Adetola Salau (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/98431286444?pwd=MUF6eTA4S213QnM3ZHg5RzVGVHRrQT09

The West African Examination Council syllabus (Alao & Gallagher, 1988) states that the objectives of studying science include understanding basic science concepts, gaining of laboratory skills, connecting science and industry with real-life situations (especially in terms of benefits and hazards), and acquiring the skills of critical and logical thinking. These objectives necessitate the need for practical work and experimentation within the science learning context that give meaning and significance to understanding science (Etiubon & Udoh, 2017). Given that laboratory skills and practical work in science are expected to be undertaken as part of the syllabus, according to Lunetta et al. (2007), practical work are learning experiences in which students interact with materials or with secondary sources of data to observe and understand the natural world.

This study investigated the nature and state of practical work in science education at a Lagos State Government public secondary school. The study documented how public senior secondary school science teachers plan for and enact practical work in science education. More specifically, this study focused on science teachers’ approaches, their perceptions of students’ work, the type of activities they conduct, the role of assessment they undertake, and the kinds of school supports that exist for them to engage teaching and learning of practical work.

The following research questions were addressed in the study: RQ1 – What are science teachers’ experiences with the teaching and learning of practical work in a senior secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria? RQ2 – What kinds of school support are available to aid science teachers’ practical work in a senior secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria? RQ3 – What are benefits and challenges of practical work in a senior secondary school in Lagos State?

This exploratory case study followed an interpretive approach. The data sources included teacher interviews, classroom observations, and artefacts. The findings revealed that practical work involves a lot of improvisation, is teacher-centered and didactic, and lacks necessary scientific equipment to carry it out. The findings have implications for understanding the tensions of teachers’ knowledge versus their translation of practical work in science teaching and learning. It informs Nigeria’s reform efforts to prepare students for scientific critical thinking and future STEM-related careers.

Keywords-: practical work; inquiry-based learning; science process skills; science education