Principles of Biological Drawing among WAEC Examiners at Modebe Memorial Secondary School Onitsha Marking Centre

Abstract

This study investigated the principles of biological drawing among West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Biology examiners at Modebe Memorial Secondary School Marking Centre, Onitsha, Anambra State. The study was anchored on Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Learning Theory, as discussed by Taber (2020), and Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (2021), which emphasize active knowledge construction, observation, representation and the integration of visual information in learning and assessment. Four specific objectives guided the study, focusing on examiners’ understanding of biological drawing principles, compliance with drawing rules, differences in application according to examiner rank, and challenges encountered during marking. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 100 WAEC Biology practical examiners, consisting of 16 Team Leaders and 84 Assistant Examiners. Total enumeration sampling was used. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Biological Drawing Principles Compliance Checklist (BDPCC), which had a reliability index of 0.84 using Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, percentages and independent-samples t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that examiners had a high level of understanding of biological drawing principles, with a grand mean of 3.42, above the benchmark of 2.50. Compliance with specific drawing principles was also high: title provision (82%), clarity and neatness (78%), appropriate size (75%), horizontal labelling (68%), and non-use of double lines (71%). A significant difference existed in the application of biological drawing principles between Team Leaders (Mean = 3.68, SD = 0.42) and Assistant Examiners (Mean = 3.21, SD = 0.61), t(98) = 2.89, p < 0.05. Major challenges included poor student drawings (Mean = 3.51), time constraints during marking (Mean = 3.33), and inconsistency in the application of labelling rules (Mean = 3.18). The study concludes that although WAEC Biology examiners demonstrate substantial knowledge of biological drawing principles, differences in application and practical marking constraints remain. It recommends regular retraining of Assistant Examiners, particularly on labelling, size, proportionality and other biological drawing requirements, before each marking exercise.