APPRAISAL OF LABORATORY FACILITIES AND PERSONNEL FOR THE TEACHING OF PHYSICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ONNA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

This study appraised laboratory facilities and personnel for the teaching and learning of Physics in senior secondary schools in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Three research questions and their corresponding hypothesis guided the study. The study employed a descriptive survey design with a population of 836 SS2 Physics students out of which 100 students were sampled for the study using the simple random sampling technique. The researcher constructed instrument titled: Availability and Utilization of Laboratory Facilities and Personnel Questionnaire (AULFPQ) was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts in Physics and trial tested on twenty students who were not part of the study. The reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained using the Cronbach alpha reliability estimate. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and one sample t - test. The mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while one – sample t – test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the analysis showed that laboratory facilities are available and moderately utilized for the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools in Onna LGA. Results also showed that staff personnel are not adequately available for the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools in Onna LGA. Based on findings, it was recommended among others that government should employ adequate staff personnel for the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools in Onna LGA for the improvement of student’s academic performance.