Changing Paradigms in Teaching of Practical in Biology in Selected Secondary Schools in Kakamega County of Western Kenya: A Case of Digital Educational Technology Media Resources
Keywords:
Biodiversity, Biology, DETMRs, Paradigm, Pedagogy, Practical, PSS, Teacher-education, Virtual Specimens.Abstract
This survey study carried out to establish the competence and attitudes of teachers of Biology using Digital Educational Technology Media Resources (DETMRs), for the teaching of practical in Biology in Public Secondary Schools in Kakamega County, Western Kenya. Thirty-six Public Secondary Schools randomly sampled three from each of the twelve sub-counties of Kakamega County for data collection. For each sample school, the respondents were the Principals, Heads of Department (Science) and three teachers of Biology. The Principals of schools interviewed and questionnaire and direct classroom observation schedule for the teachers of Biology. Data collected analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics, Chi-Square (X2) at a level of 0.05 of the statistics of significance. The findings indicated that the teachers of Biology lacked competence at13.83 percent, had poor attitudes, lacked knowledge and skills towards the use of DETMRs in the teaching of practical in Biology. The outcome of this study may benefit curriculum planners, teacher-education preparation programme developers and stakeholders in science education in improving the teaching strategies of the practical in Biology. As a digital era, all may impress a new paradigm shift in Biology practical instruction in a virtual teaching/learning environment.
The recommendations are: to provide enhanced intensive teacher-education preparation programmes incorporating DETMRs for professional development of teachers of Biology. The teacher-education preparation programs to review technological, pedagogical and content knowledge base for the use of DETMRs in the teaching of the practical in Biology in the field, classroom, and laboratories.
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