Learning Strategies and Academic Performance of Students in Biology
ABSTRACT
This research investigated the relationship between learning strategies and students’ academic performance in Biology. One hundred and twenty students from Senior Secondary Two (SS2) were randomly selected from four secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area for the study. They were assigned into two groups experimental and control groups. The experimental group was exposed to guide Inquiry Strategy and the control group was exposed to expository strategy. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study with the aid of a quasi-experimental research design since it has a direct manipulation of the variables. An instrument for data collection was Biology Achievement Test (BAT). The result revealed a significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students exposed to guided inquiry learning strategy and expository learning strategy. However, there was no significant difference in the achievement of male and female students exposed to guided inquiry. It was concluded that guided inquiry is more suitable for learning Biology at the secondary level of learning.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Learning, the goal of every educational endeavor, is probably one thing no one can ever do without in life and by implication any community, nation or the world at large. In the words of Mandela: “Education is the powerful weapon which one can use to change the world”. It is probably also in this light that one can understand why in our Nigerian society today almost in every home/family children are sent to school to acquire (formal) education.
Universally whether formal or informal the hallmark of every type of education is learning. One key instrument which can be used to measure how much a child learns in any educational system is “academic performance”. Over the years records of poor academic performance of students in Biology in secondary schools have attracted the attention of many researchers as well as the general public. Biology is the scientific study of living things. As a school subject, it is the only core science subject by most students to satisfy certain institutional requirements for some prescribed examinations such as WASCE and NECO and also as the foundation for advanced learning in academic fields such as nursing, medicine, pharmacy after secondary school education. Considering the importance of Biology as a school subject it becomes necessarily worrisome the state of poor academic achievements in the subject by students.
Learning Strategies and Academic Performance of Students in Biology
According to Ekanem (2006), the teaching-learning process involves a vast array of interventional processes at the centre of which is the teacher(the facilitator of learning) on one hand and the students(the learners) on the other hand. In spite of the technological breakthrough in audio-visual equipment, the role of teachers remains pivotal to the success of any educational programme. Teachers have remained and continue to remain and probably will continue to remain indispensable in all educational programmes since they constitute the bulwark in which educational machines are made to have meaning.
On the other hand, according to the constructivism theory of learning learners construct knowledge out of their experience. Constructivism is associated with pedagogical approaches that promote learning by the active participation of the learner in the teaching-learning process. It focuses on independent learning, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. Constructivism is based on the fact that skills and knowledge acquisition are not by passive and rote learning, but involve the active participation of learners through knowledge construction, hands-on and mind-on activities (Ndioho, 2007).
Many have attributed the causes of poor academic performance of students in Biology in secondary schools to family background, socio-economic status of parents, attitudes of the teachers, students’ attitudes as well as poor teaching methods. Be that as it may, constructivism theory seems to suggest that learning strategy stands out as one key overriding militating factor that degrades the academic performance of Biology students in senior secondary schools.
Some of the learning strategies used for the learning of Biology in senior secondary schools include expository, cooperative, activity, guided inquiry, discovery, and self-instructional learning strategies. It is understandable that students who possess adequate mental abilities sometimes do not perform well in their academic work because of the learning strategies employed. On this basis, it can therefore be assumed that if the best learning strategy is employed at the appropriate time, all things being equal the educational system will strive well. It is against this background that this study “learning strategies and academic performance of students in Biology in Ibiono Local Government Area” has been undertaken by the researcher.
Learning Strategies and Academic Performance of Students in Biology
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Education is a means to an end and not an end in itself. One of the goals of science education in Nigeria is to cultivate in the learner an inquiry mind that can rationally, critically and objectively discover knowledge for itself by itself (FGN, 2004).
It can be recalled from the previous section of this literature that this is the learning strategy that is advocated by the constructivism theory of learning. The characteristics of this active learning strategy among others are independent learning, learning by doing, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving learning as opposed to knowledge acquisition by passive and rote learning (Ndioho, 2007).
Among other factors that may be responsible for the poor academic performance of students in Biology in secondary schools poor and ineffective learning strategy has been identified in this study as the most crucial for its obvious reasons. It, therefore, becomes necessary to analyze the relationship between learning strategies such as guided inquiry and expository learning strategies and their relationship with the student’s academic performance in Biology in senior secondary schools.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between learning strategies and students’ academic performance in Biology. This is expressed in the following specific objectives which are:
(i) To determine differences if any between guided inquiry learning strategy and expository learning strategies on academic performance of students in Biology in senior secondary schools
(ii) To ascertain whether gender exerts difference in academic performance of Biology students in senior secondary schools exposed to guided inquiry learning strategies.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The findings and recommendations of this study will be of invaluable significance for the following reasons among others:
(i) This study will benefit teachers as facilitators of learning in that it will guide them to know the strategies employed to teach the students
(ii) This study will benefit students as learners in that it will guide them to know the strategies to be used in absorbing new concepts.
(iii) This study will benefit educational administrators in that it will guide them to know the appropriate teaching and learning materials to provide in schools to facilitate effective teaching and learning of biology in senior secondary schools.
(iv) This study will also be of immense benefit to the society at large in that it will produce well-trained and educated citizenry for the development of that society.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:
(i) Is there any difference in the academic performance of students exposed to guided inquiry learning strategy and those exposed to expository learning strategy in Biology in senior secondary schools?
(ii) Is there any difference in the academic performance of male and female students exposed to guided inquiry learning strategy in Biology in senior secondary schools?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following two research hypotheses are formulated for the study:
(i) There is no significant difference in academic performance of students exposed to guided inquiry learning strategy and those exposed to expository learning strategy in Biology in senior secondary schools.
(ii) There is no significant difference in academic performance of male and female students exposed to guided inquiry learning strategy in Biology in senior secondary schools.