REMEDIATION OF MISCONCEPTIONS IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RESPIRATION IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS SOUTH-EAST SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF RIVERS STATE

Abstract

Misconceptions in photosynthesis and respiration can affect the learning of an individual and could hinder the learners’ potential in Biology as a subject to its fullest. The study examined remediation of misconceptions in photosynthesis and respiration in senior secondary schools in Rivers South East Senatorial District. Two research questions and two hypotheses were postulated to guide the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Sample size of 391 respondents from a population of 17087 respondents (teachers and students) was determined using Taro Yamane formula. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents from the various schools in the various Local Government Areas in Rivers South East senatorial district of Rivers State The research instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled: “Remediation of Misconceptions in Photosynthesis and Respiration in Senior Secondary Schools Questionnaire (RMPRSSSQ)”. The instrument was given to the researcher’s supervisor for face and content validation. Reliability analysis was performed to determine the instrument’s reliability using the Cronbach Alpha method which stood at 0.844 after administering it to 10 persons. Mean, standard deviations, mean criterion (2.50) were used to analyze the research questions while z-test was used to analyze the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings identified several remediation strategies including utilization of instructional materials to remedy the misconceptions in photosynthesis and respiration in senior secondary schools in Rivers South East Senatorial District. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers should adopt student-centered methodology when teaching these concepts in Biology and should improvise instructional materials in areas where they are not readily available to help aid their teaching.