ABSTRACT
This study set out to investigate the effects of problem based learning and peer-tutoring instructional strategies on students' achievement and retention in Biology in secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone. Four research questions were posed and four null hypotheses were tested. Quasi-experimental design was utilized. Sixty three SSII Biology students drawn from three randomly selected secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone served as sample. Simple random sampling technique by balloting was applied in choosing the schools as well as assigning each of the teaching strategies to the sampled schools. Biology Achievement Test with a reliability co-efficient of 0.98 and 0.89 was the instrument for data collection. Data collected were collated and analyzed. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions, while ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results show that there was a significant difference in academic achievement and retention of students taught with problem based learning (PBL), peer-tutoring (PT) and those taught with conventional method; however, students taught with problem based learning and peer-tutoring did not differ significantly in there achievement and retention. Also, the result shows no significant interaction effect of gender and treatments with respect to academic achievement and retention. The study recommended among others that Biology teachers should adopt problem based learning and peer-tutoring instructional strategies for instructional delivery in secondary schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
i
Declaration
ii
Dedication
hi
Certification
iv
Acknowledgement
v
Table of Contents
vi
List of Tables
ix
Abstract
x
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the
Study
1
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
8
1.3 Purpose of the
Study
9
1.4 Significance of
the Study
10
1.5 Research
Questions
11
1.6 Hypotheses
11
1.7 Scope of the
Study
12
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Conceptual
Framework
13
2.1.1 Teaching and
learning methods
13
2.2.3 Conventional
teaching method
16
2.1.3 Cooperative
learning
18
2.1.4 Problem-based
learning
21
2.1.5 The benefits of PEL
to the student
24
2.1.6 Peer-tutoring (PT)
26
2.1.7 Academic
achievement
34
2.1.8 Gender as a factor
in achievement in biology
36
2.1.9 Retention
38
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 39
2.3 Review of
Empirical Studies
43
2.4 Summary of
Literature Review
47
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design of the
Study
49
3.2 Area of the Study 50
3.3 Population of the
Study
51
3.4 Sample and
Sampling Techniques
52
3.5 Instrument for
Data Collection
52
3.6 Validation of the
Instrument 53
3.7 Reliability of
the Instrument
53
3.8 Method of Data
Collection 54
3.9 Method of Data
Analysis
56
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Major Findings of
the Study
67
4.2 Discussion of
Findings of the Study
68
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
73
5.2 Conclusion
75
5.3 Educational
Implications of the Findings
75
5.4 Limitations of
the Study
77
5.5 Recommendations
77
5.6 Suggestions for Future Study
78 REFERENCES 79 APPENDICES
LIST OF TABLES
1: Mean gain in
achievement scores of biology students exposed to problem-based learning,
peer-tutoring strategy and conventional method. 57
2: Mean gain scores
of male and female students taught biology using problem- based learning,
peer-tutoring strategy and those taught with conventional method. 58
3: Mean retention
scores of students taught biology using problem-based learning, peer-tutoring strategy and conventional method. 59
4: Mean retention
scores of male and female students taught
biology using problem-based learning, peer-tutoring strategy and
those taught with conventional method. 60
5: Summary of
analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for test of Significant difference in the mean
achievement scores of students in biology with interaction effects of gender
and treatments (groups). . 61
6: Post floe
multiple comparison test of the direction of
significant difference in the mean achievement scores of biology
students exposed to problem-based learning (pbl), peer-tutoring (pt) and
conventional method. 64
7: Summary of
analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for test of
significant difference in the mean retention scores of students in
biology with interaction effects of gender and treatments
(groups). 65
8: Post hoc multiple
comparison test of the direction of significant
difference in the mean retention scores of biology students
exposed to
problem-based learning (pbl), peer-tutoring (pt) and conventional
method (control) 66
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Science is both a process
(scientific method) and a product (knowledge, fact and principles). (Ezeh,
2013). Both the process and product of science .are acquired through education.
Science relates to our daily life and career which makes it play important
roles in the society. The importance of science in our society made the Federal
Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Education to introduce
science subjects in the nation's secondary school curriculum. Biology is one of
such subjects introduced.
Biology is a branch of natural
science that deals with the study of living organisms, including their
structures, functioning, evolution, distribution and interrelationships. (The
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2009). Biology occupies a
unique position in the secondary school education curriculum because of its
importance as science of life. In Nigeria, the secondary school Biology
curriculum is designed to continue students' investigation into natural
phenomena to deepen students' understanding and interest in biological
sciences, and also to encourage students' ability to apply scientific knowledge
to everyday life in matters of personal, community, health and agriculture
among others (Federal Ministry of Education, 2009).
