INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION John P. Smith, Section Editor The Science Curriculum and the Secondary Student in Sierra Leone EBUN. S. SAWYERR Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone* Like other former British Colonies, Sierra Leone follows a modified form of the British system of education, consisting of a primary school of 7 years duration and a secondary school of 5 years, followed in a few cases by 2 years of sixth form study. At the primary school, about 56% of those who enter drop out by the end of Class VII, at which stage the selective examination for admission to the secondary school is taken. This exam is a device for the placement of pupils in secondary schools, according to their scores. In 1981, at the primary school level, there were 266,166 school children taught by 8392 teachers.? At the secondary school level, there were about 65,000 students taught by about 8000 teachers. Similarly, about 60% of those who enter the secondary school (Form I), drop out by the end (Form V). The General Certificate of Education at the ordinary level (G.C.E. 0 level) is the exam taken at the end of the secondary school. This is the end of formal school education for a majority of students. The main aim of this article, therefore, is to examine the performance of the students in the Sciences at this stage when students are leaving school (Form V). The G.C.E. scores are utilized for this examination, in terms of percentage of students passing the exam. A similar examination has been accomplished by Sawyerr (1969, 1975). Sawyerr s (1969) study, which was limited to the Western Area of Sierra Leone, found that students in the older schools obtained higher GCE scores in science than students in the newer schools. The 1975 study (Sawyerr, 1975), which addressed * Present address: Solomon Islands Teachers College, Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. t Projection on 1981 statistics, Planning Unit, Ministry of Education, New England, Sierra Leone. Science Education 69(2): (1985) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CCC /85/ $04.00

2 148 SAWYERR the training of science teachers, observed a substantial increase in the number of students passing the GRE in the sciences following the implementation of a teacher training program. An important question to be addressed, however, is how relevant is this increase for the lives of the students of Sierra Leone? Relevance will be discussed with three criteria in mind: (1) job opportunities, (2) knowledge of environment, and (3) citizenship. Does the fact that more students pass the science GRE mean that they can obtain jobs more easily? Do these students have a better understanding of the environment in which they live? Have they become better citizens? Finally, on the whole, what do these discussions suggest about the secondary school science curriculum in Sierra Leone? Description of the Science Curriculum Primary Level Before the academic year, science in the primary schools of Sierra Leone had been limited to the study of Hygiene and Nature Study. The former consisted of theoretical lessons on how to keep the body and surroundings clean. The latter consisted mainly of the study of plant life and a few common animals found around the vicinity. This was sometimes referred to as Science and Gardening. An attempt was made in the 1966/1967 school year to change the primary school science by introducing General Science in addition to the Nature Study topic. The Curriculum usually starts in Class 111 since the two previous years are regarded as infant classes. The author observed that primary schools are still operating from the 1969 syllabus.* This was meant to be a trial syllabus but, surprisingly, not much has been done to change it. The syllabus, which starts from Class I11 to Class VII includes topics such as: Plants, Common Insects, Birds, Soil, Clouds, the School Garden, Light, Fishes, Frog, Ruminants, Earthworm, Water, Moon, Elasticity, Magnetism (including a historical treatment), the Air, Heat, Capillarity, Domestic Animals, Surface Tension, Rocks, and Mammals. The syllabus is quite extensive but the appendix has copious diagrams and illustrations for the teacher to select and try out the various experiments. The main problem however is teaching competence. The teachers are usually not competent to teach these topics properly. A New Primary Science In 1965, Sierra Leonean educators along with their colleagues from other African countries and from the United States, met in Kano, Nigeria to formulate a general strategy for introducing Technology into primary science. The objective in terms of the child s development was to make science the medium for understanding and making rational decisions about his total environment. The African Primary Programme (APSP) was formed there, to help give practical expression to this objective. Thc introduction of the APSP into Sierra Leonean classrooms by the Science Curriculum * New Trial Syllabus, Ministry of Education, New England, Sierra Leone, 1969.

