ABSTRACT
This study was designed to determine the effects of the use of Internet on teachers’ instructional effectiveness, students’ achievement, retention and interest in ecology. Ten research questions and ten hypotheses guided the study.The study was in two parts, one with teachers and the other with students. Single case experimental design was used for the first part involving teachers. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used for the second part of the study involving students. Population of the study consisted of 2862 Biology teachers and 251755 SS11 Biology students in South-East, Nigeria. The study had one experimental group and one control group chosen from three sampled states. A sample of 12 Biology teachers, two from each school and 187 SS11 students drawn through multi-stage sampling were used for the study. Three instruments were used for the study, namely- Teachers’ Instructional Effectiveness Scale (TIES), Ecology Achievement Test (EAT), and Ecology Interest Scale (EIS). The instruments were face and content validated. The Cronbach alpha method was used to establish the internal consistency of the TIES and EIS which were found to be 0.90 and 0.88 respectively. The reliability stability and consistency of 0.84 and 0.90 were obtained for the EAT using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Kuder Richardson 20 respectively. Means and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions while the paired samples t-test was used to test hypothesis one. Hypotheses two to ten were tested using Analysis of Covariance at 0.05 level of significance. Result revealed that the use of Internet in teaching enhances teachers’ instructional effectiveness and students’ retention. However, the use of lecture method enhanced the academic achievementof Biology students more than the use of Internet. Also revealed was that there is no significant difference in the achievement, retention and interest mean scores of male and female students taught ecology using Internet. Also, the effect of Internet use and lecture method of instruction on students’ achievement, retention and interest in ecology is not gender dependent. The results have implications for teachers, students, curriculum planners, and the general public. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Biology teachers should use Internet teaching strategy on complimentary basis to lecture method for improved teachers’ instructional effectiveness, students’ achievement, retention and interest in ecology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table
of Contents vi
List
of Tables ix
List
of Figures xi
List
of Appendices xii
Abstract xiii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 12
1.3 Purpose of the Study 13
1.4 Research Questions 14
1.5 Hypotheses 15
1.6 Significance of the Study 16
1.7 Scope of the Study 19
CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual
Framework 20
2.1.1
Internet 20
2.1.2 Instructional effectiveness 31
2.1.3 Academic achievement 42
2.1.4 Retention 45
2.1.5 Interest 49
2.1.6 Ecology 51
2.1.7 Gender 54
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 59
2.2.1 The technology acceptance model theory 59
2.2.2 Connectivity theory 61
2.2.3 Cognitive theory of multimedia learning 63
2.3 Related
Empirical Studies 67
2.3.1 Studies on the use of internet on
instruction 67
2.3.2 Studies on teachers’ instructional
effectiveness 72
2.3.3 Studies on instructional strategies and
academic achievement in biology 75
2.3.4 Studies on instructional strategies and
retention in biology 78
2.3.5 Studies on instructional strategies and
interest in biology 83
2.3.6 Studies on gender and achievement in biology 85
2.3.7 Studies on gender and retention in
biology 87
2.3.8 Study on gender and interest in biology 91
2.3.9 Studies on ecology and instructional strategies 92
2.4 Summary
of Reviewed Related Literature 97
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design of the Study 99
3.2 Area of the Study 100
3.3 Population for the Study 101
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique 101
3.5 Instruments for Data Collection 103
3.6 Validation of the Instruments 104
3.7 Reliability of the Instruments 106
3.8 Method of Data Collection 107
3.9 Method of Data Analyses 110
CHAPTER 4:
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results 111
4.2 Major Findings of the Study 135
4.3 Discussion of
Findings 136
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
Summary 146
5.2
Conclusion 148
5.3
Recommendations 149
5.4
Educational Implications
of the Study 150
5.5
Limitations of the Study 151
5.6
Suggestions for Further
Study 152
REFERENCES 152
APPENDICES 167
LIST OF TABLES
4.01: Mean instructional
effectiveness scores of teachers before and after 111 exposure to the use of Internet in the
teaching of ecology
4.02: Mean achievement scores of SS 11 students
taught ecology using Internet and 114 lecture method
4.03: Mean retention scores of SS 11 students
taught ecology using Internet and 115 lecture
method
4.04: Mean Interest scores of SS 11 students
taught ecology using Internet and 116 lecture
method
4.05: Mean
achievement scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology 118
using Internet
4.06: Mean
retention scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology 119
using Internet
4.07: Mean interest
scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology 120 using Internet
4.08: Interaction effect
of instructional strategies and gender on the mean achievement 122 scores of SS 11 students in ecology
4.09: Interaction effect
of instructional strategies and gender on the mean retention 123
scores of SS 11 students in ecology
4.10: Interaction effect
of instructional strategies and gender on the mean interest 124
scores of SS 11 students in ecology
4.11: t-test analysis of
the mean instructional effectiveness scores of teachers 125 before and
after exposure to the use of Internet in the teaching of ecology
4.12: Analysis of
covariance of the mean achievement scores of SS 11 students taught 126 ecology
using Internet and lecture method
4.13: Analysis of
covariance of the mean retention scores of SS 11 students taught 127 ecology using Internet and lecture
method
4.14: Analysis of
covariance of the mean interest scores of SS 11 students taught 128 ecology using Internet and
conventional strategy
4.15: Analysis of
covariance of the mean achievement scores of male and 129 female SS 11 students taught ecology
using Internet
4.16: Analysis of
covariance of the mean retention scores of male and
130 female SS 11 students
taught ecology using Internet
4.17: Analysis
of covariance of the mean interest scores of male and female 131 SS 11 students taught
ecology using Internet
4.18: Analysis
of covariance of the interaction effect of instructional strategies
132 and gender on the mean achievement scores of SS 11 students in
ecology
4.19: Analysis
of covariance of the interaction effect of instructional strategies
133
and gender on the mean retention scores of SS
11 students in ecology
4.20: Analysis of
covariance of the interaction effect of instructional strategies
134\ and gender on the mean interest mean scores of SS 11 students in
ecology
LIST OF FIGURES
1:
Schema of the
conceptual framework 58
2: Schema of the theoretical
framework 66
LIST OF APPENDICES
A Biology WASSCE result 2011-2019 167
B Biology Chief Examiner’s Report 2016,
2018 & 2019 168
C1 Biology teachers’ statistics in
South-East, Nigeria public secondary schools in
2019/2020 academic session 171
C2 Senior secondary students’ enrolment in
South-East, Nigeria
public schools in 2019/2020 academic session 172
D Distribution of schools for the study 173
E Teachers’ Instructional Effectiveness
Scale, TIES 174
F Ecology Achievement Test, EAT 176
F2 Scoring key for EAT 188
F3 EAT item difficulty 189
F4 EAT discrimination indices 190
G Ecology Interest Scale, EIS 191
H Ecology achievement test blue print 193
I EAT reliability computation 194
J EIS reliability computation 197
K TIES reliability computation 200
L Internet use briefing manual 202
M Internet instruction lesson note 204
N Conventional instruction lesson note 216
O Excerpt of internet instruction stages 226
P SPSS output of data analysis 240
Q Students’ sample distribution 263
R Validates’ comments 264
S Request Letter 304
T SS2 2nd
Term Scheme of work 305
U Teachers’
Instructional Effectiveness Scale, TIES Guide 308
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Internet
usage has become an everyday practice making the world a global village. This
has changed the trajectory of pedagogy in this 21st century. The
Internet accessibility has led to a new generation of teachers and students who
crave for integration of technology in pedagogy. This correlates with the
educators’ propositions who considered the Internet as a new medium for
pedagogy due to high usage (Egbem & Ede, 2016). In spite of technological
advancements, some nations are however technologically naive as less than 5% of
their population have Internet access (Egbri, 2015).
Internet
usage among continents and nations is growing at an appreciable rate with the
first billion world users reached in 2005, the second billion world users
reached in 2010, the third billion world users attained in 2014, and the fourth
billion world users reached in 2020 (Internet Live Statistics, ILS, 2020).
Around 59.5% of the world population now have an Internet connection as against
1% in 1995 (Internet World Statistics, IWS, 2020). Internet connectivity rate
differs among developed and developing nations. North America, Europe,
Australia, Latin America and Middle East for instance, have penetration index
of 95.0%, 85.2%, 68.9%, 67.2% and 64.5% respectively. Asia and Africa also have
penetration index of 49.0% and 36.1% respectively (International Telecommunications
Union, ITU, 2020).
It
has been estimated that penetration levels in developing countries remain low
at 4.4% compared to 24.6% in developed countries (ITU, 2020). In Africa,
Seychelles has the highest Internet penetration of 70.5% with Eritrea being the
least 1.4% (IWS, 2020). Nigeria’s Internet usage percentage is relatively low
when compared to most developed countries but has been on the rise since its
introduction and acceptance into education. Nigeria accounts for over 2.30% of
the world’s Internet users with about 2.82% of her population becoming an
Internet user yearly (ILS, 2020). In 2010, Internet usage in Nigeria was 24% of
her population but rose to 28.4% in 2011, 32.8% in 2012, 38.0% in 2013, and
42.7% in 2014. It also increased to 44.6% in 2015, 46.3% in 2016, 48.7% in 2017,
50.2% in 2018, 55.6% in 2019 and 59.3% in 2020 (IWS, 2020).
