Relationship between Biology Teachers’ Awareness and Utilization of Laboratory Management Techniques in Senior Secondary Schools in Ondo State

This study investigated the relationship between biology teachers’ awareness and utilization of laboratory management techniques in senior secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study was anchored by two theories Jean Piaget (1930) of Constructivist Learning Theory, and David Kolb (1984) of Experiential Learning Theory. This study adopted a correlational survey research design. A sample of 616 respondents was selected using multi-stage sampling techniques from the population of 577 biology teachers in senior secondary schools and 41,848 Senior Secondary II (SS II) students across 281 schools in Ondo State. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Data were also gathered using the Biology Teachers’ Laboratory Management Awareness and Utilization Scale (BTLMAUS). The Biology Teachers’ Laboratory Management Awareness and Utilization Questionnaire measured ten awareness domains and ten corresponding utilization practices and yielded Cronbach’s α = 0.89. Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation at the 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive analysis indicated high awareness (M = 3.20, SD = 0.62) and comparatively high utilization (M = 3.01, SD = 0.71). Pearson product-moment correlation showed a strong positive relationship between awareness and utilization, r = 0.72, p = 0.001. The study concludes that awareness is a critical prerequisite for effective utilization, but awareness alone does not automatically translate to practice. Thus, teachers with higher awareness scores tended to report higher levels of practical utilization. The finding helps clarify the awareness–practice relationship in school laboratory management: awareness is not merely a theoretical attribute but is strongly associated with implementation behavior. It is recommended that continuous professional development programs be organized for biology teachers to bridge the gap between awareness and actual utilization of laboratory management techniques. Nevertheless, the cross-sectional and self-report nature of the data prevents causal interpretation. Professional development should also combine conceptual laboratory management knowledge with observable practice, coaching and institutional support.