Effects of Problem Solving Instructional Strategy on Academic Achievement and Retention in Biology among Secondary School Students
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Problem Solving Instructional Strategy on Academic Achievement and Retention in Biology among Senior Secondary School students .Four Senior Secondary Schools in Zaria Education Zone, comprising Zaria and Sabon Gari areas of Kaduna State, constituted the population for the study. A randomly selected sample of two hundred forty students (240) constituted the subjects for the study. A randomly selected sample of one hundred and twenty students who constituted the experimental group were taught using Problem Solving Instructional Strategy, while the remaining 120 students that constituted the control group were taught using the lecture method Instructional Strategy (LMIS). Two Secondary Schools served as the experimental group, while the other two served as the control group respectively. The study adopted the quasi experimental control group pretest-post-posttest design. Two instruments were used in this study for data collection, namely, the Cognitive Preference Test (CPT), and Biology Achievement Test (BAT) in Biology. The CPT was adopted from Heath (1964), while the (BAT) was developed by the researcher. A pretest was administered before the treatment to establish the equivalence of the experimental and control groups using Problem Solving Instructional Strategy (PSIS), while the control group was exposed to the Lecture Method Instructional Strategy (LMIS). The topics covered were basic ecological concepts, major biomes of the world, population studies and ecological factors. These topics have been established by researchers as being very difficult to learn in Biology. Seven null hypotheses were subjected to statistical analyses involving the use of t-test. ANOVA on Achievement and Retention. ANOVA was used to test for the difference in the level of significance in the mean scores of the experimental groups of Recall, Application, Principles and Questioning in favour of the experimental groups in these fields. The result of the study showed among others that there was significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control group of recall variable in favour of the experimental group. Significant differences exist between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in Application variables in favour of the experimental group. There was significant difference] between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in principles, in favour of the experimental group. Posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in principles variable were statistically different in favour of the experimental group. Posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in Questioning variable were also statistically different in favour of the experimental group. The posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups were found to be statistically significant in favour of the experimental group in Retention of the Biology concepts. Seven recommendations were made in the study, one of which was that the study of Biology results in the accruing of many benefits to mankind; therefore the study of Biology is viewed to be very important in Secondary Schools. It was therefore suggested that a wider coverage, patronage and publicity should be accorded the study of Biology in the school curriculum syllabus, and all facets of human endeavour
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Introduction
One of the highest goals of science education concerns improving students’ ability to think critically, reason logically and ultimately to solve problems (Aldridge, 1992). The World Declaration on Education for All (WDEFA, 1990), looks at education from the individual point of view and states that education should provide tools, knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required by human beings to be able to survive and develop their full potentials and capabilities, to live and work in dignity. Rosenshine (1996) posited that a major research in cognitive processing, one with important implications for teaching is the research on how information is stored and retrieved.
Information is usually stored in long-term human memory, in interconnected networks called knowledge structures (Rosenshine,1996). The number of interconnections between pieces of knowledge is very important for processing information and solving problems. When the knowledge structure on a particular topic is large and well connected, new information is more readily acquired and prior knowledge is more readily available for use (Kameani and Chards, 1997). Having a well-connected network means that any one piece of information can serve to help retrieve the entire pattern. Having strong connections and a richness of relationships enables one to retrieve more pieces of the pattern. When information is “meaningful” to students, they have more points in their knowledge structures to which they can attach new information (Palinscar and Brown,1991). Asking students to organize information, summarize or compare new material with prior material are all activities that require processing and should help students develop and strengthen cognitive structures.
Effects of Problem Solving Instructional Strategy on Academic Achievement and Retention in Biology among Secondary School Students
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The study of Ecology requires field work in which the practical aspect takes the centre stage of its activities. In order to maintain an equilibrium in the level of academic achievement and retention of knowledge of the learners in the learning process, teachers are implored to employ pluralistic methods in the teaching, so as to help in marrying the HANDS, HEAD AND HEART knowledge. Retention of information learnt in this area can only be maintained and enhanced, when teachers embark on constant reviewal and renewal of xxxi curriculum, to promote innovation of new knowledge to be disseminated to the learners at all times.
Okeke (1995) and Oyegebu (1999) found out that teachers use the lecture method in teaching Ecology which is found to be ineffective in teaching of science instruction. The teaching of Ecology is found to be neglected by teachers during the teaching and learning activities. Eguabor, (1997) found that only a chapter, page, or paragraph is normally given prominence in pages of textbooks, newspaper, Education news Bulletins of the study of Ecology etc. This could be the reason (s) behind students’ poor performance, as well as shunning and fearing the learning of Ecology by students. The concern of this study is to investigate if the application of problem solving instructional strategy can be used to enhance the teaching and learning of ecology in particular and science education in general.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The present study is aimed at determining the effects of problem-solving instructional strategies (PSIS) on students’ academic Achievement and Retention of Biology concepts. The main purpose of the study is therefore to determine effectiveness of problem-solving instructional strategy on:
- Students academic achievement in Secondary Schools in the study of Biology.
- The type of theoretical framework on which the study hinges.
- Students academic achievement and retention levels in problem-solving in Recall, Application, principles and Questioning modes.
- Students skills acquisition in the inculcation of problem solving strategies.
- The ability of students taking ownership of tasks, so as to enable them operate above the level of ‘functional illerates’.
1.4 Research Questions
The study specifically sought to answer the following research questions:
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement of the subjects exposed to problem-solving instructional strategy and those exposed to lecture instructional method?
- Is there any difference in achievement among the subjects that operate in the following cognitive preferences?(a) Recall (b) Application (c) Principles (d) Questioning
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement between subjects in the experimental group that operate in the Recall cognitive preference and their counterparts in the control group?
- Is there any difference in academic achievement between subjects in the experimental group that operate in the cognitive preference of Application and their counterparts that operate in the same cognitive preference in the control group?
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement between subjects exposed to problem-solving instructional strategy group that operate in the cognitive preference of principles and those exposed to lecture instructional method that operate in the same cognitive preference of principles?
- Is there any difference in the academic achievement of the subjects in the experimental group that operate in the questioning cognitive preference and their counterparts that operate in the same cognitive preference?
- Is there any difference in the retention levels of the subjects exposed to problem- solving instructional strategy and those exposed to lecture instructional method?
1.5 Null Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are stated for testing in respect of the stated research questions.
- There is no significant difference in academic achievement of the subjects in the experimental group and their counterparts in the control group.
- There is no significant difference in academic achievement among the subjects that predominantly operated in Recall, Application, Principles and Questioning cognitive preferences.
- There is no significant difference in the academic achievement between subjects in the experimental group in Recall cognitive preference and their counterparts in the control group.
- There is no significant difference academic achievement between subjects in the experimental group in Application cognitive preference and those that operate in the same cognitive preference in the control group.
- There is no significant difference in academic achievement between the subjects in the experimental group that operate in the cognitive preference of principles and their counterparts in the same cognitive preference.
- There is no significant difference in the achievement of the subjects that operated in the Questioning cognitive preference and their counterparts in the control group that operate in the same cognitive preference;
- There is no significant difference in the retention levels of the subjects exposed to problem- solving instructional strategy and those exposed to lecture instructional method.