CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Integrated science is a unified science discipline in which students take a combined science course rather than just physics, chemistry, or biology. It very well may be viewed as a science subject that brings the substance of a few courses together into a cognizant entirety. Integration as a concept is additionally crucial thinking about the increment and expansion of information. The quest for information turns out to be progressively troublesome as it propels and as the quantity of specific fields increment. When science is taught as a whole, students will be able to understand its patterns and generalizations, which will give them a solid foundation for later specialization and in-depth study. All scientific disciplines share the same set of procedures. Just a coordinated course will lay out in the understudies' brain an enthusiasm for the solidarity of science. Through integration, you can also develop logical content and avoid overlapping. This makes education more cost-effective and effective.
A coordinated methodology will expand the broadness of understudies' cooperation in an assortment of science fields. Coordinated science disposes of the evil impacts of early specialization. Students receive little formal education outside of their specialties because they are expected to study multiple science subjects at an early age. Thus it isn't is business as usual that they leave school with little information on or interest in the issues of the general public. It is trusted that through coordinated science, all understudies will actually want to concentrate on a fair course in science and furthermore carve out the opportunity to check out friendly issues, expressions and humanities.
The world in which we live is rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly scientific and technical; as this change happens, training in all structures and in all subjects can't be left out yet the simple notice of "innovation" appears to alarm the vast majority and sadly, numerous educators who should be most educated and illuminated are not. Most educators feel the use of these informative materials or contraptions is excessively aggressive and forward thinking; others feel the economy isn't only ready for such modern innovation. It is impossible to attribute the development of educational technology to a single individual. Beginning with the use of visual materials and a variety of contributions from a number of individuals and organizations, it was a gradual process. Indeed, the utilization of visual materials traces all the way back to the Stone Age (antiquated times). As indicated by Aduwa-Ogigegbaen and Iyamu (2005), during this period, visual guides, for example, stones, rocks, sticks and cowries were utilized to improve compelling learning. Additionally in Africa, a portion of the early preachers cultivated the turn of events and dispersion of specific parts of instructive innovation during the provincial period; one of such teachers was David Livingstone. He energized the utilization of visual materials, for example, slides, graphs, films, Sound tapes and models. By mid 1950s, the teachers were said to have framed developments which supported the utilization of visual materials. The training began in Nigerian schools especially in educator trade schools. ( TTC)
Instructive innovation as made sense of by Descryver (2011) is a hypothetical information from various disciplines (correspondence, schooling, brain research, social science, reasoning, man-made consciousness, software engineering and so forth.) furthermore experiential information from instructive practices. It has also been referred to as the use of teaching tools and materials like computers, radios, projected and unprojected aids, the internet, television, posters, and film strips in integrated science instruction for anyone. The term instructive innovation is frequently connected with educational materials or learning innovation with its effect in educating and getting the hang of becoming perhaps of the most significant and generally talked about issue in contemporary schooling strategy (Rosen and All things considered, 1995; Thierer, 2000). The purpose of educational software is to assist students in learning specific subjects. There are numerous types of educational software. Models incorporate pre-school programming, PC test systems and illustrations programming structure that is more managable to estimation and improvement of results. With legitimate organizing it can become simpler to screen and keep up with understudies' work while additionally rapidly checking alterations to the guidance important to improve understudies learning. Instructive innovation gives the resources to zero in on dynamic understudies' support and to introduce separated addressing techniques. It expands individualized guidance and advances the improvement of customized learning plans. The use of multimedia components and the creative application of newly acquired knowledge are actively engaged by students.
The utilization of web in instructing and learning of Coordinated Science adversely affects the understudy's presentation, teachers as well as the school system overall. Numerous strategies based on evidence are utilized in efficient technologies, such as adaptive content, frequent testing, and immediate feedback. Student center, cooperative, and higher gains in learning, writing skills, problem-solving, and technology use were found in studies conducted in "computer-intensive" settings. Moreover, inspirational perspectives towards innovation as a learning instrument by guardians, understudies and educators can work on the nature of instructing and learning of incorporated science (Yusuf, 2000).
Students in Integrated Science now have access to a world of possibilities thanks to the internet itself. Data and thoughts that were beforehand too far are a tick away. Because materials are the sole property of the instructor and learning occurs primarily through the teacher's interaction with the class, Integrated Science students can connect, share, and learn globally. Student self-esteem improves as a result of this. It can possibly add to significant enhancements in the school system (Moursund, 2005). Numerous understudies have various sorts of learning styles and utilizing various kinds of innovations is an incredible method for aiding a wide range of students by giving healing guidance to low-accomplishing understudies, giving improvement exercises to understudies who effectively complete the ordinary illustration before understudies who demand greater investment to learn.