3 SECONDARY STUDENTS IN SIERRA LEONE 149 Development Centre of Njala University College in 1965 marked the beginning of a modem approach to the teaching of science at the primary level. The APSP approach by using the discovery method emphasizes complete participation of all pupils in group work or individual activities in the classroom, finding out knowledge by themselves, and making use of locally available materials instead of the usual expensive scientific equipment used in teaching science. The role of the teacher in this approach is to act as a stimulus to further activity and as a guide to the current occupation of the pupils. This is unlike the traditional role of the teacher giving out information. The goals and activities of the APSP fitted the science education policy of Sierra Leone so well that Sierra Leonean educators embraced the program enthusiastically and helped transform it into the Science Education Programme for Africa (SEPA), a more truly African Science organization in 1970 (Cole, 1971). Unfortunately for science education in Sierra Leone, this program did not get the popularity one would expect in the schools. In most African countries, primary school teachers tend to avoid their science lessons as much as possible. They do not have the appropriate science background and as such do not feel confident in teaching their lessons. In the traditional approach, the teacher is secure with his textbook and the answer contained in it. He becomes threatened when the discovery approach is advocated as the method for teaching science. A similar situation exists at the secondary level in the use of the discovery method. Secondary Level: Patrerns of Science There are three alternate approaches in the teaching of science: (1) Where General Science is taken up to the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level), i.e., Form V. (2) Where two or three years of General Science are followed by three or two years of formal study of a separate science, i.e., Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. (3) Where the separate sciences are studied throughout the five years. In Sierra Leone, the second pattern is prevalent and Integrated Science instead of General Science is now offered in some schools. Since General Science is not an integrated science, the West African Examinations Council s Paper is taken in three sections- General Science I is a paper testing pupils in Biology, General Science I1 is a paper in Chemistry, and General Science 111 is a paper in physics. New Secondary Science Hill, the Science Cumculum Advisor in 1970/1971, did a comprehensive survey of Science teaching in the secondary schools for the Institute of Education, but this was limited to the lower forms (1-111) of the schools since the study was a preliminary to the Core Course Integrated Science (CCIS) exercise. Hill s sample which consisted of 80 schools out of the total of 91 was representative of all regions. His findings, which were unpublished, revealed among other things that 98% of all junior teaching takes place in the classroom. The CCIS is one of four projects in cumculum development which were undertaken by the Institute of Education. It is a course designed specifically for use in the first three

4 150 SAWYERR forms of the secondary schools in Sierra Leone. One of the features of the CCIS is that it stimulates the use of the school s environment as the resource for science teaching. The course is designed to permit modification so as to suit local needs and interests and to take advantage of available materials (Findlay, 1975). An integrated science program is designed to serve two purposes. First, science is considered to be a cultural and educational discipline cultivating in pupils an understanding of the phenomena of nature and the scientific mode of comprehending them. Science in this respect is considered an essential component of general education. Second, science education must serve to produce future scientists and technical workers by training pupils to understand the fundamental principles which govern scientific and technical activities. In Sierra Leone, the decision to develop an Integrated Science program was taken to eliminate the unnecessary and unnatural boundaries which are otherwise established in introductory science courses, whilst at the same time permitting a greater coverage of relevant content in the lower forms of secondary schools (CCIS, 1975). It is hoped that the benefits of such an approach would be in the interrelationships of man with his total environment. The Curriculum Revision Unit for Science Education envisaged that the provision for science education in the junior forms of our secondary schools is likely to be less than ideal for many years to come. Laboratory and commercially produced apparatus will be absent or in short supply and the teaching staff will vary in quality. Consequently, CCIS is intended to develop a course which is capable of being taught in an ordinary classroom and with a minimum of commercial apparatus supplemented by local materials and junk. The teaching materials will provide not only a course of carefully designed activities for pupils but also a resource for the teacher faced with a new style of teaching novel content. The outlined objectives demand the use of the full range of teaching strategies and techniques, individual pupil experimentation, the use of books, demonstrations, etc. The emphasis throughout is on the joint investigation of the environment by pupils and teacher (Findlay, 1975). The CCIS was introduced in Sierra Leone by the Institute of Education in Full-scale implementation of the program started during the 1976/ 1977 school year with the publication of the year 1 materials. So far the whole program has been fully implemented with the publication of year I1 and year 111 materials (CCIS, 1976, 1977, 1978). Year I Units are: Water, Air, Sound and Hearing, Vision, and Growth. Year I1 Units are: Materials and Measurement, Rocks, Stones and Soils, Earth and its Neighbors, Pushes and Pulls, Food. Year 111 Units are: Making Materials, Electricity, Energy, Man, and other Animals. Science Performance of the Secondary School Student Having looked at the contents of the science curriculum in the school system, let us now examine students performance on the contents. Assuming that the G.C.E. examinations are valid and marking consistent, these statistics give an indication of the performance of secondary students in the sciences-chemistry, Physics, and Biology. The students are required to include at least one of these science subjects in their examination. The Statistics shown in Table I were obtained from the West African Examinations

