TEACHERS’ BIOLOGICAL LITERACY LEVELS AND SCHOOL OWNERSHIP AS DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING ENGAGEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OYO STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which teachers’ biological literacy and school ownership
influence secondary school students’ learning engagement in Biology in Oyo State, Nigeria. A
descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised Biology teachers
in unity (federal) and state secondary schools in Oyo State, from which 50 teachers were selected
using stratified and simple random sampling techniques based on school ownership. Data were
collected using a structured and validated instrument titled Teachers’ Perception of Students’
Learning Engagement and Biological Literacy Questionnaire (TPSLEBLQ), which had a
reliability coefficient of 0.80, indicating acceptable internal consistency. Data were analysed using
descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) to answer the research questions, while an
independent samples t-test was used to test the hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The
findings revealed that teachers’ biological literacy had not adequately translated into meaningful
student engagement in Biology, as the overall mean scores fell below the established benchmark.
Results further showed that students’ level of learning engagement in Biology was generally low.
In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in students’ learning engagement based
on school ownership, indicating that both unity and state schools experience similar challenges in
promoting active student participation in Biology lessons. The study concludes that teacher-related
factors, particularly the effective translation of biological literacy into classroom practice, play a
more critical role in shaping students’ engagement than school ownership. It therefore
recommends targeted professional development programmes focused on strengthening teachers’
biological literacy, pedagogical content knowledge, and the use of learner-centred instructional
approaches to enhance students’ engagement and improve learning outcomes in Biology.