...Factors in the Performance of Biology Subject in Secondary Schools in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya Wabuke Joy Mukhwana Chepkoilel University College, Department of Science Education, P. O. Box 1125-30100, Eldoret, Kenya. ___________________________________________________________________________ Abstract This paper focuses on the student-related factors that influence performance of students in Biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Eldoret municipality. The study was conducted through an ex-post facto design. A total of ten secondary schools were sampled. Target respondents were Form Three students and teachers of Biology (those teaching Form Three) within the municipality. The study sample (which was made up of 225 respondents; 200 students and 25 teachers) was obtained using stratified sampling. Simple random sampling was then used to choose the streams and particular students who participated in the study. Purposive sampling was used to obtain only the students who study Biology. The data was collected using questionnaires, observations and interviews and analysed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) computer programme. The results were presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was established that student-related factors affecting performance of Biology in Eldoret Municipality are: primary school Science which provides a requisite background for Biology at secondary school level; interest in Biology (theory and practical) provides...
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...Lecture 01 Nature & Scope of Biological Science What is Biology? A brief history. Biology today. Group of organisms being studied. Approach taken to the study of organisms. New definition of Biology. Why study Biology? Aspects of Science Science has two aspects. It is both (1) a body of knowledge and (2) a method used for discovering new knowledge. What is biology? The word biology comes from the Greek words bios, which means life, and logos, which means thought. Thus, biology is the science that deals with the study of life. Origin of Life |According to this theory, about 15 billion years ago (15,000,000,000) the Universe was nothing more than a very small speck of mass. This speck| |was probably no bigger than the head of a pin. Everything in the Universe, all the galaxies, stars, planets, and even the matter making up your| |body, was squished up tightly in this tiny space. | |Eventually, after a very long time, this speck exploded. All of a sudden, in a giant flash of unimaginable heat and power, the Universe was | |born. Over a period of billions and billions of years, the Universe became what we see today. Slowly stars began to form, and around these | |stars planets formed. | |About 4.6 billion years ago our Earth looked very different...
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...CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Problem Education has been very important through the ages and it can be defined as an organized and sustained instruction designed to communicate a combination of knowledge, skill and understanding valuables for all activities of life. Numerous groups during this century have identified what they believe the goals of education should be. One of the most widely cited reports is that of the commission on the reorganization of secondary education which in 1918 stated the goals of education as the seven cardinal principles: health, command of fundamental processes, worthy home membership, vocation, citizenship, worthy use of leisure and ethical conduct. Although neither science nor any of the other school subjects was included as one of the seven principles, the role and importance of science in achieving the seven cardinal principles is obvious. The world is fast becoming scientific in thinking and behaviors that without good knowledge of science, it might be difficult for people to adequately function in it. The purpose of exposing children to science instruction right from primary school level is not necessarily to turn them into scientist per se but to provide favorable scientific attitudes of ‘finding out’ and ‘hands-on‘ and to enable them raise questions about things that intrigue them. In a study on the impact of science on the society, Bertrand & Russell (1952) have shown that our time is an age of science. Science...
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...Biology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Biology (disambiguation). Biology deals with the study of the many varieties of living organisms. Clockwise from top left: Salmonella typhimurium, Phascolarctos cinereus, Athyrium filix-femina, Amanita muscaria, Agalychnis callidryas, and Brachypelma smithi Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.[1] Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines. Among the most important topics are five unifying principles that can be said to be the fundamental axioms of modern biology:[2] 1. Cells are the basic unit of life 2. New species and inherited traits are the product of evolution 3. Genes are the basic unit of heredity 4. An organism regulates its internal environment to maintain a stable and constant condition 5. Living organisms consume and transform energy. Subdisciplines of biology are recognized on the basis of the scale at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biology studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules; cellular biology examines the basic building block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions of the tissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; and ecology...
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...This is an annotated list of biological websites, including only notable websites dealing with biology generally and those with a more specific focus. Actionbioscience -- sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) -- providing articles by scientists, science educators, and science students on issues related to seven bioscience challenges: environment, biodiversity, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, new frontiers in science, and bioscience education Animal Diversity Web -- created by the staff at the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan -- collecting the natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information of thousands of species of animals Animal Genome Size Database -- created by Dr. T. Ryan Gregory of the University of Guelph in Canada -- publishing genome size estimates for vertebrate and invertebrate animals Animal Science Image Gallery -- a work of the United States Federal Government -- containing images, animations, and video for classroom and outreach learning Bioinformatic Harvester -- a bioinformatic meta search engine at KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology -- working for human, mouse, rat, zebrafish, drosophila and arabidopsis thaliana information Catalogue of Life -- compiled with sectors provided by 52 taxonomic databases from around the world -- planned to become a comprehensive catalogue of all known species of organisms on Earth Earth...