Utilizing PCs or different types of innovation can give understudies practice on center substance and abilities while the instructor can work with others, direct evaluations or perform different errands. Innovation, for example, PC in the homeroom, class site, class websites and wiki, remote study hall mouthpieces, cell phones, intuitive whiteboard, Advanced Video-on-Request, online media, report cameras, web recording, among others permit educators to coordinate and present illustrations successfully. The information can be made more meaningful and interesting through multimedia presentations.
Create a class-specific web page for teachers to easily display their students' work. Using the computer in the classroom, teachers can also demonstrate a new lesson, demonstrate how to use new materials, and demonstrate how to use new programs. Intelligent White sheets improve the involvement with the study hall by showing whatever can be on a PC screen. This guides in visual advancing as well as it is intuitive so the understudies can draw, compose or control pictures on the intelligent whiteboard. With the help of wireless classroom microphones, students are able to clearly hear their teachers in noisy classrooms. This helps teachers avoid losing their voices at the end of each day's lesson.
Innovation permits understudies to keep up with running discourse, for example, a diaries, thoughts, contemplations and tasks that likewise accommodate understudies' remark and reflection. They are more focused on groups to enable multiple group members to edit a single document and produce a finished product that is truly collaborative and has been carefully edited. Innovation permits the understudies to communicate their insight into the data learned in their desire. In spite of the fact that there are still a few parts of a study hall setting that are missed by utilizing these assets and innovations, they are as yet supportive devices to cushion a generally existing schooling system.
Research discoveries demonstrate that innovation moves the gaining climate away from educator focused and instructor controlled model to an understudy focused model (Sigri and Nielsson, 2003). However, it ought to be recollected that social and close to home abilities can't be created in vacuum. Social interactions with parents, neighbors, classmates, and teachers are the only ones that can improve mental health. Kids get viable illustrations on initiative, participation, cooperation exclusively by steady collaborations with peers. There is no easy route to the accomplishment of social and profound wellbeing. The compensating course however tedious is through typical social communication in the home, school and not before a PC screen which obviously is an important enhancement since both educator and students are liable for the pieces of the showing system (Husmann and Mill operator, 2001). However, educational technology has its own flaws, which is why it hasn't been tried much or survived in most developing nations like Nigeria. First is the high cost associated with giving materials to each understudy during illustrations. Furthermore, instructive innovation materials give task at the low mental degree of discovering that is the data level. This is because it is believed that the learner is passive and only wants to get information to remember. Ordinary study hall educating and learning give errands at the instructive level and after higher mental levels, similar to the grasping level. By focusing a lot on free learning of understudies, bunch cooperation like class conversation, peer communications are lost
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Over the years the academic performance of integrated science students in Degema L.G.A has been on a steady decline. The poor performance of students in integrated science could be as a result of lack of instructional materials or poor integration of educational technology in most of the integrated science laboratory in Degema L.G.A. secondly, lack of adequate funding is been observed to be among the causes of poor academic performance in integrated science. Lastly there have been several studies on educational technology and academic performance but not even a single study is based on the impact of educational technology on student performance in integrated science in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The aim of the research work is to determine the impact of educational technology on integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state. The objectives of the study are:
- To determine the relationship between educational technology and integrated science student’s achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A
- To determine the importance of educational technology to integrated science students in Degema L.G.A
- To identify the factors affecting the influence of educational technology on integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A
- To recommend ways to improve integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions guide the objectives of the study:
- what is the relationship between educational technology and integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A?
- What is the importance of educational technology to integrated science students in Degema L.G.A?
- What are the factors affecting the influence of educational technology on integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A?
- What are the ways to improve integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state?
1.5 STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS
H0: there is no significant relationship between educational technology and integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A
H1: there is significant relationship between educational technology and integrated science students’ achievement in junior secondary schools in Degema L.G.A
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study on the impact of educational technology on student performance in integrated science will be of immense benefit to the entire secondary schools in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state. The study helps the management of secondary schools Degema L.G.A on how to integrate the use of educational technology into teaching and learning of integrated science. The study will also as a repository of information to other researchers and students that desire to carry out similar research on the above topic. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of the existing literature on the influence of educational technology on student performance in integrated science.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study covers on the influence of educational technology on student performance in integrated science with focus on secondary schools in Degema L.G.A, Rivers state
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Financial constraint- insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint- the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS:
Educational technology: Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology
Integrated science: is a highly selective curriculum of natural sciences and mathematics presented in small classes at an accelerated pace. ISP courses emphasize the common base and relationships of the sciences and stress the importance of mathematics and the development of first principles.
Academic performance: academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's degrees represent academic achievement
