Effects of Strategic Intervention Material on the Academic Performance of Students in Biology

Effects of Strategic Intervention Material on the Academic Performance of Students in Biology

CHAPTER ONE

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to ascertain the the effects of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) on the academic performance of students in Biology. Specifically, the study sought to determine:

1. The effects of SIM on secondary school students’ achievement in biology.
2. The effects of SIM on the achievement of male and female students in biology.
3. The interaction effects of teaching method and gender on students’ achievement in biology.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, literature relating to the research has been organized under four broad sections, as outlined below:

1. Conceptual framework

• Biology and its roles
• Roles of computer in education
• Overview of SIM
• Benefits of SIM
• Limitations of SIM

2. Theoretical framework

• Theory of Constructivism

3. Empirical framework

• Performance of biology students in the past.
• Effects of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) on students’ performance in science subjects.
• Gender related differences in secondary school students’ performance.

4. Summary of literature review

Conceptual Framework

Biology and its Roles

Biology is the study of living organisms, divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, origin, and distribution (Wikipedia, 2016). Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, identification and taxonomy. Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field, composed of many branches and sub-disciplines such as anatomy, entomology, ethology, veterinary science, mammalogy, primatology, zoology, entomology, etc. However, despite the broad scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts within it that govern all study and research, consolidating it into single, coherent field. In general, biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the synthesis and creation of new species. It is also understood today that all the organisms survive by consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable and vital condition known as homeostasis (Wikipedia, 2016).

Biology is a science subject taught at the senior secondary school. The subject appears to be the most popular science subject at this level. Biology teaching helps learners to understand biological concepts, principles theories and laws. Biology enables learners to learn virtually everything about life. It exposes learners to characteristics of living things, mechanisms of bodily systems, microscopic organisms and their economic importance, etc. Among others, the objectives of teaching biology at secondary school level as stated by National Policy on Education (2004) involve:

• Ability of the learners’ to development of an awareness of the environment;
• To have meaningful and relevant knowledge in biology necessary for successful living in a scientific and technological world;
• To make room for technological advancement.

₦3,000.00 – DOWNLOAD CHAPTERS 1-5 PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD Added to cart

 

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter is presented under the following subheadings: research design, area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling techniques, instrument for data collection, validity of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, experimental procedure, control of extraneous variables, method of data collection, and method of data analysis.

Research Design

This study was a quasi-experimental type, because there was no randomization of subjects into experimental and control groups. This design was chosen because intact classes which could not permit random assignment of subjects were to be used. It is also of the pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent, control group design. The design is a 2×2 factorial design. This paradigm represents two levels of treatment: Strategic Intervention Material (experimental group) and the Conventional Classroom Instruction (control group); and two levels of gender (male and female).

Area of the Study

This study was carried out in Abakaliki Education Zone of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Ebonyi state is bounded to the north by Benue State, to the west by Enugu State, to the east by Cross River State and to the south by Abia State. It has a land area of about 5,935 sq. km. Ebonyi State is popularly known as the ‘Salt of the Nation,’ apparently because of the large deposits of salt water in the state.

Abakaliki Education Zone is one of the three education zones in Ebonyi state. It comprises of the following local government areas: Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Ohaukwu and Izzi. The researcher chose this area because he is interested in the achievement of students from the area in Biology, especially since students from the area had not been recording good performances in Biology in external examinations. The researcher was familiar with the area and could adequately monitor and supervise the experiment.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS

In this chapter, the results of the study are presented in tables. The analyses of the data collected from the study are presented in accordance with three research questions and three hypotheses that guided the study.

The three research questions that guided the study were answered using descriptive statistics tools (mean and standard deviation), while the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance, using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA).

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS, SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES, SUMMARY OF THE STUDY AND CONCLUSION

This chapter presents the discussions on interpretations of the results presented in the previous chapter. The educational implications of the study, as well as recommendations, limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies are also presented in this chapter.

Discussion of Findings

Effects of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) on Cognitive Achievement in Biology

In answer to research question one, the experimental group obtained a mean score of 20.41 with a standard deviation of 3.770, while the control group obtained a mean score of 17.87 with a standard deviation of 2.998. Comparing the two results, it is found that the students in the experimental group that were exposed to SIM in Biology achieved better than their counterparts in the control group that were taught using the conventional classroom instruction (CCI) method. The mean difference was 2.54, clear evidence that SIM is a more effective method of instruction for learners. This finding is in line with those of Afolabi & Yusuf (2010) and Anyigor (2015), who observed from their studies in Biology and Computer Studies respectively, that SIM was a powerful tool for science instruction, as students taught with SIM achieve better than those taught with conventional modes of instruction.

