Influence Of Availability And Utilization Of Physics Laboratory Equipment On Students' Academic Performance In Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of availability and utilization of physics laboratory equipment on students' academic performance in physics in the senior secondary school in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Two hundred and twenty secondary school students and twelve physics teachers were used as sample for the study. Three instruments, titled Physics Laboratory Equipment Checklist" (PLEC), Physics Laboratory Equipment Rating Scale" (PLERS) and a questionnaire with two sections were used to collect data. The data collected were expressed using percentages (%) and the hypotheses was analyzed using chi-square statistics with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that there is a deficiency in the availability and utilization of physics laboratory equipment. It also revealed that there is significant relationship between availability and utilization of physics equipment with students' performance in physics at the 0.05 level of significance. The study recommended that the State Ministry of Education should provide the necessary needed physics equipment for schools offering physics and also encourage the training of teachers and support them to attend and participate in workshops and seminars.