Effects of three different teaching strategies on academic achievement of senior secondary school biology students in Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of Science, Technology and Society (STS), Constructivist Teaching Strategies (CTS), and Lecture Teaching Method (LTM) by gender on academic achievement of ecology concepts among Biology students in Gombe State. The sample consisted of 314 SS2 biology students selected from three secondary schools. Ecology Achievement Test (EAT) was used as instrument for data collection. Reliability coefficient of 0.65 was obtained. Three null hypotheses were used for this study. Data collected were analyzed using statistical mean, ANCOVA, and Scheffe post-hoc test. STS and CTS had significant improvements on students'  academic achievement. Gender had no significant effect on students' academic  achievement. It is recommended that workshops and seminars be organized by Ministries of Education for biology teachers on how to make use of STS and CTS strategies when teaching ecology.

Keywords: Academic achievement; Constructivist teaching method; Lecture teaching method; Retention in biology; Science, technology and society