A Study on Assessment of Teaching and Learning Methods for Secondary School Biology Subject Content as an Approach to Addressing Environmental Degradation in Malawi. Case Study of Karonga District

Abstract

The purpose of this study was on assessing of teaching and learning methods for secondary school biology subject content as an approach to addressing environmental degradation in Malawi. Case study of Karonga district. The study was guided by the following research specific objectives: to assess how success criteria in secondary school Biology syllabi are framed to address environmental degradation in Malawi; to investigate the appropriateness of the methods of teaching and learning Biology that address environmental degradation and to examine how Biology teachers assess students’ fieldwork that is required by the syllabus. A mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative methods) was used in this study. Sixty secondary school teachers were selected from 40 secondary schools in Northern Education Division in the Ministry of Education in Malawi as research participants. Schools and participants were selected through convenience and purposive sampling techniques respectively. In this study, data was collected through interviews, questionnaire and document analysis. Data analysis was done thematically and using statistics. The research study found out that the success criteria, content and teaching and learning methods in Biology would not address environmental degradation because success criteria were not framed well and had many action verbs such as ‘explain’, ‘describe’ and ‘state’. In addition, explanation was the main teaching and learning methods used by Secondary school Biology teachers which would not address environmental degradation since they did not encourage learning through practice, The findings also revealed that Biology teachers in secondary schools assessed learners with the aim of passing public examinations and not assisting learners to acquire skills to deal with issues of environmental degradation.