Biology is a very important science subject and stands as the
bedrock upon which are based many other science courses like Medicine,
Genetics, Nursing, Pharmacy, Biochemistry e.t.c, that are of great economic
importance to a nation. Besides the importance of Biology to mankind as science
of life, it is one of the science subject mostly preferred by many students in the secondary schools because it has less mathematical
calculations unlike physics and chemistry and deals with non-abstract things.
Because of these reasons, Biology has a very high enrollment of students in
external examination (Senior School Certificate Examination) more than physics
and chemistry. Regardless of the high number of students' enrollment in Biology
in the senior school examinations conducted by West African Examination Council
(WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO), reports from scholars (Opara,
2011, Ige, 2009, Nwagbo, 2008, and WAEC chief examiner's report, 2012)
indicated that students' achievement in Biology in the external examination is
poor. This poor achievement implies obtaining low or failure grades as D7, E8
and F9. Furthermore, WAEC and NECO SSCE analysis of Biology results in Umuahia
education zone from 2007-2015 revealed that, the number of students that
obtained credit passes in Biology is very low(SEMB,2016). Poor students'
achievement in Biology in West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination
(WASSCE) and National Examination Council Senior Secondary School Examinations
(NECO) especially in the topics such as transport system (diffusion and
osmosis) and ecological management (adaptation, pollution and conservation of
natural resources) as confirmed by the WAEC Chief Examiners report (2012 &
2015), has made many well-informed Nigerians to be worried. Disturbed with
this, WAEC, STAN, the FME and the different state government had to set up
committees several times to identify the reasons for the poor achievement of
students in certificate examinations especially in science. Among the factors
identified to be responsible for students' poor achievement in science were
subject matter content knowledge of the teachers, teachers' qualification and
experience, gender, instructional method, cognitive factors of learners and
teachers etc.
Some scholars identified cognitive factors of students and
teachers, availability of learning resources and the instmctional strategies
adopted by the teachers as some of the factors that determine the achievement
of students and the extent of implementation of any innovation. According to
Nwagbo (2010) a number of factors has been identified as contributing to the
non-acquisition of skills by secondary school students which invariably leads
to poor performance and one of the factors is the teacher variable that is
teacher method of teaching. According to Isiugo-Abanihe; Long-John and Ibiene,
2010; this poor achievement has been linked to the use of
traditional/conventional method (lecture/expository method) in teaching
Biology. The traditional/conventional method which is a one-way flow of
knowledge (teacher to students) does not encourage process skill acquisition
needed for understanding of biological principles, concepts and facts.
Conventional method is content driven and not learner-centered (Oranu, 2003).
This method which is mostly used in secondary schools is based on behavioral
learning theories and emphasizes knowledge transmission from the teacher to
passive students and encourages rote memorization of fact (Boyle, Duffy &
Dunleavy, 2003). In addition, the behavioural learning theories that are
directed towards isolating the learner from social interaction and towards
seeing education as a one-on-one relationship between the learner and the
objective material being learned (Uwameiye & Aduwa-ogiegbaen, 2006). When
the conventional method is used in teaching, the teacher does most of the
talking, and the students more often assume a passive role. To a large extent,
the students might be afraid to ask questions and express their opinions. This
situation is in contrast with modern teaching which requires less talk on the
part of the teacher and more activities on the part of the students. As such
the conventional teaching method is said to be faulty (Uwameiye &
Aduwa-ogiegbaen, 2006).
The conventional teaching
method though expedient, may not be the most effective or systematic way to
address student learning preferences in the classroom in order to improve
academic performance and retention. The challenge of preparing students for
performing excellently in certificate examinations has therefore necessitated a
shift from instructional approaches based on the behavioural learning theories
to those rooted in cognitive psychological theories and social interdependence
theories (Ogwo, 2005). Azih and Nwosu (2013) indicated that student-centered
methods which are characterized by active involvement of students in the
teaching and learning process could be the important factor for improving
students' performance in Biology.
Njoku 2003 also noted that the
Nigeria Science classroom activities are still dominated by teacher centered
methods which have been found to be ineffective in promoting science learning
in primary and secondary school levels. According to Njoku these observations
are true irrespective of the science subject concerned or the experience of the
teacher involved.
The short comings of these
traditional teaching methods resulted to the persistent search for an effective
method of teaching and learning Biology which culminated to the discovery and
suggestions by some researchers (Mander 2002, Ibe and Nwosu 2003, Nwagbo 2006
and Akpan 2010) for the use of innovative teaching methods such as enquiry,
guided discovery.