The
rationale for Internet utilization for educational instruction comes from the
benefits derived, such as free access to tutorials, online journals, magazines
and other information resources (Iyendo & Halil, 2015). It has further been
theorized in the Technology Acceptance Model that the perceived usefulness or
perceived utility is the major rationale for the acceptance of technological
knowhow such as the Internet (Apuke & Iyendo, 2017). Egbri (2015) amplified
that the indispensability of the Internet is its unrivalled source of knowledge
for its users; thus, it is a powerful tool for searching, retrieving and
disseminating information, with significant impacts on almost all professions. Hence,
the Internet has been eulogised as the major source of instruction in advanced
nations (Ilo & Ifijeh, 2011). The authors further harped that the Internet
is a means of scholarly communication and offers an immense repository of
knowledge/information that can be applied in teaching, learning and research.
These propositions on the usefulness of the Internet seemed to come from
Bamigboye and Ojo (2010) who earlier opined that the major rationale for school
Internet use is the support it provides in teaching and learning of school
curriculum due to its multimedia merit.
Many
authors have conceptualized the Internet in various perspectives. Egbri (2015)
asserted that the Internet is an interconnected global network of computers
which provides easy and instant communication to users through its numerous
resources without geographical limitation. Camilla (2019) expatiated that the
Internet is a global information system that is logically linked together by a
globally unique address space based on the Internet protocol or its subsequent extensions.
From Egbri and Camilla’s definitions, it could be deduced that Internet is a
communication super highway that links, hooks and focuses the entire world into
a global village, where people of all races can easily get in touch, see, or
speak to one another and exchange information from one point of the globe to
another. Internet can be conceptualised as a network of computers which are
located globally at different points to provide easy communication between
teachers and students without geographical limitation.
The
use of Internet in Nigeria has actually brought improvements in virtually every
field of human endeavour, especially in education. The Internet has led to
significant propagation of scientific literature for the advancement of
education. More so, the information sourced through the Internet greatly
assists in instructional delivery in pedagogy (Suleiman, Abdulfatah, Goshie,
Jimoh & Hayatu, 2014). Considering educational management system, Internet
is potentially a powerful tool for extending educational opportunities, both formal
and non-formal, to previously underserved constituencies - scattered and rural
populations, groups traditionally excluded from education due to cultural or
social reasons. Such groups include ethnic minorities, girls and women, persons
with disabilities, and the elderly, as well as all others who for reasons of
cost of education or because of time constraints are unable to enrol into
school (Tinio, 2014). Thus, the maxim that “half the world does not know how
the other lives” no longer holds sway as the Internet has become an everyday
practice especially in pedagogy.
The
frequency in the use of Internet in pedagogy was heightened globally due to Corona
Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. This made both advanced and advancing
nations to clamour for and experiment the use of Internet in teaching and
learning processes. Consequently, many learning tools such as coursera, moodle,
edX, among others were patronised. In Nigeria, many states tutored their
students through the Internet in accordance with the Federal Government
directives in 2020. Nonetheless, the success of this exercise remains debatable
making this study timely.
Despite
the overwhelming uses of Internet in pedagogy, a number of studies have
identified the challenges of Internet as an instructional medium. These
challenges have been identified as poor information technology infrastructure
development, large mass of irrelevant information, the need to filter the
results from search, download delay, failure to find information, inadequate or
lack of search skills, high cost of Internet connectivity, frequent power
failure, inaccessibility of some electronic resources and difficulties in
navigating through electronic resources (Omeluzor, 2015; Omosekejimi, Eghoworo
& Ogo, 2015; Omeluzor, Akibu & Akinwoye, 2016; Daramola, 2016; Sohail
& Ahmad, 2017).
To
encourage the use of Internet in pedagogy, the National Policy on Education
(Federal Republic of Nigeria (F.R.N), 2013) placed emphasis on the use of
Internet when it stated that in recognition of the prominent roles of
information and communication technology (ICT) in advancing knowledge and
skills necessary for effective functioning in the modern world, there is urgent
need to integrate information and communication technology into education in
Nigeria especially science education. The role of science education in the
development of a nation is encompassing. Adequate integration of ICT in science
education especially Biology education will enhance productivity and economy of
the nation. More so, it is believed that
Biology education should make the learners know their environment; have
meaningful and relevant knowledge in Biology necessary for successful living in
a scientific and technological world; advance technologically, among others
(Fatima, 2019).
