Science Students’ Exposure to Non-Ionizing Radiation in Educational District IV, Lagos, Nigeria: Implications for Physics Curriculum Review

Abstract

Non-ionizing radiation (NIR) is usually not considered a significant health risk. However, continuous exposure to them might in the long run result in some health issues such as tissue heating, sunburns, skin reddening, vision loss, etc. Therefore, this study examines students’ exposure to non-ionizing radiation and its implications on the Physics curriculum. The research design was a descriptive survey design, and the population of the study comprised all the SS2 students in the educational district (IV) in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study sample was one hundred and twenty students randomly selected from five (5) randomly selected secondary schools. A researcher-designed checklist was used to assess students’ exposure to NIR, while students’ knowledge of applicable Physics knowledge was assessed using questions extracted from standardised examination questions (WAEC). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages, and inferential statistics of correlation. The results from the data analysis revealed that a negative and non-significant correlation (r = -.06, p= 0.513) existed between the students’ exposure period to NIR and the Physics achievement test; also, 83.33% of the study sample (100 students) were daily exposed to all ten NIR gadgets used in this research, among others. Hence, some of the recommendations from the study are that Physics concepts should be taught in a more applied manner for the students to be able to apply science to real-life situations, and that the physics curriculum should be more inclusive to be able to bring about a change in the behaviour of learners after undergoing learning instructions.