1.0 CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Background/Introduction of the Study

Education has a fundamental role to play in personal, social, economical and political development. While education is an ongoing process of improving knowledge and skills, it is also a means of bringing about personal development and positive relationship among individuals, groups and nations and reducing power and wealth disparities both within and among countries. Basic education is recognized as a fundamental cornerstone for the development of less-developed countries though investment in higher education. Outdoor learning is a vital element in a young person's development and educational experience. It is a wide term that includes such things as outdoor play in the early years, environmental education, expeditions, field trips, and so on. Outdoor learning is about releasing teaching and learning from the constraints of the classroom walls. ICT can be of real assistance by providing highly mobile and easy-to-use ways of exploring, recording, and reviewing outdoor learning. Rickinson, Dillon, et,al, (2004) mentioned that the best outdoor learning research review produced to date by a federal education agency. Argues that due to increased concerns about risk and liability and increasing full school curricula, outdoor learning is increasingly difficult to organize, with fewer opportunities available to students and that policy makers need to respond pro-actively. The outdoors classroom has always been a crucial part of the schools which help teachers to realize that it can be a very powerful learning environment as well as a place for exercise and play.

Many studies have shown that interest-triggered learning activity leads to a higher degree of deep-level learning (Krapp, 2002).‘Interest’ is a relationship between an individual and an object. Most researchers differentiate between individual and situational interests (Krapp, Hidi and Renninger, 1992). Individual interest is understood to develop gradually and affect one’s knowledge and values over time, while situational interest appears suddenly as a response to something in the environment and is more emotional in nature (Hidi, 1990).

In view of the cardinal roles which retention plays in the teaching and learning process as well as making it possible for students to remember learnt materials and producing desirable learning outcomes, it has become pertinent to explore ways and means of engendering students’ abilities in biology. Since achievement in biology depends on how learnt materials are retained, any effort to tackle the problem of poor achievement in biology may not be meaningfully effective if students’ retentive ability is not taken into consideration. Onose (2007) stated that the teaching and learning of subject matter requires the use of discovering and innovation that will stimulate interest and possible retention which in turn enhances better retention.

According to Achor, Imoko and Uloko (2009), retention is the ability to retain or keep knowledge of learnt materials and to be able to remember and recall it when Nigeria Educational Forum, 22, 2(December, 2014), 83-95. Page 86 required. It is also ability of an individual to retain and play back their experiences and what have been learnt after the school outdoor activities. The human mind acquires the materials of knowledge through sensation and perception. The acquired materials need to be preserved or retained in human mind in form of images for knowledge to develop. Whenever a stimulating situation occurs, retained images are revived or reproduced to make memory possible (Kundu & Tutoo, 2002). It thus means that biological concepts should be presented to the students such that it touches their consciousness. It further goes to imply that any pedagogical strategy adopted to improve students’ achievement may also improve their retentive ability in the subject since retention in biology is not acquired by mere rote–memorization but through appropriate teaching approach.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Through activity-based teaching has been accepted as a paradigm for science education and is also reflected in some measure in the textbooks developed at the national and state levels, it has hardly been translated to actual classroom practice (Mishra & Yadav, 2013). Activities still tend to be regarded as a way to verify the ideas/principles given in the text, rather than as a means for open-ended investigations. There is a general feeling that activity based teaching is expensive, takes more time that could be otherwise “fruitfully” used for „text based‟ teaching, and does not prepare the child for examinations and competitive tests. The concern about expenditure involved in activities/ experiments could not be dismissed (Stohlman, 2009; Mishra & Yadav, 2013).

Biology as a science also involves the use of process skills and different approaches to bring about meaningful achievement in the learners; however, maximum achievement is not yet attained. Alarming dismay still continue from Examination Councils as the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Institution of higher learning, also from Federal and State governments concerning the poor performance in Sciences particularly Biology. It has been established that, the persistent poor achievement of students in biology specifically in ecological concepts at senior school certificate examination (WAEC, chief examiner report, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 & 2008) leaves one in doubt about the effectiveness of the teaching methods such as lectures or demonstration method popularly used by the biology teachers for teaching the subject. The poor performance in ecology was traced to past ecology WAEC questions according to the chief examiner’s report of 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Although educators have advocated the use of some of the innovative strategies which include cooperative learning, problem solving and constructivism (Nwosu & Nzewi, 1998) in teaching biology, the researchers observed that school outdoor activities could be one of the innovative strategies to improve students’ achievement in ecological studies.

Therefore, it is against this background that this study intends to assess the relationship between outdoor activities on senior secondary school two students and achievement and interest in Biology, to examine the positive effects of outdoor activities and interest and in biology, to find out what triggers outdoor activities than interest in biology and to checkmate ways to encourage outdoors activities in secondary school two students.

1.3 Research Questions

The research questions to address in this study are:

1. What is the relationship between school outdoor activities and interest in biology?
2. What triggers outdoor activities in secondary school over interest in biology?
3. What are the positive effects of outdoor activities over interest in biology?
4. What can be done to encourage outdoor activities over interest in biology?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The following are the objectives of the study:

1. To assess the relationship between outdoor activities and interest in biology
2. To examine the triggers of outdoor activities over interest in biology
3. To find out the positive effects of outdoor activities on interest in biology
4. To find possible ways to encourage outdoor activities over interest in biology.

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Based on the study objectives, the following hypotheses were formulated:

H0 there is no significant relationship between  outdoor activities on senior secondary two student’s achievement and interest in biology.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study is of the great importance to secondary school students on the danger and effects of outdoor activities. This will serve as an eye opener and whistle blower to both the students, teachers and parents to the need to reduce the level of outdoor activities on secondary school students.

This will enable the government to redefine and re-strategize biology curriculum that will make secondary school two students to enjoy and have interest in biology.