Assessment of factors affecting implementation of practical activities in Gondar zuria woreda secondary schools, Central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Laboratories are one of the characteristic features in the sciences at all levels. Chemistry is one of the subjects that are offered in the Ethiopian secondary school curriculum. The purpose of this study is to assess factors that affect practical work in chemistry for secondary schools. The study has identified teachers, laboratory technicians, students and school principals’ perceptions to indicate the key factors that seem to inhibit the effective use of practical work in chemistry. The study was conducted in Central Gondar Zone, Gondar Zuria woreda Ethiopia. 4 schools were taken as target schools for the research populations from which 30 chemistry teachers, 3 laboratory technicians, all school principals selected purposively and 136 from students selected by applying systematic random sampling technique were participated being the sample of the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, interview and observations. The collected data were analyzed using simple quantitative and qualitative analysis. Then the quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS Version 20 and outputs; frequencies, percent, means and standard deviations were used to interpret the findings. The qualitative data collected were also used as supportive information for the analyzed quantitative data. The results and discussions showed that teachers-related factors that influence practical work in chemistry are teachers' poor interest towards practical work, fear of chemicals, late beginning of teaching practical class, lack of awareness and motivation from school leaders and unsafe working environments in the schools. Laboratory-related factors are a lack of separate chemistry laboratory rooms, physical status of chemistry laboratories lack cleanness, ventilation, attractive feature, organization of chemicals and apparatuses, water supply, safety materials and necessary materials for experimentation Students related factors are low attitude of students towards practical activities in chemistry, poor experimental background even and their current participations of chemistry laboratories were inconsistent and a few lab classes gave them low chance for learning by doing because of the domination of teachers’ or lab technicians’ demonstrations. The interest and skill of subject teachers, lab technicians and also school principals’ attention to laboratory issues were under question. In general the study identified that practical activities in the target schools considerably faced with serious problems that requires interventions to improve the current status of chemistry laboratories and enhance students understanding in teaching chemistry.