The development of Science and Technology has been positively associated with every nation's economic well-being and quality of life. Even though the importance of science in people's daily lives may not be readily noticeable, people engage in many science related activities and experiences, most of which enable them to make science-related decisions and choices every day. This implies that science education will continue to shape humanity, the environment, quality of life, sustainability of the planet, and peaceful coexistence. Effective participation in the scientifically and technologically driven world of the 21st Century implies a science education that produces scientifically literate citizens. This chapter provides justification for rethinking the way science education should be done in Africa generally, and Nigeria, in specific. Recommendations were made for the use of context-based science instruction as an effective way to Africanize science instruction.
The development of Science and Technology has been positively associated with every nation's economic well-being and quality of life. Even though the importance of science in people's daily lives may not be readily noticeable, people engage in many science related activities and experiences, most of which enable them to make science-related decisions and choices every day. This implies that science education will continue to shape humanity, the environment, quality of life, sustainability of the planet, and peaceful coexistence. Effective participation in the scientifically and technologically driven world of the 21st Century implies a science education that produces scientifically literate citizens. This chapter provides justification for rethinking the way science education should be done in Africa generally, and Nigeria, in specific. Recommendations were made for the use of context-based science instruction as an effective way to Africanize science instruction.
This study explores urban secondary teachers' perception of how prepared they are to teach science through inquiry-based strategy. It was conducted against the backdrop of recent calls by the National Research Council (NRC) to restructure the way science is taught. Results described in this paper are based on data collected through a Likert scale questionnaire administered to 39 practicing science teachers. The questionnaire provided both quantitative and qualitative data. Analysis of data showed that the majority (78%) of the teachers surveyed believed that they had the knowledge and skill required to teach science through inquiry. Their responses to open ended survey questions indicated something different. Only 13% of the teachers were able to list the elements of inquiry-based science instruction which raised the question about what they actually perceived as knowledge and skills of inquiry-based instruction. These differences are discussed in this paper. Implications for teacher preparation to instruct in an inquiry fashion are also presented.
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