Assessment of Nigerian senior school science teachers’ level of mastery of the nature of science: Implications for social transformation in Ilorin, Kwara State. KWASU International Journal of Education, 3 (1), 23-42.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Published by College of Education, Kwara State University, Malete.
Abstract
In developing nations like Nigeria, where most students have limited or no access to supplementary sources of learning materials, they often rely solely on knowledge gained from their teachers. Thus, students’ achievement depends, to a vast extent, on their teachers’ mastery of disciplinary knowledge. This study assessed the level of knowledge of the nature of science amongst Nigerian senior secondary school professional science teachers. The researchers adopted the descriptive survey method to conduct the study. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sixty science teachers from 22 secondary schools within Kwara State that took part in the study. The instrument used for data collection in the study was an achievement test entitled ‘Nature of Science Mastery Scale’. The t-test statistical technique was used to analyze the data gathered in the study. The results of the study clearly indicated that many (85%) science teachers had a fairly adequate mastery of the nature of science. Also, gender difference does not exist, t-value is (t (58, 0.05) =0. 103) in the teachers' level of mastery of the nature of science. The study concluded that the science teachers’ level of mastery of the nature of science was fairly adequate. The researchers called for the inclusion of the nature of science as a core course in the science teacher education curriculum. Also, the practice of sharing science as part of measures to enhance social transformation was recommended.
Description
Keywords
Nature of science, Science teachers, Teacher education, Misconceptions, and Nigeria.