Appropriateness and relevance of the Nigerian Basic Science Curriculum Contents: Teachers and students’ perceptions

Abstract

This article examined the Nigerian Basic Science Curriculum by focusing on the appropriateness and relevance of the curriculum contents as perceived by the science teachers and students. To achieve this objective, two research questions were formulated in this descriptive study. The study sample consisted of 435 students who were randomly selected and 57 Basic Science teachers who voluntarily participated in the study. Two researcher-developed instruments: Relevance of Basic Science Curriculum Scale (RBSCS) and Appropriateness of Basic Science Scale (ABSCS) were used to elicit information from students and teachers respectively. Each of the questionnaires consisted of 56 sub-topics (attached to a five-point Likert Scale) as spelt out in the curriculum guide prepared by the State Ministry of Education. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of mean. The findings of the study included the fact that: (1) genetics, the nervous system and sense organs were considered moderately appropriate and highly relevant as rated by science teachers and students respectively, (2) all physical science contents were considered highly irrelevant by the students while these contents were rated by the teachers as moderately appropriate for the third year junior secondary school, (3) topics such as environmental hazards, drug abuse, reproductive health and resources from living and non-living things were rated as highly relevant and highly appropriate. Based on the findings, it was recommended that science education researchers, curriculum development agencies, science educators and professional associations should collaborate in designing (1) socially relevant  curriculum through infusion of more indigenous scientific knowledge into Basic Science Curriculum, (2) developmentally appropriate curriculum through application of relevant theories of developmental psychology.