5 TABLE I G.C.E. 0 Level Resuits SECONDARY STUDENTS IN SIERRA LEONE 151 PHYSICS CHEHISPRY BIOUX;Y - -- YEAR ENTRIES PASSES X mies PASSES % WIRES PASSES % *West African Examinations Council, Tower Hill, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Council in Freetown. Corresponding figures for Physics and Biology were not available for 1977 to However, trends and comparisons can still be done with available statistics. Table I shows statistics for the three science subjects usually taken by the secondary student. Traditionally, only the better candidates opt for Physics and Chemistry. On the other hand, regulations for the award of a full certificate require that a candidate passes a science subject. In this connection, we find students opting for Biology which is considered a soft option. This explains the large numbers of students opting for Biology. Physics has the smallest number of entries, possibly because of the nature of the subject and the mathematical background required. Chemistry is a subject which has an average popularity. Table I shows that, on an average, the percentage of students passing the GRE exam is rising over the years. Analysis In Sierra Leone, science education is an attempt to provide every person with an understanding and application of science to Man s needs. It also attempts to ensure a sound foundation of the basic principles and facts of science for those who seek to make their careers and serve society as scientists or technologists. Moreover, science education must prepare all future leaders of whatever discipline to appreciate the special values and limitations of the scientific method. Other aspects of science education include the development of students ability to cope effectively with the natural environment and providing opportunities for the development of critical thinking. Let us look at the secondary student against this background and see how relevant his school science is.

6 152 SAWYERR Job Opportunities As a matter of policy in African countries, secondary education (completion of a Form V) is not a preparation for a job, yet this is terminal education for a high percentage of secondary school students. A few do go on to the colleges and universities but the majority who cannot find work in the offices, or drift around the cities. Science Education at the secondary school level does not equip the student for the job market. The Environment How equipped is the secondary student to understand and operate within his physical and cultural environment after Form V Science? In school he has been taught modem concepts of physical science and biological science but the school and the home are divorced. A majority of the students belong to the rural areas and cannot see the relevance of the school science. There have been attempts to Africanize the biology syllabuses by studying local fauna and flora instead of British models. This has not solved the problem. Science is man s conquest of his physical environment. The secondary school student has a spattering of scientific ideas which can be described as School Science or bookish science. He has not been taught to apply this knowledge to solve his needs or to conquer his environment. The latter is controlled by supernatural beings and traditions. Studies carried out by the author reveal the prevalence of traditional beliefs and practices which might interfere with the learning of western science. Citizenship In this context, a good citizen is one who demonstrates an understanding and appreciation of what science is about. Science education must prepare not only all future leaders but every citizen with an understanding of what science is about. This is a problem not only in Africa but also in the western world. However, the problem becomes more acute in the African world when you find a political leader in a situation in which decisions involving a scientific nature have to be taken. Suggestions As it is, school science is something the secondary student drops when he leaves school and enters his real environment. This is because school science is not only divorced from but irrelevant to his daily life. One suggestion therefore is for more attempts to bridge the gap by making use of as many local examples and practices as possible. There have been attempts to show how traditional materials and practices can be used to demonstrate scientific ideas and principles (Cole, 1977). In this connection, one can also mention Appropriate Technology as a move in the right direction. Further, the African student, unlike the Western one, comes to school with a lot of traditional beliefs which compete with those taught in science. African teachers as well as Western teachers tend to ignore these, believing that scientific ideas will shatter these beliefs. Sawyerr and others have shown the persistence of these beliefs (Sawyerr, 1979).

7 SECONDARY STUDENTS IN SIERRA LEONE 153 A few writers, e.g., Jahoda (1968), have shown an increase in scientific beliefs with increased educational level. The approach is not to ignore traditional beliefs but to tackle them during our classes, disproving them whenever this is possible References Cole, N. H. A. (1971). Science education programme for Africa, From APSP to SEPA. J. Educ., Ministry of Educ., Sierra Leone, 6, Cole, M. J. A. (1977). Science in the traditional African environment. Unpublished manuscript for Teacher Training. Findlay, I. W. 0. (1975, July). Some thoughts on Science Education in Sierra Leone with particular reference to curriculum reform and the C.C.I.S. Programme. Freetown, Sierra Leone, p. 6. Institute of Education. (1975). C.C.I.S. Booklet. Freetown, Sierra Leone: Curriculum Revision Unit, Institute of Education. Institute of Education. (1976). C.C.I.S. Teachers Book I. Sierra Leone: Curriculum Revision Unit, Institute of Education, University of Sierra Leone. Institute of Education. (1977). C.C.I.S. Teachers Book!I. Sierra Leone: Cumculum Revision Unit, Institute of Education, University of Sierra Leone. Institute of Education. (1978). C.C.I.S. Teachers Book III. Sierra Leone: Cumculum Revision Unit, Institute of Education, University of Sierra Leone. Jahoda, G. (1%8). Scientific training and the persistence of traditional beliefs amongst West African University students. Nature, Sawyerr, E. S. (1969). Science education in the high schools of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sci. EdUc., 53(1), Sawyerr, E. S. (1975). The training of science teachers in Sierra Leone. Sci. Educ.. 59(1), Sawyerr, E. S. (1979). Some Sierra Leonean traditions and the implications for science education. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Sierra Leone. Accepted for publication 25 May 1984