From
the foregoing, it is imperative that schools equip learners not only with basic
knowledge of Biology contents, but also with the practical skills needed for
enhancing self-development. In order to achieve this, the pedagogical approach of
impacting facts and concepts of the subject is important. However, it is
disheartening that National Information Technology Policy (2012) did not make
explicit provision for the instructional applications of Internet. With
reference to secondary schools, there are either no institutional policies on
use of Internet or they are skewed in favour of administrative applications or
revenue generation.
Many
schools in Nigeria have made appreciable attempts towards the use of Internet as
a complimentary instructional medium. These schools cut across public, private
and mission schools from primary to university level. They use Internet in
pedagogy asynchronously as a lone tutor and synchronously as
computer-assisted-instruction. Asynchronous use of the Internet is mostly on
correspondence and distance education where as synchronous use of Internet is
mostly on conventional classrooms. Nonetheless, measure of teacher
effectiveness of these new instructional approaches has remained debatable in
sciences, especially in Biology.
Educationists
view the term ‘effectiveness’ from different perspectives. Similarly, the
definition of effective instruction in secondary education cannot be
arbitrarily conjectured. This is because the values, theoretical orientations
and methodologies surrounding it are complex. Firstly, from the point of view
of students: they use assessment and feedback as measures of instructional
effectiveness (MacFarlane, 2012). Although these are important aspects of
teaching and learning, they are not the only yardsticks to measure effective
instruction. For educationists, the focus is on the performance of the teachers.
MacFarlane identified many indexes that educationists look out for to prescribe
a teacher as effective. They include consistency with scheme of work,
questioning skills, effective use of instructional materials, among others. For
teachers, instructional effectiveness is measured by the commendations of the
students and students’ achievement in external examinations such as West
African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) (Centra, 2013).
Instructional
effectiveness is the capability of a teacher to deliver lessons and achieve
high percentage success in the set objectives (Nnanna & Adukwe, 2018). In
context of this study, it is the ability of the teacher to maximize
instructional technique to enhance students’ knowledge and retention in a
classroom setting. It is a measure of many indices. Oyekan (2000) documented
the following attributes of an effective teacher- broad based knowledge of
subject matter, effective use of chalkboard, good language and communication
skills, well organised learning environment, and formulation of clear
objectives. Afe (2003) and Weimer (2009) identified intellectual, social and
emotional stability as measures of instructional effectiveness. Memeh (2018)
enumerated communication skills, composure, questioning skills, classroom
orderliness, and motivational skills, among others as indices of teachers
instructional effectiveness.
Nevertheless,
Centra (2013) opined that there is no standard measure of teachers’ instructional
effectiveness. This submission was amplified by Tom (2013). Howbeit, Memeh
(2018) 20-item trait rating teachers’ instructional effectiveness scale was
adapted for the study. This is because the author’s attributes of an effective
teacher are measurable (Appendix U; Page 308).
Positive
teachers’ instructional effectiveness should enhance academic achievement,
retention and interest of students. Saima and Sufiana (2017) averred that
academic achievement is the progress students make in relation to set goals and
objectives. Similarly, Nwanne (2018) posited that academic achievement of
students is the ability of the students to study and remember facts and being
able to communicate their knowledge orally or in written form even in an
examination condition. Academic achievement therefore is the ability of the
students to recall what they have learnt as measured by formative and summative
tests.
Academic
achievements of Nigerian students in Biology have been fluctuating in
standardized examinations such as West African Senior School Certificate
Examination (WASSCE). The analysis of students’ achievement in Biology in the
May/June WASSCE revealed 38.50%, 35.66%, 51.73%, 56.17%, 47.39%, 46.87%, 44.93%,
50.52% and 46.48% in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively
(Appendix A; page 167); thus, Biology pass rate remains as low as 46.47% in the
last decade. This poor performance has been a source of worry to Biology
educators over many years.
