A Study Of The Relationship Between Continuous Assessment Grade And Students Performance In Biology

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is a means of helping children to develop their personality through learning experiences provided by teachers, parents and significant others. The rate and progress of this development is ascertained in the classroom learning exercises, so students enter secondary school education after graduating from primary school around the age of 12 years where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education are usually compulsory up to a specified age, take place and where children usually transfer from one class to another according to their academic performance in continuous assessment and their examination after each session.

The purpose of continuous assessment is to provide a means of determining whether or not classroom learning experiences are resulting in the desire development in students. It helps to make data-based judgments about programmes which provide the learning experience designed to help students to a certain level of development in Biology as one of the most important subject in science.

Biology (Ernst Haeckels’ Tree of Life, 1979), the term Biology is derived from the Greek word, BIOS “life” and the LOGIA “study of “. Therefore, Biology is   a natural sciences concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structures, functions, growth, origin, evolution, distribution and taxonomy.

It has been observed that majority of senior secondary school students prefer to study Biology, no matter their career interest. This is aimed at fulfilling the West Examination Council requirement which stipulates that candidates must register for at least one science subject right from their senior secondary class (SS 1). Despite of the popularity of Biology, it has been observed that Nigerian students have been performing poorly in the subject, of which other sciences are not left out. On the other hand students interest in the science appears to be low or negative, hence, poor academic performance in Biology at both the secondary school level and tertiary institutions.

Performance is the reaction of someone that is being put to test or on trial for a particular task after knowledge has been impacted. It is a response elicited to know the level of achievement of the learners in a given task e.g. tests or examination.

Grade in the realm of education are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension with in a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters, e.g. A, B, C, D, or E, as a range, e.g. 4.0-1.0, as a number out of possible total, e.g. out of 20 or 100 as descriptors, e.g. excellent, great , satisfactory, needs improvement, etc, in percentage or as is common in some countries. Grade is now a number letter or symbol indicating a students’ level of accomplishment.

Bloom (1991), states that, continuous assessment is the systematic collection of evidence to determine whether infact certain changes are taking place in the learner as well as determine the amount of degree of change in individual students.  Assessment should be more than merely a test at the end of instruction to see how students perform under special conditions; rather, it should be an integral part of instruction that inform and guide teachers as they make instructional decisions.

Therefore, continuous assessment is the educational policies which students are examined continuously over most of the duration of the education period. The result of which are taken into account after leaving the school. It is often proposed or used as an alternative to a final examination system. Assessment is used not only as a final form of evaluation but is integral to the teaching and learning process i.e. assessment are formative and summative. The satisfactory results of assessment indicate the successful complexion of a course or programme and make a clear declaration of competence credit is then given, recorded and reported.

Therefore, the urgent need to promote learning and improve performance in senior secondary schools in Odeda Area resulted into a range or related but different developments in continuous assessment at classroom levels. The resultant features has been inconsistent performance of students in Biology Examinations nation wide and performance still varies from school to school. This undetermined the future of many students that are in schools that persistently perform poorly. What therefore remains disturbing is whether a relationship existed between continuous assessment grade and the students performance in Biology senior Secondary Schools.

1.2 STATEME­NT OF THE PROBLEM

The major aim of this project work is to find out whether there is any relationship existing between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology in some selected senior secondary schools. It would equally attempt to ascertain whether those relationship could be the lack of adequate interaction between the teacher and students, shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate instructional materials among others.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology?

2. Does gender affect the relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology?

3. Does low availability of laboratory facilities affect the  relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology?

4. Do teachers experience affect the relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology?

5. Does teaching strategies used by the teachers affect the relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology?

1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The research is to find out if there is relationship between continuous assessment grade and students performance in Biology.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covered some selected senior secondary schools in Odeda Local Government, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

SELECTED SCHOOLS

? Alabata Community Comprehensive High School.

? Salawu Abiola Comprehensive High School.

? Orile Kenta Comprehensive High School Olugbo Odeda.

? Egba Odeda High School

? Orile Kesi Grammar School Olodo Odeda.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study contribute in the following ways.

The research result would inform teacher trainers of the numerous continuous assessment strategies being utilized in senior secondary schools that these strategies should be emphasized during course of teacher training.

The research would provide relevant knowledge and information to the Inspectorate Department about the performance of students in Biology in senior secondary schools. That result from the classroom practice.

Teachers would be informed of the alternative continuous assessment strategies that could be used to enhance students performance.

This research will act as a foundation for furthers research that will benefit researchers.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Different factors will hinder the progress of this study for instance;

? Time constraints

? Financial problems

? Location or distance of the selected senior secondary schools.

DEFINITION OF THE TERM

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: Is a system of giving a student a final mark or grade based on work done during a course of study rather than on one examination.

BIOLOGY: This is the scientific study of life and structure of plants and animals, Its also the way in which the body and cells of a living things behave.

GRADING: This is the quality of a particular product or materials or a level of ability or rank that somebody has in an organization. Therefore is a mark given in an examination or for a piece of school/work.

PERFORMANCE: This is the reaction of somebody that is being put on trial for a particular task after knowledge has been impacted.