from the study show that 85% of the teachers worked together with other teachers to ensure that effective
learning takes place while 15% did not.

Teachers’ commitment

The results revealed 80% of the teachers accepted that commitment on the part of the teacher can improve student’s’
achievement while 9% did not agree and another 11% were not sure.

Biology syllabus

Biology teachers look at the syllabus with mixed feelings about its broadness, scope and the time allowed for its
completion. This item was intended to find out whether some of them felt that Biology syllabus content was broad,
little or just enough to be covered within the time given at each level. The results reveal that 67% of the teachers
indicated it was too wide while 33% indicated that the content was just enough.

Item 3: Teaching techniques used by Biology teachers

Teaching techniques are essential in that they influence the degree of learning of knowledge, concepts and skills.
They illustrate processes and skills and stimulate interest along new lines of thought. This item was intended to
reveal the teaching techniques that were used by Biology teachers in Migori district.

Table 3: Teaching techniques used by Biology teachers

Teaching techniques Percentage (%)

Demonstrations 75

Lecture 75

Practical 50

Projects 25

Problem solving 25

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From table 3, it is important to note that most teachers used more than one teaching technique. The results show that
majority of the teachers (75%) used demonstrations and lecture methods respectively. Other techniques included
practical (50%) while projects and problem solving tied at 25%. Teachers do not often use these techniques since
they complain of lack of adequate resources and large classes though in some schools the resources were available
and adequate but the teachers never used them. The students (77%) also confirmed that they never had practical
lessons regularly while (23%) agreed that they had practical lessons regularly. From observation data, the researcher
found out that most teachers (75%) used lecture and demonstrations. This explains why student display low
achievement in biology since these two techniques may not be appropriate for all the topics in biology. Projects and
problem solving are high thinking skills which stimulate high level of learning in students and given that the
teachers rarely use them; this perhaps explains low achievement in Biology.

Item 4: Factors influencing teachers’ choice of teaching methods

This item was intended to depict the factors that influenced the teachers’ choice of teaching methods. This is
important since the teaching technique chosen in turn influences the learning process.

Table 4: Factors that influenced teachers’ choice of teaching methods

Factors %

Biology syllabus-content and scope 83

Adequacy of time to plan biology lessons 75

Class size 75

Students’ entry behavior 50

Resources and facilities 42

From Table 4 there are several factors that influence a teacher’s choice of any teaching technique in Biology.
Majority of the teachers (83%) felt that the content and scope of the biology syllabus was the major factor that
influenced their choice of teaching techniques while (75%) of the teachers felt that class size and adequacy of time
for planning the lesson respectively influenced their choice of the teaching techniques. Through observations, the
researcher realized that many teachers (58%) taught very large classes which were impossible to manage during
practical lessons with the meager resources available. As a result many teachers opted to teach through
demonstrations and lecture methods. The results also indicate that teachers in sample schools consider the students’
entry behavior in their choice of teaching methods. Planning for a lesson is an important part in the teaching and
learning process. The findings show that most teachers made no attempt to plan lessons and this may result in

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haphazard teaching which leads to jumbling up of facts that end up confusing the learners. This explains students’
low achievement in Biology.

Conclusion

Teaching techniques are important since they determine how well a lesson is learnt. The following were the findings in
this area:

a. Teachers used a variety of teaching techniques which they found more applicable depending on the prevailing
conditions. The most common technique was demonstrations with (75%) of the teachers and lecture method (75%).
The other popular methods included practical which had 50% of the teachers. This could be due to the fact that
teachers themselves lack the confidence in handling resources efficiently given the nature of their training that does
not monitor closely use of resources so they tend to avoid techniques that require use of resources.

b. Teachers (67%) felt that the current Biology curriculum is too wide while 33% said it had just enough content to be
covered within the four year period.

c. Teachers (60%) suggested that inadequate time to plan Biology lessons; large class size, low students’ entry
behavior, wide Biology syllabus and inadequate instructional resources were the major factors contributing to
students’ low achievement in Biology.

d. Teachers (83%) rated teaching techniques and students’ characteristics as the number one factors contributing to
students’ achievement in Biology while instructional resources was rated last.

e. Teachers suggestions on how Biology achievement can be improved included the following;

i). Schools to have adequate teaching and learning resources. It should be noted that even in the high achieving
schools, the resources are not adequate in most cases and therefore teachers should not blame low achievement in
biology to inadequacy of resources. Teachers should make use of the available resources first.

ii). Allow more time for biology practical lessons. Teachers have not proved that they use the stipulated time frame
wisely and therefore they cannot ask for more time

iii). Biology teachers to embrace improvisation and scaling down of reagents in terms of quantities. Improvisation can
not apply to all cases for some resources cannot be improvised such as thermometers. Teachers in low performing
schools should not blame inadequacy of resources in their schools for the low achievement since their counterparts in
good performing schools also are also affected by the same.

iv). Biology teachers be given fewer periods in other areas. Nonetheless, this would prove very expensive to the TSC
since they will have to employ teachers with one teaching subject only to secondary schools.

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v). Biology syllabus be narrowed accordingly though this had been done and reviewers thought what is in the syllabus
is enough content.

Acknowledgements

I owe a special debt of gratitude to my supervisors Dr. David Khatete and Dr. Samson Ondigi of COMTECH
department, Kenyatta University who devoted their energy, time and patience while guiding me through the study.
Similarly, I am indebted to Prof. Kithinji, Dr. Karen Oyiengo and many other academic staff members for their
constant encouragement. To the entire ComTech non-teaching staff, I say a big thank you. To my husband, Jared
Okach, thank you so much. May God continue giving you that loving, caring and supporting heart.

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