The poor achievement seen in the last decade underscores
that the students did not retain much of the lessons taught by the teacher. Retention
is described
as the capacity of storing or holding unto what has been learnt and what the
memory had stored. Bichi as cited in
Ikechuckwu (2020) mirrored retention as the ability to remember information or
knowledge in the memory after learning. It is the preservation of the after
effects of learning experiences that makes recall or recognition possible after
a lengthy period with minimal decay. Retention is affected by the
nature of material coded, thinking style of individual learners, and teacher’s
method of teaching. From the discourse, it is not gainsaying that the ultimate
target of educational endeavour is permanent and meaningful learning. Hence, the
clamour for methods of enhancing retention should be prioritized above methods
of enhancing immediate academic achievement of students in Biology. This is
because retention is futuristic and majorly will eventually affect performance.
Students’ achievement and
retention is determined using achievement tests. Achievement test is the type
of test developed to measure skills and knowledge learned in a given subject,
usually through planned instruction (Drever, 2012). Achievement scores
are used to determine the level of instruction for which a student assimilated.
High achievement scores generally indicate that a level of mastery of lesson
content has been reached, and that the student is ready for advanced
instruction. Conversely, low achievement scores indicate the need for further
remediation.
Achievement test can be of
different forms- oral test, written test and practical test. Items of
achievement test can be multiple choice questions, essay type or combination of
the two types. Either form of the tests can be used in assessing students’ achievement
and retention in secondary school Biology.
Biology
is the most popular science subject at secondary level (Vera, Tomka &
Tijana, 2013). This is partly because most art students consider Biology easier
when compared to physics and chemistry. Some students alleged the perceived
humour created in Biology classes and its indispensability to life as reasons
for offering it. More so, it could be as a result of the misconception that
Biology is a compulsory subject in the senior secondary school (Saima &
Sufiana, 2017).
Biology is the study of living things and
their vital processes. It is a natural science subject consisting of
contents from microscopic organisms to the biosphere in general, encompassing
the earth’s surface and all living organisms (Ibrahim, Baba & Ahmad, 2014).
The
field
deals with all the physicochemical aspects of life. The
modern tendency toward cross-disciplinary research and the unification of
scientific knowledge and investigation from different fields has resulted in
significant overlap of the field of Biology with other scientific disciplines
(Britannica,
2020).
Biology
is subdivided into separate branches for convenience of study, though all the
subdivisions are interrelated by basic principles. Thus, while it is custom to
separate the study of plants (botany)
from that of animals
(zoology),
and the study of the structure of organisms (morphology)
from that of function (physiology),
all living things share in common certain biological phenomena -for example, various
means of reproduction,
cell division,
and the transmission of genetic materials (Britannica, 2020).
The teaching of Biology starts from secondary
school to tertiary institution and it is meant to expose the learners to
biological nature (facts, principles and concepts) and processes (Muoneme, 2012).
Muoneme reported that the main aim of Biology teaching at secondary school
level is to develop a conception of life among students together with the
understanding of laws governing life. Biology fosters an attitude of respect
for the living world and the mysteries of creation, particularly for the human
body (Muoneme, 2012).
There
are many topics studied in secondary school Biology. They include: ecology,
respiration, genetics, cell, evolution, among others. Some of these topics are
abstract, hence considered as areas of difficulty for students. Others such as
ecology are vast, hence are hardly completely taught (Eromosele &
Ekholuenetale, 2016). The West African Examination Council Chief Examiner’s
reports 2016, 2018 and 2019 have shown that students under-perform in ecology
(Appendix B; page 169).
Ecology, also called bionomics or
environmental
biology is the study of the relationships between organisms and
their environment.
Some of the most pressing problems in human affairs (expanding populations,
food scarcities, environmental
pollution, global
warming, extinctions of plant and animal
species,
and all the attendant sociological and political problems) are all studied in
ecology (Celtin, Ertepinar & Omer, 2015). In practice, ecology is composed
of broadly overlapping approaches.
The
main approaches fall into the following classes according to Britannica (2020)
- evolutionary
ecology, which examines the environmental factors that
drive species adaptation;
physiological
ecology, which asks how organisms survive in their environments; behavioural
ecology, which examines the ecological factors
that drive behavioural adaptations; population
ecology, or autecology,
which examines single species. The other approaches of ecology are - community
ecology, or synecology, which considers the ecology of communities,
the set of species found in a particular place; and ecosystem ecology, which
examines large-scale ecological issues. At secondary education, emphasis is
laid on autecology and synecology with little mention of other approaches to
ecology.
Many
ecological concepts are difficult to be understood by students. Such concepts
include synecology, autecology, mutualism and commensalism (Bawa, 2011). The
difficulty in understanding could be due to phonemic interference. Certain
concepts are synonymic to students such as niche, habitat and ecosystem. In
different stance, other researchers have attributed the use of
inappropriate instructional techniques to the difficulty in understanding some
of these concepts (Fatima, 2019). These contribute to the poor achievement of
students in Biology and ecology in particular.