The policy that introduced Biology and other science subjects into
the curriculum introduced them as activity centered. National Teacher's
Institute also stated that teaching and learning environment should be learner
centered rather than teacher centered, especially at the basic and senior
secondary education levels because the learner masters what they get involved
in doing and not what the teacher gets involved in doing. For positive
achievement to be attained therefore, learners are to be actively involved in
what they are taught by engaging in hands-on and heads/mind-on
activities that engender good performance. The use of innovative teaching
methods such as PBL and PT may bring about greater understanding, thinking,
interaction rather than memorization and also improve performance in student'
achievement both in WASSCE, NECO and JAMB.
Problem-based learning (PBL)
is an instructional approach that allows students to interact with their
environment while dealing with ill-structured problems. PBL which is learner-centered
is an active process of accessing prior knowledge, making connections between
old and new concepts and using the elaboration of relationships to engage in
theory construction (Schmidt, 2004). It is an approach to learning in which
students work together to find solutions to complex problems (Ferreira &
Trudel, 2012). PBL makes students to actively participate in the learning
process, take responsibility for their own learning, and become better learners
in terms of time management skills, and ability to define topics, and access
different resources. Previous research suggests PBL improves long-term
knowledge retention (Strobel & van Barneveld, 2009), problem-solving skills
(Kanet & Barut, 2009), interpersonal skill (Kumar & Natarajan, 2007), and
self-directed learning skills (Thomas & Chang, 2002).
Another type of innovative teaching method which is Peer-tutoring
(PT) is an instructional approach in which students of a level of performance
work together in small groups (two, three, four, or five) towards a common
goal. PT is learner rather than teacher-oriented. It emphasizes clear goals,
active student participation in the learning process, feedback and evaluation,
and individual pacing (Adeola, 2004). Students work together to learn and are responsible
for one another's learning as well as their own. In this approach a student
(tutor) trains another learner in skills and subject matter that the tutor has
mastered. Types of peer-
tutoring include cross age
tutoring, parent/volunteer tutoring, peer-assisted learning strategies, and
reciprocal peer-tutoring (RPT). Reciprocal peer-tutoring was used for the
study. PT has the incentive to cooperate which when available, students exhibit
cooperative task oriented behaviours in learning groups. Studies (Adeoia, 2004,
Onabanjo, 2000) have revealed that PT could be a simple instnictional technique
that shows great promises for meeting complex academic and social needs of the
students today. Peer interaction can have a powerful influence on academic motivation
and achievement (Adeoia, 2004). PT could be an important education practice and
if properly planned will be of huge benefit to Nigerian educational system
(Ejekwu, 2034). Other important variables to be considered in this study
include achievement and retention.
Academic achievement can be
referred to as the accomplishment of academic goais, the educational outcomes
of students or rather the extent to which a student, a teacher has achieved the
stated educational objectives. Previous studies; (Ibe, 2004; Nwagbo, 2008 and
Opara, 2011) indicated that teaching method influences students' achievement in
Biology. Similarly, Jensen (2008) and Onan (2012) noted that inquiry method
increases students' achievement and interest in Biology. This study therefore intends
to identify the effects of problem-based learning and peer-tutoring on Biology
students' achievement and retention.
Retention is one of the factors that could affect students'
academic achievement. It is the process by which a student stores the modeled
information in his memory for use at a later time. Retention is an individual's
ability to remember and recall information, materials and experiences learned
overtime. It is simply having an information stored in a long term memory that
can be retrieved easily in response (Bennet & Rebello, 2012). Retention is
the ability to remember after learning takes place more effectively when
experiences are passed
across to the learner through
an appropriate instructional method. A lot of forgetting of school experiences
according to (Ngwoko, 2010) is the direct result of poor learning environment
condition. Conditions that relate to poor retention include such factors like
poor teaching methods, lack of relevant experiences, low ability etc. These
factors could also lead to poor achievement of students. Retention is one of
the factors that could affect students' academic achievement. It is the process
by which a student stores the modeled information in his memory for use at a
later time. The information above formed the basis for the present study which
sought to determine the effects of PEL and PT instructional strategies on
Biology students' achievement and retention.
Apart from teaching methods,
achievement and retention, gender is also implicated in students' academic
achievement in Biology. Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men
and women that are created in family, societies and culture. The concept of
gender is the expectations held about characteristics, attitudes and likely
behavior of both men and women in the society (Ezeh, 2013).there is a general
belief among Nigerians that boys are superior to girls in terms of physical
build up, intelligence and reasoning. According to Okeke (2007) gender and
gender stereotyping have brought discrimination in academic achievement which
is a matter of great concern to educationist. This study sort to determine the
influence of gender on the academic achievement of Biology students taught
using PBL and PT.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
Students' achievement in secondary school Biology in Umuahia
education zone has not been encouraging. Inspite of the desire for
technological development, which need Biology education, there is poor academic
achievement of students in Biology. So many factors can
be attributed to students'
poor academic achievement and retention in Biology, they include the use of
inappropriate instructional approaches by Biology teachers, poor organization
of classroom activities and lack of qualified Biology teachers.
