EFFECT OF SIMULATION APPLICATION TECHNIQUE ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN GENETICS IN ANAMBRA STATE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23059229Keywords:
Simulation Application, Technique, Academic Achievement, Genetics, Biology Education, Secondary Schools, StudentsAbstract
The persistent poor academic achievement of secondary school students in Genetics remains a concern among Biology educators in Nigeria, suggesting the need for innovative instructional strategies. This study investigated the effect of Simulation Application Technique (SAT) on senior secondary school students' academic achievement in Genetics in Anambra State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental research design employing a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The study involved 220 Senior Secondary II Biology students drawn from public secondary schools, comprising 120 students in the experimental group and 100 students in the control group. Data were collected using the Genetics Achievement Test (GAT), which was validated by experts in Biology Education and Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability of the instrument was established using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) and yielded index value of 0.78 . Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students taught Genetics using Simulation Application Technique achieved significantly higher than those taught using the conventional lecture method. Gender had no significant influence on students' academic achievement, and no significant interaction effect existed between instructional strategy and gender. The study concluded that Simulation Application Technique is an effective learner-centred instructional strategy for improving students' academic achievement in Genetics. The study recommended that Biology teachers should integrate simulation applications into Genetics instruction to improve students' learning outcomes.
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