Balogun
(2013) contributing to the discourse, maintained that conventional
instructional method is characterized by emphasis on instructor’s behaviour
rather than students’ behaviour. Adeyemi (2012) earlier stated that Biology is
taught using only lecture method despite the various strategies that research
has shown will compliment lecture method of instruction. Such strategies
include concept mapping, discovery, inquiry base, computer assisted
instruction, cooperative learning, use of Internet, among others. Adeyemi’s
assertion was corroborated by Fatima (2019). Adeyemi further reported that use
of appropriate instructional methods enhance academic achievement. Defective
pedagogical strategies which are not in consonance with the information age
impede knowledge retention and realization of learning objectives. Balogun
(2013) and Adeyemi (2012) seemed to have drawn arguments from Iroegbu and
Babajide (2010) who had documented that Biology is an activity subject. Hence,
Biology teaching must be done in activity form, making use of diverse forms of
instruction. This will make students to be responsible for their own learning
and constructors of their own understanding. The above propositions are in
consonance with the concept of constructivism that posited knowledge
construction among students. Knowledge construction can be done by many
instructional strategies including use of information and communication
resources.
Biology
teachers have no appreciable knowledge of information and communication
technology let alone the diffusion of same in pedagogy (Ndirika, 2012). Little
wonder, the consistent recommendation of experts to curriculum planners to
incorporate teaching models based on information and communication technology
resources alongside content modernisation in science pedagogical researches.
This may help facilitate educational goals, global competitiveness, academic
achievement, retention and interest of students.
The
instructional technique used by teachers and academic achievement of students
have also been linked to low level of interests of students on certain Biology
topics by many researchers (Akinsanya, 2014; Adedamola, 2015). Interest is the condition
in which an individual associates the essence of certain things with his needs.
It involves giving attention to some persons, activities, situations or objects
(Renninger as cited in Nwanne, 2018). Interest is the intrinsic motivation that
propels the senses to be relaxed and allows students to actively participate in
classroom activities with minimal distraction. The Internet could be a possible
avenue to arouse and sustain interest in learning Biology due to its multimedia
advantage over other instructional strategies. Students learn at their place
and pace without being regimented in our egalitarian society. Most students
misjudge conventional instructional technique as superior- subordinate
relationship. Similarly, the poor academic achievement of Biology students
could be as a result of low interest in certain Biology concepts (Akinsanya,
2014; Adedamola, 2015).
The
academic achievement, retention and interest of students in Biology have been
gender stereotyped. Gender refers to the cultural constructs and social
positions which members of the society attach to being male and female. Fatima
(2019) opined that gender
is a psycho-social variable that is used to analyse roles, responsibilities,
opportunities and needs of individuals in the society.
Males and females in view of their biological structures are naturally
different. Men are physically stronger while the females are weaker and this
sometimes creates poor patronage in physically demanding careers by females
(Awofala as cited in Memeh, 2018). Many secondary school female students shy
away from some biological concepts such as reproduction (Ikechukwu, 2020);
whereas, males are more adventurous; hence, could have a better understanding
of ecology (Agbenyeku, 2011). Male students have misconception of nutrition in
humans as preparation for catering services; hence, are often discouraged
before the introduction of the topic (Ikechukwu, 2020). Nonetheless, there are
divergent scholarly propositions on effect of gender on academic achievement,
retention and interest of students in Biology. Odagboyi (2015) and Adukwe
(2018) reported that male students performed better in Biology. Similarly, Fatima
(2019) submitted that male Biology students retained more than the females.
Nnorom (2015) averred that there was no significant difference in the interest
of male and female Biology students.
Since
retention and interest is related to academic achievement in literature, this
study sought to determine the effects of teachers’ use of Internet on
instructional effectiveness as well as its effects on students’ academic
achievement, retention and interest in ecology.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The
importance of information and communication technology resources in pedagogy abounds
in literature. Hence, many Biology teachers now hold innovative pedagogical
belief. Nonetheless, several research reports and personal experiences have
shown that teachers’ Information and Communication Technology classroom
practices are poor. Most of these teachers are ignorant of the fact that Biology
lessons can be taught through the Internet as was evidenced during this Covid-19
pandemic. Similarly, the availability of Biology lessons in the Internet is
alien to so many students.
