Research Article
Students’ and Teachers’ Perception and Practice towards
Laboratory Work in Chemistry Teaching-Learning: Evidence from
Secondary Schools in North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia
Mohammed Hussen Seid ,
1
Yalalem Assefa ,
2
Beshir Legas Muhammed ,
1
Bekalu Tadesse Moges ,
3
Ermiyas Tsehay Birhanu ,
2
Yared Fentaw ,
4
Shouket Ahmed Tilwani,
5
and Mohammed Reshid Ahmed
4
1
Department of Chemistry, Woldia University, Woldiya, Ethiopia
2
Department of Adult Education and Community Development, Woldia University, Woldiya, Ethiopia
3
Department of Pedagogical Science, Woldia University, Woldiya, Ethiopia
4
Department of Psychology, Woldia University, Woldiya, Ethiopia
5
Department of English, College of Science and Humanities, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence should be addressed to Yalalem Assefa; yalalem2012@gmail.com
Received 24 February 2022; Accepted 1 June 2022; Published 25 June 2022
Academic Editor: Balamuralithara Balakrishnan
Copyright © 2022 Mohammed Hussen Seid et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
One of the inputs for a high-quality education is using laboratory activities which are characteristic features of science teaching at
all levels of education. Consequently, this study was carried out to investigate the perception and practice centered on assessing the
practice of laboratory work and identifying the factors that affect its implementation. To achieve these objectives, data were
collected from secondary school students and teachers. In doing this study, quantitative and qualitative research methods and a
descriptive survey design were used. Stratified random sampling was used in the selection of study participants. e data were
obtained through questionnaires, observation, and interviews. Based on the analyzed data, the findings of the study revealed that
both students and teachers perceived that chemistry practical courses (experiments) are relevant to students learning. e findings
of the study also showed that despite its relevance, the practice of laboratory work is very low. Furthermore, the lack of resources
(such as laboratory equipment), the lack of time to practice laboratory work, and students’ lack of engagement in laboratory
activities were the major factors that affect the implementation of laboratory work. Finally, recommendations were made based on
the major findings to improve the practice of laboratory work.
1. Introduction
In any setting, education is critical to the development of
people and society. Without adequate education in their
particular contexts, it appears difficult for people to make
the best use of environmental resources for life and society.
In this regard, education may be considered one of life’s
most important components. In accordance with this,
Ethiopia established the 1994 New Education and Training
Policy (NETP), which governed the country’s general ed-
ucation system, policy, and strategy for a couple of decades.
Since then, several policies and strategies have been devised
and implemented. One of the aims of the Ethiopian
Education Policy is to improve people’s physical and
mental potential as well as problem-solving abilities
through increasing education for everyone. ese abilities
and talents will be acquired in part through educating
pupils in science. e most notable of these policies and
programs is the consecutive and progressive education
sector development plan (ESDP IV). It was created with the
goal of enhancing the entire education system and per-
formance in general, as well as access to excellent education
in particular. As a result, there have been significant ad-
vances in the availability of schools, institutions, educated
instructors, and other inputs required for a high-quality
education system.
Hindawi
Education Research International
Volume 2022, Article ID 7254105, 14 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7254105