EFFECT OF BIOLOGY PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES ON INTEREST OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to assess the impact of biology practical activities on the interest

 among senior secondary school students in Kogi State, Nigeria. The investigation was directed by three research questions and three null hypotheses. An approach of quasi-experimental pretest posttest non quavailent control group design. The research population consisted of 11,391 SS1 students from public secondary schools in Kogi State. The sample of the study included 95 SS1 biology students selected from 4-schools in each senatorial district of Kogi State using a multistage sampling technique. A single instrument employed in the study was the Biology Interest Scale (BIS). An assessment of the reliability of the BIS was conducted using Cronbach Alpha, resulting in a value of 0.88. Data analysis was conducted using Mean and Standard Deviation to examine the research questions Hypotheses testing was performed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a significance level of 0.05. The data indicated a notable disparity in the average interest rating of biology among students when taught via practical activities compared to the lecture approach, with practical activities technique favouring the former. The results also indicated a notable correlation between gender and the average interest ratings in biology among students, with male showing a higher level of interest. Furthermore, there is no statistically significant interaction impact between teaching approaches and gender on the average interest scores of students in Biology. To augment student engagement and enthusiasm in biology, it is advised to promote the use of practical activities in biology courses delivered in senior secondary schools.