Many
students perceive Biology as too wide to comprehend and Biology textbooks too
difficult to read. Others see the method of teaching Biology as boring. These contribute
to the fluctuating results of Biology in the May/June West African Senior School
Certificate Examination which revealed 47.39%, 46.87%, 44.93%, 50.52% and
46.48% in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively. Thus, Biology pass rate
remains as low as 47.24% in the last five years. This is of great concern among
Biology educators. This poor achievement has been attributed to many factors
including the pedagogical technique in which most teachers adopt the lecture
method for easy coverage of the syllabus. Teachers neglect the use of ICT
resources which include Internet.
It
is therefore the desire of the researcher to find out how the use of Internet affected
teachers’ instructional effectiveness, students’ achievement, retention and
interest in ecology.
1.3 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
The
main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of teachers’ use of
Internet on instructional effectiveness, students’ achievement, retention and
interest in ecology.
Specifically,
the study sought to:
1. examine
the effects of teachers’ use of Internet on their instructional effectiveness
in the teaching of ecology.
2. determine
the effects of teachers’ use of Internet on SS 11 students’ achievement in
ecology.
3. examine
the effects of teachers’ use of Internet on SS 11 students’ retention in
ecology.
4. examine
the effects of teachers’ use of Internet on SS 11 students’ interest in
ecology.
5. determine
the mean achievement scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology
with Internet.
6. determine
the mean retention scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology with
Internet.
7. determine
the mean interest scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology with
Internet.
8. determine
the interaction effect of instructional strategies and gender on mean
achievement scores of SS 11 students in ecology.
9. determine the interaction effect of
instructional strategies and gender on mean retention scores of SS 11 students
in ecology.
10. determine the interaction effect of
instructional strategies and gender on mean interest scores of SS 11 students
in ecology.
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The
following research questions guided the study:
1. what
are the mean instructional effectiveness scores of teachers before and after
exposure to the use of Internet in the teaching of ecology?
2. what
are the mean achievement scores of SS 11 students taught ecology using Internet
and lecture method?
3. what
are the mean retention scores of SS 11 students taught ecology using Internet
and lecture method?
4. what
are the mean interest scores of SS 11 students taught ecology using Internet
and lecture method?
5. what
are the mean achievement scores of male and female SS 11 students taught
ecology using Internet?
6. what
are the mean retention scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology
using Internet?
7. what
are the mean interest scores of male and female SS 11 students taught ecology
using Internet?
8. what
is the interaction effect of instructional strategies and gender on the mean achievement
scores of SS 11 students in ecology?
9. what
is the interaction effect of instructional strategies and gender on the mean
retention scores of SS 11 students in ecology?
10. what
is the interaction effect of instructional strategies and gender on the mean interest
mean scores of SS 11 students in ecology?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
The
following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at
0.05 level of significance:
H01: There is no significant
difference in the mean instructional effectiveness scores of teachers
before and after exposure to the use of Internet in the teaching of ecology.
H02: There is no significant difference between
the mean achievement scores of SS 11 students when taught ecology using Internet and lecture method.
H03: There is no significant difference between
the mean retention scores of SS 11 students when
taught ecology using Internet and lecture method.
H04: There is no significant difference between
the mean interest scores of SS 11 students when
taught ecology using Internet and lecture method.
H05: There is no significant difference between
the mean achievement scores of male and female
SS 11 students when taught ecology using Internet.
H06: There is no significant difference between
the mean retention scores of male and female
SS 11 students when taught ecology using Internet.
H07: There is no significant difference between
the mean interest scores of male and female
SS 11 students when taught ecology using Internet.
H08: There is no significant interaction effect
of instructional strategies and gender on the mean
achievement scores of SS 11 students in ecology.
H09: There is no significant interaction effect
of instructional strategies and gender on the mean
retention scores of SS 11 students in ecology.
H010: There is no significant interaction effect of
instructional strategies and gender on the mean
interest scores of SS 11 students in ecology.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
This
study has both practical and theoretical significances. Practically, the
findings of this study may be beneficial to teachers, students, principals,
curriculum planners, secondary education management board, government, parents,
researchers and the general public.
The findings of the study may help
the trained teachers to easily access the Internet to enhance planning and
delivery of lessons, and overall job effectiveness. This consequently will lead
to improved academic achievement of the students. The findings of the new
instructional technique experimented in this study will help to lessen the
burden of conventional teaching and give teachers time to attend to other
classroom functions that seemed to be relegated to the background. This is
because Internet
makes lessons easily available and accessible from far and near irrespective of
the distance or location.