The result of the analysis of covariance on the achievement of students taught biology using Strategic Intervention Materialal (SIM) package and those taught using conventional classroom instruction indicated a significant difference (F = 43.392, ρ = 0.000) in favour of the students in the experimental group. These findings agree with earlier findings of Afolabi and Yusuf (2010), Oduntan (2012), and Phillips and Moss (2013) which are directly on biology. Similarly, the findings agree with the studies of Ajelabi (2008) on social studies, Okeke (2012) in geography, (Udousoro, 2010) in mathematics, Anyigor (2015) in computer studies and Okoro and Etukudo, (2011) in chemistry, conducted in Nigeria which confirmed that SIM has been effective in enhancing students’performance in other subjects than the conventional classroom instruction. The finding is also supported by the findings of Karper, Robinson, and Casado-Kehoe (2015) on counselling education. It, however, contradicts the conclusion of Berut (2011), who established in his study that SIM has no effect on students’ cognitive achievements in Physics. It is possible to infer that the significant difference observed may be accounted for by the novel nature of the SIM settings, especially with respect to the Nigerian school setting.

Effects of Gender on Students’ Achievement in Biology when Exposed to SIM

In answer to research question two, the male students in the experimental group obtained a mean score of 20.28 with a standard deviation of 3.248, while the female students in the same experimental group obtained a mean score of 20.53 with a standard deviation of 4.230. Comparing the two results, it is found that the female students achieved better than their male counterparts when taught Biology using a SIM package. This finding is in agreement with Afolabi and Yusuf (2010), who observed that the female students exposed to some contents in biology using SIM achieved better than their female counterparts who were also accorded the same treatment. However, this finding contradicts the finding of Anyigor (2015), who observed that the male students achieved better than their female counterparts in computer studies when taught with SIM.

The influence of gender on the academic achievements of students in biology when taught with SIM package was examined using hypothesis two. The result of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed no significant gender difference (F = 0.380, ρ = 0.539) for learners exposed to SIM package. These findings showed that gender had no influence on the achievement of students in biology when they are taught with SIM. These findings on gender agree with the earlier findings of Bello (2010) on gender and achievement in biology. It also agreed with the conclusions of Okeke (2012) based on their review of studies on computer and gender, and also the findings of Spence (2014). Thus, it can be deduced that the use of SIM enhanced the achievements of both male and female students.

Interaction Effect between Method and Gender on Students’ performance

Much has been said about the interaction effects of method and gender on students’ performance in several subjects. The result of the study revealed that there was no interaction effect between teaching method and gender on students’ academic achievements in biology. Female students taught biology with SIM (20.53 ± 4.230) and CCI (18.04 ± 2.885) achieved better than male students taught the same subject and contents using the same methods SIM (20.28 ± 3.248) and CCI (17.73 ± 3.099). Comparing the two methods, it is observed that the female students achieved higher than their male counterparts across the two groups. This finding is in consonance with Afolabi and Yusuf (2010), who observed that there was no significant interaction effect between treatment and gender on students’ performance in biology.

The result of hypothesis three also indicated no significant interaction effect between teaching method and gender on students’ academic achievements in Biology (F = 0.000, ρ = 0.990). This means that the relative efficacy of demonstration method of instruction on the academic performance of students in Biology was consistent across sex levels. Precisely, male and female students taught using demonstration method achieved better than their male and female counterparts taught with conventional teaching techniques respectively. This therefore implies that demonstration method increase students’ interests and understanding and consequently promoting high achievement rates. This is in agreement with the findings of Nworgu (2010) who found no significant interaction effect between gender and use of resource materials in integrated science. However, this finding disagrees with those of Ifeakor (2013), in which it was reported that the combined effect of assessment techniques and gender on students’ overall cognitive achievements in Biology was significant.

Educational Implications

The findings of this study have obvious educational implications for finding useful feedback on the relative efficacy of SIM. This feedback will now provide the basis upon which biology teachers could build upon to enhance the efficacy of their instructional practice.

In general, the study revealed that SIM enhanced students’performance in biology. This implies that SIM is effective in increasing students’ motivation for learning. With the use of SIM, all the senses of the learner are activated, as opposed to the use of conventional teaching method where only one or two of the senses are active during learning. By using SIM, procedural, methodical and abstract things can be brought home to the understanding of the students and more so make learning very interesting and easy.

Hence, the ministry of education should think in the direction of adopting SIM for classroom instruction. The ministry of education in Nigeria should organize seminars, workshops and conferences for computer teachers on how to use SIM in teaching biology.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made.

1. Necessary attention should be accorded computer literacy and operation in the secondary schools and relevant Strategic Intervention Materialal packages should be developed for use within the Nigerian school systems. In addition, Nigerian public schools should be equipped with necessary ICT facilities to leverage the potentials of ICT in Nigerian schools.
2. If computers cannot be provided for students, each classroom should be equipped with a computer system and an overhead projector for the teacher’s use. This way, SIM method will be adopted by the teacher and students for classroom instructions.
3. Further empirical studies should be carried out on the use of computer for instructional purposes, on different subjects and at different levels to provide sound basis for the integration of computer in Nigerian schools.
4. There should be computer literacy and basic skill acquisition programmes for secondary school students.

