Secondary school teachers’ perceptions of practical work in biology in the Oshana Education Region, Namibia

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated Biology teachers’ perceptions of the importance of practical work in selected secondary schools in the Oshana Education Region (OER) in Namibia. This study was situated in both the qualitative and quantitative research paradigms. The population of this study consisted of all Biology teachers of Grade 11 and 12 students. Eight secondary schools in the OER were purposely selected to take part in the study. A sample comprising of 23 Biology teachers was then chosen purposively from the eight secondary schools. A questionnaire and an observation schedule were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the quantitative data while the qualitative data were categorised into themes. The findings showed that the 69.9% of the Biology teachers did not have a laboratory specifically for conducting Biology practical work and they carried out their practical work in a common laboratory used for both Physical Science and Biology or in their classrooms. Two out of the nine observed teachers did not bother to carry out practical work at all and they taught Biology as a completely theoretical subject. The study recommends that Biology teachers should be encouraged to source materials necessary for conducting practical work from private schools in cases where their schools do not have the necessary resources for conducting practicals in Biology.