Students
may benefit from the findings of this study when they log in to Biology sites
to learn and practice Biology topics and lessons already in the Internet. When
the students become aware of the lessons in the Internet, they are likely to
hold to the advantage. This is because an average student in this information
age can operate computer and navigate the Internet. It may enhance students’ academic
performance in and outside the classroom by offering them a method of learning
outside classroom setting.
Similarly, the
world of work today needs efficient, competent and capable personnel with all
the necessary Internet skills. The findings of this study may go a long way to
imparting knowledge of Internet usage which will improve Biology students’
technological knowledge and skills in readiness for job opportunities requiring
in-depth knowledge in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The findings of this study may
compel the principals to clamour for Internet integration in pedagogy for
teaching and administrative efficiency. The principals as school administrators
will help to provide computers connected to Internet through Parent-Teacher
Association (PTA), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and philanthropists. This
will consequently make it possible for students and teachers to use Internet as
a medium of instruction.
Furthermore, findings from this
study may enhance curriculum planners in faculties of education in universities
and colleges of education to include the use of Internet as one of the teaching
strategies in teaching methodology when planning for pre-service teachers’
curriculum. Also secondary school curriculum planners will be encouraged to
include the use of Internet in teaching Biology as part of curriculum of
secondary schools.
The results of this study may
encourage the Secondary Education Management Board to provide schools with
computers and connect same to the Internet since greater achievement leads to
technological advancement and development of the nation. Rather than supplying
schools with few computers, arrangements could be made to supply enough for
greater participation.
Parents may equally benefit from the
findings of this study since achievement of their children is their major aim
of education, by providing computers for their children to practice the use of
Internet in learning at home. Children could be encouraged to learn more with
the provision of computers as it is interactive.
Similarly,
the findings of the study may be beneficial to the government by proffering
solutions to the ongoing debate on the need of accessing and using Internet as
an alternative or compliment to conventional instruction. It will also help the
government in the planning for rapid diffusion of ICTs and provision of
tangible Internet resources in secondary schools. It may also help the
government have a positive look on distance learning and correspondence
education to erase illiteracy to the teeming Nigerian population.
Furthermore,
it is anticipated that the findings of the study may provide a drive for
further investigation by other researchers in the use of other individualized
instructional strategies in the teaching and learning processes. It may also
serve as valuable literature for intending researchers in the related area.
Researchers in gender education will find the result of the study useful as
they look for ways of making classroom teaching gender friendly and ensuring
gender fairness in classroom interactions in line with Sustainable Development
Goal.
The
findings of the study may significantly provide information to the general
public on the state of the art in terms of the effectiveness of the use of
Internet in pedagogy. More so, the general public may benefit from the
literature of this work as the Internet offers repository of knowledge/information
that can be applied to all fields of human endeavours.
Theoretically,
this study was anchored on technology acceptance model theory by Fred Davis,
connectivity theory by George Siemens, and cognitive theory of multimedia
learning by Richard Mayer. Technology acceptance model theory averred that when
users are presented with a new technology, perceived ease of use and perceived
usefulness influence their decision about how and when they will use it. The
findings of this work will explain the expected behaviour of Biology teachers
in accepting and utilizing the Internet as an instructional strategy. Connectivity
theory proposed that learning resides outside of humans known as interconnected
communication technologies. The findings of this work will bring out the
dynamism of knowledge stored in the database for today’s global
competitiveness. Cognitive theory of multimedia learning posited that
multimedia presentation provides a richer source of stimuli that will make
information processing more effective. The
finding of this work will bring to limelight the high retention accruable due
to dual presentation with words and pictures.
1.7 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The
Biology topic for this study was delimited to ecology. Ecology was selected
because it always appears in the senior secondary school examination question
papers. It has also been identified as one of the difficult topics. The WAEC Biology
chief examiner’s reports 2016, 2018 and 2019 pointed out that students
performed poorly in ecology and have a shallow knowledge of the terminologies. The
following sub-topics in ecology were covered- introduction to ecology, food
chains, cycles in nature, changes in nature, and environmental issues. These
subunits were consistent with both the SS11 Biology curriculum and Internet
information on www.biology.fun.com.
The study was carried
out in South-East, Nigeria. The study was delimited to three states out of the
five states that make up South-East, Nigeria. The area was chosen because there
is limited works of that nature in the area. More so, they have co-educational schools
that have computers that are connected to the Internet. The teachers also hold
innovative pedagogical belief; however, ICT integration is poor. Senior
secondary school 11 students were used for the study. This choice was made
because ecology is in SS 11 curriculum. More so, they are not examination class.
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