Limitations of the Study

The following limitations can be observed regarding this study:

1. The study did not examine other alternative means like Internet for delivering the course content.
2. The study was designed to focus on learning of biology by senior secondary students drawn from two public Nigerian secondary schools. Thus, the findings may not be generalizable to other public and private educational institutions.
3. The curriculum content was limited to four topics of the entire biology curriculum.
4. The use of only SS1 students may affect the generalization of the findings to other levels in biology.
5. The limited number of schools that have functioning computer laboratories made it very difficult for the researcher to use a large sample. As such, the result, which is based on the sample of the study as compared to the population of SS1 students in Abakaliki Education Zone, could not be totally free from error. Hence, the results could not be freely generalized for teaching biology in the whole state or in the entire Nigeria. Despite these limitations the findings are significant, particularly in the use of SIM in the Nigerian school system.

Suggestions for Further Study

1. Further studies of this nature should be conducted on different types of instructional methods adopted by the science teachers in promoting students achievement in relation to SIM method.
2. Further studies on the effect of SIM method on students’ achievement in other science subjects like computer studies, chemistry, physics, mathematics and geography should be carried out.
3. Studies of this nature should be carried out in different states on different levels of education.
4. Further studies that would explore teachers’ experiences and limitations for the effective teaching of biology with SIM should be conducted.

Summary of the Study

The growth and development of most nations are hugely dependent on science, technology and mathematics education. A number of studies done in Nigeria have reported students’ under-achievement and low enrolment in these subjects. This explains why some science, technology and mathematics education researchers, among others, have in recent times concentrated their research efforts on finding teaching strategies that promote teaching of science so as to increase achievements and elements in science. Consequent upon the foregoing, this study sought to explore the impact of SIM on students’ academic achievement in biology in Abakaliki Education Zone of Ebonyi State. To give a sense of direction to the study, three research questions were asked and three hypotheses formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.

The study adopted a quasi-experimental design approach, because there was no randomization of subjects into treatment and control groups. The design was a 2×2 factorial design, representing two levels of treatment: Strategic Intervention Material (experimental group) and the Conventional Classroom Instruction (control group); and two levels of gender (male and female).

The data generated from the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for answering the three research questions, while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test all the three hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result from the data analyzed showed that:

1. The students taught Biology using SIM achieved better than their counterparts who were taught the same contents in Biology using conventional classroom instruction (CCI) methods.
2. The female students exposed to SIM in Biology achieved better than their male counterparts who were also exposed to SIM in Biology.
3. There was no significant interaction between teaching method and gender on the academic performance of students in Biology. The male and female students in the experimental group achieved better than their male and female counterparts in the control.
4. A significant difference was observed between the mean achievements of the students exposed to SIM in biology and their counterparts taught Biology using conventional classroom instruction techniques.
5. There was no significant difference between the mean achievement of the male and female students that were exposed to SIM package in Biology.
6. There was no significant interaction effect between method and gender on the mean achievement of the students in Biology.

Following the discussion of these findings, the educational implications of these findings were pointed out. The limitations of the study were also highlighted and suggestions for further areas of research made. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that SIM techniques should be employed in computer teaching as a means of improving academic achievements of students.

Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrated that SIM was an effective mode for teaching biology. The results were also in consonance with results of many studies demonstrating the effectiveness of SIM for better student’s achievement, in science and mathematics as done by Afolabi and Yusuf (2010), Oduntan (2012); Philip and Moss(2013) and Anyigor (2015). It can therefore be concluded that a relationship exists between the use of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) and achievements of students in biology. Results of the study showed that there was no significant difference between male and female students’ achievement in biology. Furthermore, SIM can be used as an alternative to the traditional method of teaching the various topics in biology.

It can be concluded that this study has provided strong evidence of the usefulness of SIM in teaching and learning of biology; it will therefore be very helpful if attention is paid to this study. By using SIM, procedural, methodical and abstract things can be brought home to the understanding of the biology students and more so make learning very interesting and easy.

REFERENCES

• Abimbade, A.A., Aremu, A and Adedoja, G. O. (2003). Providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment for teaching and learning in the Nigerian education system In O. Ayodele Bamisaye, I. A. Nwazuoke and A.Okediran (Eds), Education this millennium: innovations in theory and practice, Ibadan, Macmillian Nigeria Publishers Ltd.
• Adeyemi, B. A. (2012). Effects of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) on students’ achievement in social studies in Osun State, Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences.3(2), 269-277.
• Afolabi, A. O. & Yusuf, M. O. (2010). Effects of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) on secondary school students’ performance in biology. Journal of Educational Technology, 9(1), 34-66
• Ajelabi, A (2008): The relative effectiveness of computer assisted and text- assisted programme instruction on students learning outcomes in social studies. Unpublished PhD thesis of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• Anyigor, C. C. (2015). Effects of computer-assisted instruction on students’ achievement and interest on secondary school computer studies Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State. An unpublished project paper submitted to the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Ebonyi State University.
• Bello, G. (2010). Senior secondary school students’ knowledge misconceptions and alternative conception of a major biology proposition. Unpublished M.Ed. Thesis, University of Ilorin, Ilorin.
• Berut, M. A. A. (2011). The effects of computer-assisted instruction on Jordanian college students’ achievements in an introductory computer science course. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 5, 17 – 24.
• Bruner, J. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

₦3,000.00 – DOWNLOAD CHAPTERS 1-5 PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD Added to cart