EFFECT OF HANDS-ON LEARNING STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE IN THINKING INVOLVED ON ECOLOGY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL ZARIA EDUCATION ZONE, NIGERIA.
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Date
2020-02-26
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Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
Abstract
This study investigated the Effects of Hands-on Learning Strategy on Performance and Critical
Thinking in Ecology among Senior Secondary School Students in Zaria Education Zone, Nigeria.
Quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design was used for the study. The population of the
study comprised 4138 biology students of SS II in sixteen public secondary schools in Zaria
Education Zone. Simple balloting was used to select four schools that were pilot tested. Two
schools whose students do not differ significantly were later selected. The sample comprised 263
out of which 198 were males and 65 were females. The experimental group was exposed to
Hands-on learning strategy while the control group was taught using conventional (Lecture)
method. Two instruments; Ecology Concept Performance Test (ECPT) with reliability coefficient
of r = 0.72 and Ecology Concept Critical Thinking Questionnaire (ECCTQ) which yielded r =
0.85, were used to collect data for the study. Four research questions with their corresponding null
hypotheses were raised and tested at p≤0.05 level of significance. The data collected were
analyzed using T-test and Mann Whitney. Major findings from the study were: Biology students
taught using Hands-on learning strategy performed significantly better in performance test than
those taught using lecture method. Hands-on learning strategy (HLS) was gender friendly to
academic performance and critical thinking. Based on the findings, it was recommended that
Hands-on learning strategy be used by biology teachers in the teaching and learning of biology to
improve students’ academic performance and should also be incorporated together with other
methods of teaching for better result.