Effects of Simulation, Problem-Solving, and Lecture Instructional Methods on Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of simulation, problem-solving, and lecture instructional methods on students’ achievement in Biology in Delta State, as well as the interaction effect of these methods with sex. The study was prompted by the continued low achievement in Biology and the need to determine more effective instructional strategies. A quasi-experimental approach, employing a pretest–posttest planned variation design, was utilized. The target population consisted of 29,068 Senior Secondary II Biology students, from which 295 participants were randomly drawn across six co-educational schools. These schools were distributed into three groups corresponding to the instructional methods: simulation, problem-solving, and lecture. Data were gathered using the Biology Achievement Test (BAT), a 50-item multiple-choice instrument adapted from previous WASSCE examinations. The instrument was subjected to expert validation, and its reliability was determined using the Kuder-Richardson (KR-21) method, producing a coefficient of 0.85. The intervention spanned six weeks, during which students received instruction based on their assigned method. Data analysis was conducted using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated a statistically significant difference in mean achievement scores among the groups, with students taught through the problem-solving approach achieving the highest scores, followed by those in the simulation group, while the lecture method resulted in the lowest performance. Furthermore, no significant interaction effect was observed between instructional methods and sex on students’ achievement. The study concluded that both problem-solving and simulation strategies are more effective than the lecture method in enhancing students’ performance in Biology and are equally beneficial for male and female students. Consequently, it is recommended that Biology teachers incorporate problem-solving and simulation-based approaches to improve students’ academic outcomes.