Ability of form four students on food test laboratory practicals in the selected secondary schools in Tanzania

Abstract

This study sought to assess the understanding of form four students on food test practical in the selected secondary schools in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. Food test is one of the fundamental skills to be acquired by biology secondary education students. The study involved 252 form four students in from four secondary schools within the vicinity of Morogoro Municipality. Data collection was done by the researcher during teaching practice assessment period, June to July 2022 using food test practical test. The test of 35 items was constructed and validated by the researcher. The overall mean score was 12.0 (34.1%) means that on overage selected students have a “D” class, which means poor knowledge level on food test. An analysis of independent samples t-test based on sex at α=0.05 produced a ρ of 0.233 and a t-value of 0.373, hence failed to reject the null hypothesis. To have a broader understanding of students’ ability on food test laboratory practicals and attempt generalization through replication of findings, it is advised that a second study with larger samples across the country be conducted.