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...Research Essay Viability of Marine Biology as a Major When deciding on a major for my college education, I had to find a field both in demand and it had to be a field I would like to spend the rest of my life in. I have always had a love of the animals in sea and several years ago had an opportunity to go to Sea World in San Diego. Recalling this trip and the recollection of seeing the dolphins and whales perform actually helped me make the decision to pursue a career in Marine Biology as a marine biologist. That brought me to the essence of this essay. How much education is required and does the marine biology field offer ample job opportunities and is there plenty of growth for future jobs? Also need to look at where those jobs are available, where I might have to move to. So I will first look at the education needed and the marine biology programs. I will then evaluate the job market now and in the future of this niche field. I will also exam the pay within this field and find out how the pay is derived as my research has shown that much of the money in this field of study originates different sources than a regular paycheck. There are several aspects to getting an education in marine biology. One need to look at the classes required and what schools are available, as well as where the best schools are located. A person majoring in the marine biology field needs to plan on taking many different types of animal biology and physiology classes. There is a much...
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...TITLE: Study Approach: PAMANTANSAN NG LUNSOD NG MAYNILA CS THIRD YEAR BIOLOGY STUDENTS A. Background of the Study BS Biology students have the burden of memorizing technical/scientific terms, different defining characteristics of representative species from different phyla, long and confusing life cycles of different organisms and such. Many have failed in recalling key details and important information during examinations and majority of that is because of the technicality of the information they need to digest. The change made by the new administration of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila regarding the grading system has motivated the students to study harder to acquire the maintaining grade or to get a higher one. This has driven students to create their own techniques regarding memorizing or understanding overwhelming information and data. In the case of the BS Biology students in PLM, they deal with scientific terminologies, numerous characteristics of different organisms and the like which are hard to put in mind. Different techniques are being used to make the students remember as many information as possible. To make the future students acquire needed values, viewpoints, strategies and forms of knowledge to live creatively in the world of future, new trends in educational area have been needed(Koutselini, 1997). For that reason, together with these new ideas and triggered by the changes in educational arena, various approaches, theories, and trends have appeared...
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...Is ‘Synthetic Biology’ Exciting or Terrifying? Synthetic biology is often referred to as being a combination of engineering, chemistry and biology. Synthetic biology is defined as being either the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems or the re-design of existing, natural biological systems. This means that a wide range of experimental and tested techniques are used to alter existing biological systems or create new ones. This could mean altering the DNA of a bacterium or inhibiting a material with microorganisms, the possibilities really do stretch even the wildest of imaginations. There are many different levels of synthetic biology, based on the size of the structures involved ranging from a molecular level to multiple organism system. This does not necessarily affect complexity though, all synthetic biology research is proving to be very complicated and difficult but interesting and exciting none-the-less. There are some very interesting and very exciting ideas that scientists have deemed theoretically possible and are currently researching. A lot of these ideas are potentially very beneficial, some to the environment, some to human and animal health, and some to manufacturing. Although still very much unexplored, these theories seem exciting and interesting and make synthetic seem as though it is the future of science. However, there are some ideas that become more ethically and morally controversial, not to mention may have negative...
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... | | |College of Natural Sciences | | |SCI/230 Version 7 | | |Introduction to Life Science | Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course applies a broad, conceptual understanding of biology. Students are introduced to scientific ideologies and concepts that not only shape our biological world, but also shape us as humans. Students examine the scientific method, evolution and biodiversity, the biology of cells, energy systems, the dynamics of inheritance, and the effect humans have on the environment. The text emphasizes methods and the theoretical foundations of ideas, while minimizing isolated facts. It stresses the integration of ideas, making connections that form our understanding of the living world. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials...
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...including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.[1] Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field, composed of manybranches and subdisciplines. However, despite the broad scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts within it that govern all study and research, consolidating it into single, coherent fields. In general, biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the synthesis and creation of new species. It is also understood today that all organisms survive by consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable and vital condition. Subdisciplines of biology are defined by the scale at which organisms are studied, the kinds of organisms studied, and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biologystudies the complex interactions among biological molecules; botany studies the biology of plants; cellular biologyexamines the basic building-block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions oftissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; evolutionary biology examines the processes that produced the diversity of life; and ecology examines how organisms interact in their environment.[2] HistoryThe term biology is derived from the Greek word βίος, bios, "life" and the suffix -λογία, -logia, "study of."[3][4] The...
