EFFECTS OF SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS’ USE OF DEMO KIT ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY IN OMU-ARAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of senior school students’ use of demonstration kits (demo kits) on their achievement in biology in Omu-Aran, Nigeria. The study also examined the effects of the use of demo kits on the achievement of students in biology based on their gender and scoring levels. This study is a quasi-experimental research. Therefore, the pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent and non-randomized control group involving a 2x2x3 factorial matrix was adopted. One hundred and seventy-three senior school three (SS III) biology students from four purposively selected senior schools in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria participated in the study. Two research instruments, Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and demo kit were used. The BAT was subjected to item analysis and was also validated by three educational experts from the Department of Science Education, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. The reliability of the BAT was determined using test re-test method and Cronbach alpha was used to analyze the data in which a reliability index of 0.76 was obtained. Descriptive statistics, standard deviation and mean gain scores were used to answer the three research questions raised while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the corresponding null hypotheses formulated in this study at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the achievement of students who learned biology using demo kit and those who learned it without using demo kit since F_{(1, 170)}= 112.48, p = .000; there was however no significant difference in the achievement of male and female students because F_{(1, 94)}= 2.134, p = .147, which was not significant since p>0.05; also the high scorers benefited most with a mean score of 35.00, followed by the medium scorers (22.25) while the low scorers had a gained score of 16.14. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that biology teachers should expose their students to the use of demo kits in order to enhance meaningful learning and retention of information by the students. Male and female students should also be given equal consideration when using demo kit in a typical biology classroom. The medium and low scoring students should be given more time, attention and encouragement to always engage in constant practice when using any type of instructional or learning strategy including the use of demo kits in teaching and learning of biology or any other subject.