Interactive Media Utilization and Biology Teaching In Secondary Schools

 

Interactive Media Utilization and Biology Teaching In Secondary Schools

ABSTRACT

The study examined interactive media utilization and teaching of Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. Two research questions were raised in line with the specific objectives of the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all Biology teachers in secondary schools in the area of the study. A sample size of sixteen (16) Biology teachers was selected for the study using a simple random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection as “Interactive Media Availability and Utilization Checklist (IMAUCL)”. The data collected were analyzed using frequency counts and simple percentages. The results showed that interactive media available for teaching of Biology in the study area are Face book, Wikipedia, Twitter, Youtube, 2go and Whatsapp. The findings further revealed that Biology teachers in the area rarely use interactive media in teaching the subject. Consequently, it was recommended among others that Biology teachers should constantly make use of interactive media platforms in teaching the subject to facilitate students’ understanding of instructions through discussion of concepts in and out of the school. It was concluded that most Biology teachers rarely use interactive media in teaching the subject in the study area.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

1.1     Background to the study

 

It is an indisputable fact that interactive media are and will remain important tools in human life as far as communication is concerned. Today, mankind is harvesting tremendously from its existence not only in mere communication point of view but also in mostly scholarly activities. Different forms of education including distance education has been widely patronized and facilitated to some degree through these interactive media tools for networks. Acquiring information both locally and internationally from friends, lecturers or experts is no longer a struggle as compared to the olden days and the internet is the ultimate master behind this success.

The advent of the internet in the 1990s led to major develops in the world of communication hence the introduction of special networking sites (SNS). The coming into being of these sites revolutionized the world of communication and today its improvements ranging from education to entertainment is celebrated (Arquere and Esteban, 2013). The evolution of the internet has led to its usages as the best medium of communication whereby two-third (²/₃) of the internet world’s population visit social networking sites thus serving as communication and connection tools. These networking sites are referred to as social or interactive media (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).

Interactive media exploded as a category of online discourse which enables people to create contents, share them, bookmark them and network at a prodigious rate (Jha and Bhardwaj, 2012). This has breached the gap that existed in communication where people had to rely solely on traditional methods such as letters and phone calls as a mode of getting in touch with friends and relatives. Today, communication is as easy as walking into a neighbour’s residence to deliver a piece of information or vice versa through the use of interactive media. Interactive media is fast changing the public discourse in the society and is setting trends and agenda in topics that ranges from environment and politics to technology and the entertainment industry (Asur and Huberman, 2010). The driving factors for adoption of social media are the progressively ubiquitous access, convenience, functionality and flexibility of social technologies (Brown, 2011). These factors have made the adoption of social media very easy and have tremendously improved mankind’s life by exposing him to different ways of creating and sharing information.

Accordingly, the development of interactive media plays a significant role in teaching and learning in and out of school. Some of the advantages of interactive media in relation to teaching and learning include enhancing relationship, improving teaching and learning, offering personalized course materials and developing collaborative abilities. Also, students are socially connected with one another and therefore share their daily learning experiences and do conversation on various topics through social media although there are tendencies where social network websites grab student’s attention and then divert them towards non-educational and inappropriate actions including useless chatting. On the whole, the significance of utilizing interactive media in teaching and learning in schools cannot be over-emphasized.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

It has been observed with dismay that inspite of the role of interactive media in teaching and communication, the level of its utilization in the teaching – learning process in schools among teachers and students has been abysmally low. Most teachers rely solely on the orthodox chalk-board method of instruction without tapping from the wealth of knowledge and experiences provided by the different tools of the social-interactive media. Most schools lack Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices thus, depriving teachers and students access to modern information, exchanging views and learning things through the internet.

The internet is today the most important source of information and the growing dimension of the use of interactive media by teachers and students cannot be underestimated. It is against this background therefore, that this study “Interactive Media Utilization and Teaching of Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area” becomes imperative.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

 The main objective of this study is to examine utilization of interactive media and teaching of Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

The specific objectives include to:

i.        Examine the interactive media available for teaching Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

ii.       Examine the level of utilization of interactive media by teachers in teaching of Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

1.4     Research Questions 

The following research questions were raised in line with the specific objectives of the study:

i.        What are the interactive media available for teaching Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area?

ii.       What is the level of utilization of interactive media by teachers in Ikono Local Government Area?

1.5     Significance of the Study

It is anticipated that the findings of this study would be of immense benefits to all and sundry in the educational sector. Specifically, the findings of the study will be useful in the following ways:

i.        It would bring to focus the interactive media devices available for teaching Biology in secondary schools.

ii.       It would reveal the rate of which Biology teachers make use of interactive media in teaching Biology in secondary schools.

iii.      It would add to the body of existing literature on interactive media utilization and the teaching of Biology and other school subjects.

iv.      It would serve as a reference material for further research on interactive media and the teaching of Biology and other school subjects in other study area.

1.6     Delimitation of the Study

The study was delimited to interactive media utilization and the teaching of Biology in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. Analysis was on Biology teachers in the study area.

1.7     Limitation of the Study

 The major factors that limit the scope of the study to Ikono Local Government Area were finance, the researcher’s academic workload and the timeframe for the completion of the research among others.

1.8     Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms used in the study were conceptualized by the researcher as explained below:

Interactive Media: These are media devices which make possible for teachers to interact with students in and out of school to impart knowledge, discuss subject matter, ask and answer questions, learn new things etc.

Availability: The state of being adequate and accessible.

Utilization: To put something to use or make of something to achieve a purpose.

Teaching: The process whereby a teacher imparts knowledge to a learner or group of learners.