Barriers to Incorporating Student-Centered Learning Approaches into the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Biology in Nigeria

Nuru A. R., Alafiatayo B. M.

Abstract


Promoting Biology Education that will enable all students to develop inquiry minds to be imaginative but rigorous in their thinking and to understanding the processes of scientific investigation and the principles of scientific knowledge is the focus of this paper. Too many of the nation's undergraduate Biology education courses still rely on lectures and textbooks to cover the necessary content as listed on the syllabus instead of using Student-Centered learning (SCL) approaches. Despite the documented value of SCL strategies, there remain formidable barriers to its incorporation in the classroom making the traditional lectures remain the norm for most science classes in Nigeria. A survey research was carried out to determine if the identified formidable barriers affect the incorporation of SCL into undergraduate Biology education classrooms. All the undergraduate Biology education lecturers (28) in Ahmadu Bello University (Federal College of Education, Zaria study campus) were taken as sample for the study. Results from the study indicate that all the identified barriers affect the incorporation of SCL in undergraduate Biology education classrooms. Results also showed the readiness of majority of the lecturers (89%) to incorporate SCL in their classrooms. Recommendations include the need for a changed attitude and increased cooperation among students, teachers’ unions and other relevant stakeholders of higher education institutions to advocate for proper national policies, as well as increased funding to support a transition to Student Centered Learning.


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