Studies have shown that
teachers use mostly teacher-centered approach in teaching. The inappropriate
instructional approaches used by Biology teachers in secondary schools tend to
raise doubts about the possibility of realizing the objectives of teaching
Biology in secondary school as stated in the National Policy on Education
(Federal Ministry of Education, 2004). Instructional approaches such as lecture
and demonstration methods used in teaching Biology in the classroom promote
rote learning and lack of opportunity for students to manipulate materials and
reflect on what they do during teaching and learning processes. Students'
interaction during learning could play a key role towards tangible learning.
This work therefore intended to investigate the effects of problem
based learning and peer-tutoring instructional strategies on Biology students'
achievement and retention in some areas of transport system (diffusion and
osmosis) and ecological management (adaptation, pollution and conservation of
natural resources). However, questions from these concepts have been reported
in the WAEC chief examiner's report (2012 & 2015), as being avoided by many
students, the few who attempted them performed poorly. Hence the need for this
study.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is
to determine the effect of problem-based learning and peer-tutoring teaching
strategies on Biology students' achievement and retention in Umuahia education
zone.
The specific objectives of the
study are to determine:
1. the mean gain achievement scores of
students taught Biology using problem-based learning, peer-tutoring and
conventional methods of teaching.
2. the mean achievement scores of male and
female students taught Biology using problem based learning, peer-tutoring and
conventional method.
3. the mean retention scores of students
taught Biology using problem-based learning, peer-tutoring and conventional
method.
4. the mean retention scores of male and
female students taught Biology using problem based learning, peer-tutoring and
conventional method
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study seeks to answer the
following questions:
1. What are the mean gain in achievement
scores of students taught Biology with problem-based learning, peer-tutoring
teaching strategy and conventional method?
2. What are the mean gain achievement scores
of male and female students taught Biology using problem based learning,
peer-tutoring and conventional method?
3. What are the mean
retention scores of students taught Biology with problem-based learning,
peer-tutoring teaching strategy and conventional method?
4. What are the mean retention
scores of male and female Biology students taught using problem based learning,
peer-tutoring and conventional method?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
In this study, the following
hypotheses will be tested, at 0.05 level of significance.
HO1: Mean achievement scores
of Biology students taught using problem-based learning and peer-tutoring do
not differ significantly from those taught with conventional method.
H02: There is no significant
interaction effect of gender and teaching methods on students' mean achievement
scores in Biology.
HO3: Retention scores of
Biology students taught with problem-based learning and peer-tutoring do not
differ significantly from those taught with conventional teaching method.
H04: There is no significant
interaction effect of gender and teaching methods on students1 mean
retention scores in Biology.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The way science subjects are
hurriedly taught in secondary schools, according to Njoku (2009), makes their
subject matters irrelevant to the learners resulting in their inability to
transfer learning to everyday life and poor academic performance. Thus the
findings of this study may help the Biology teachers, students and Biology
curriculum experts.
To Biology teachers, it may help sensitize them to use effective
instructional approaches for improved students' retention and achievement. It
will also serve as an eye opener to teachers in other fields of learning to
explore and adopt better instructional approaches in handling difficult topics
and concepts in their own areas for improvement.
To the students, it may help
improve their achievement in Biology and ensure better quality Biology
candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. The work
will help to produce more qualified candidates for courses in science and
technology in the tertiary institutions of learning, which in turn will boost
national wealth and development. To Biology curriculum development experts, it
will also be of immense benefit to them since the result will enhance and
improve new curriculum. The results will contribute to the pool of research in
the area of education in Biology in particular and science education in
general.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study sets out to determine the effect of problem-based
learning and peer-tutoring instructional strategies on Biology students'
achievement and retention. Specifically, the stud}- will be delimited to only
senior secondary two (SS II) Biology students from public schools in Umuahia
education zone of Abia state. Secondary School two (SS II) Biology students
were used because the topic used for the study are taught in SS II. Public
secondary schools were used because the teachers in public schools are employed
by the same board based on the same criteria and they have similar facilities
being funded by the same government. It will cover the following topics
selected to be taught during this study: Transport system (diffusion &
osmosis) and Ecological management (adaptation, pollution & conservation of
natural resources) as questions from these concepts have been reported in the
WAEC chief examiner's repon (2012 & 2015) as being avoided by many
students, the few who attempted them performed poorly. Reciprocal peer-tutoring
will be used to teach those in the peer-tutoring group.
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