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...Branches of biology * Aerobiology – the study of airborne organic particles * Agriculture – the study of producing crops from the land, with an emphasis on practical applications * Anatomy – the study of form and function, in plants, animals, and other organisms, or specifically in humans * Arachnology – the study of arachnids * Astrobiology – the study of evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe—also known as exobiology, exopaleontology, and bioastronomy * Biochemistry – the study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level * Bioengineering – the study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology * Biogeography – the study of the distribution of species spatially and temporally * Bioinformatics – the use of information technology for the study, collection, and storage of genomic and other biological data * Biomathematics (or Mathematical biology) – the quantitative or mathematical study of biological processes, with an emphasis on modeling * Biomechanics – often considered a branch of medicine, the study of the mechanics of living beings, with an emphasis on applied use through prosthetics or orthotics * Biomedical research – the study of the human body in health and disease * Biophysics – the study of biological processes through physics, by applying the theories and methods...
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...“AFFECTIVE AND NON-AFFECTIVE VARIABLES AS DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES AND STUDY HABITS OF SPECIAL SCIENCE CLASSES (SSC) STUDENTS IN ADVANCED BIOLOGY AT BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-2012” ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- A Chapter I Proposal to the College of Education Bataan Peninsula State University (Balanga Campus) City of Balanga, Bataan ------------------------------------------------- In Partial Fulfilment of the Course Requirement in Educational Research (EDUC 115) Bachelor in Secondary Education Major in Biological Science ------------------------------------------------- By: TONY R. GAÑALONGO February 06, 2012 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction The world today is experiencing a rapid change in almost all fields of endeavour. Science has brought many changes in people’s lifestyle. It’s difficult if not impossible to live today and not experience the results of science investigations. Everyday occurrences such as hearing the weather forecast, watching television, talking on the telephone, and flying through the air are made possible through science. These are handiworks of scientists and proofs that science has become highly important in our lives and continue to change our lives and lead us to progress. The center of any educative process is the learner. Since it is the task of the teacher to guide the students’ learning...
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...Biophysics, and Cell Respiration Sian Hall What is biophysics? To answer this question we first must explore biology, and what exactly it entails. Biology is the study of living organisms, with many different, interacting fields. Biology is an important branch of science, as it is essentially the study of life in the world around us. Without biology we would not be able to examine the growth, structure, origin, function, evolution or distribution of living things. Four principles form the basis of biology; cell theory, evolution, genetics, and homoeostasis. Physics, on the other hand, is the branch of science that explores the nature and properties of energy and matter, including mechanics, heat, light and other radiation, electricity,...
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...Biology and Credit Crunch Biology is the science of organic life and the natural world. Even though it might seem at first that biology and finance might be poles apart and have nothing in common with each other, it is t is something that is fast helping economists in building various new models to understand how the financial sector works. It has also been noted that many scholars believe that a better understanding of biology in terms of our ecology could have worked to warn us of the impending credit crunch that occurred in 2008 and could have helped us prevent it from happening. This might sound like something that is impossible; however, some scientists that are working with the Bank of England believe that biological sciences have a lot of lessons to teach us about finance. In this respect, such scientists urge people to think out of the box and be able to better understand their ideas about finance and biology. In this respect, we find that experts that delve in the financial aspects of our lives are looking at other disciplines to help them better understand the workings of finance and the financial world. Just like the credit crunch has an effect on biology in terms of biotech research (Mitchell 359), the biological systems also had an effect on how we perceive the financial systems. It has to be noted that the banking industry has been borrowing ideas from science for a long time. For instance, we find that the computer technological revolution that occurred in...
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...methodology used to describe existing theories on social sciences but also the narrow environment in which new management models could be constructed. In the year 2010 The Economist published a response to Sumatra's article, suggesting that other ways of conducting experiments in the field of management are being tested, mainly through the use of more discrete factors (such as an individual's DNA structure and hormone panels) and through more practical methods (the twin-studies). In Dr Cosmides and Dr Tooby research they attempt to give "scientific" meaning to management by "applying the rigor of biology" ('The biology of business' p. 1). Scientists have looked at twin-studies for answers regarding the difference between upbringing and pure genetic material. After discovery of deception from one of the fields pioneers, Sir Cyril Burt, the twin-studies have lost part of their popularity. Needless to say that the differences between twins and normal brothers are still an interesting approach and can still yield verisimilar results if preformed correctly. In the two studies elaborated in the article the results suggest that while women have shown to have extrovert traits from birth, males are generally imbedded with extrovert and sensation-seeking through their experiences. The conclusion is thus: "Businesswomen, it seems, are born. But businessmen are made." ('The biology of science' p.3) The latter twin study (performed only on males)...
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