ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to assess the level of utilization of instructional resources in teaching and learning of practical skills in Biology in public senior secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area of Benin City, Edo State. Five research questions were generated to guide the study. The research was conducted as a survey research using up-to-date literature like journals, textbooks, other research works and the internet. A random sampling technique was applied to select one hundred and forty (140) senior secondary school students in Egor LGA. The data used for the study was collected using an instrument called the questionnaire. The instrument was a 31-item questionnaire structured on two, three and four point rating scales ranging from Yes, No, Frequently, Not Frequently, Sometimes, Often Used, Rarely Used, Never Used, Strongly Agree (SA), Agree(A), Disagree(D), Strongly Disagree (SD). The data obtained was analyzed and interpreted using simple percentage and frequency count. The results obtained revealed that senior secondary school students are conversant with the practical skills used in Biology, the students do not utilize all the practical skills during Biology practicals, instructional resources are used by the teachers and students but not enough go round the class due to its large size, instructional resources are beneficial to both the students and the teachers as its use facilitates productive and effective learning as well as making teaching easy and less stressful. The result also reveals that the use of instructional resources can have a positive effect on the students’ achievements and the society at large. Some of the problems associated with the use of instructional resources in teaching and learning of practical skills in Biology include; financial constraints, time constraints, unavailability of instructional resources, lack of trained teachers and so on. Some recommendations were made from the study and suggestions for further studies were also proposed.
