STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY OF TOPICS IN BASIC SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION IN YENAGOA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAYELSA STATE

The study examined students' perception of the level of difficulty of topics in basic science in junior-secondary-school certificate examinations. The sample was made up of three hundred and seventy-three (373) junior secondary students drawn from sixty-seven (67) secondary schools in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The instrument used in the study was the Basic Science Topics Checklist (BSTC), which consisted of twenty-one (21) topics drawn from the junior secondary school curriculum. The instrument was validated by experts, and a coefficient of reliability of 0.76 was established using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The t-test and mean statistics used in analysing the data revealed that students in public schools perceived the topics as more difficult than those in private schools; also, there was no significant difference between male and female students' perceived level of difficulty in basic science. The paper therefore recommended the use of certified teachers in the teaching of basic science in junior secondary schools, especially in private schools in Bayelsa State. Other recommendations were also made.