CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING STRATEGY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to examine the effect of constructivist learning strategy on academic performance of secondary school students in Biology in Essien Udim Local Government Area. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all (1286) SS2 students in 14 public schools in the area. The sample size was made up of 120 students from 4 selected schools. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for data collection was Biology Achievement Test (BAT) Data generated were analyzed by the use of

independent t-test statistics. The findings revealed that constructivist learning strategy enhances the academic performance of students in Biology than expository learning strategy. Therefore, it was recommended that Biology teachers should expose students to constructivist learning strategy in order to promote effective learning of the subject.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT                                                                        PAGES

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the Study -       -       -       -       -       1

1.2   Statement of the Problem -       -       -       -       -       6

1.3   Purpose of the Study       -       -       -       -       -       7

1.4   Significance of the Study -       -       -       -       -       8

1.5   Research Hypotheses       -       -       -       -       -       9

1.6   Delimitations of the Study       -       -       -       -        9

1.7   Limitation of the Study    -       -       -       -       -       10

1.8   Definition of Terms  -       -       -       -       -       -       10

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1   Concept of Instructional Strategies  -       -       -     -  12

       

2.2   Constructivist Learning Strategies and

        Students Academic Performance     -       -       -      - 16

       

2.3   Inquiry-based Learning and

        Academic Performance of Students -       -       -      - 20

2.4   Inquiry-based Learning and Academic

Performance of students Based on Gender      -    ---- 24

2.5   Summary of Literature Review -       -       -       -      - 28

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1   Research Design      -       -       -       -       -       -       30

3.2   Area of the Study     -       -       -       -       -       -       30

3.3   Population of the Study   -       -       -       -       -      - 32

3.4   Sample and Sampling Technique    -       -       -      --- 32

3.5   Instrument for Data Collection        -       -       -       -  32

3.6   Validation of the Instrument    -       -       -       -      -- 33

3.7   Method of Administration of Instrument  -       -      ---- 33

3.8   Scoring of the Instrument        -       -       -       -       -  34

3.9   Method of Data Analysis  -       -       -       -       -       ---35

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 

4.1   Data presentation -                -       -       -       -      36

4.2   Discussion of Findings    -       -       -       -       -       - - 38

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

5.1   Summary -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -41

5.2   Recommendations   -       -       -       -       -       -      -- 42

5.3   Conclusion      -       -       -       -       -       -       -       43

Reference        -       -       -       -       -       -       -       44

Appendix -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       48

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study:

Effective teaching requires flexibility, creativity, and responsibility in order to provide an instructional environment able to respond to the learner’s individual needs. As Tomlinson (2001) puts it, beyond the experiential evidence that pervasive uniformity in teaching fails many learners, there is the reason in both theory and research to support a movement towards an instruction attentive to students’ variance manifested in at least three areas: the student’s readiness, interest, and learning profile. This makes teachers to always be ready to adopt and adapt teaching and instructional strategies to help students learn more. Several learning theories have been propounded tested among different sets of students in different subject areas. Such theories include the Behaviourist theory, the Cognitivist theory, and the Constructivist theory.

.The constructivist theory has aroused the interest of experts in the field of science and social science teaching in terms of designing a curriculum which enables the students to learn through activities and construction of meaning and knowledge. Constructivism is a learning theory which states that people learn best when they actively construct their knowledge (Kulshreshtha, 2009). In this strategy, learners are seen as the makers of meaning and knowledge.

A constructivist teacher and classroom are distinguished from traditional teacher and classroom by a number of identifiable qualities; the teacher is actively involved, the environment is democratic, the activities are interactive and student-centered; and the teacher facilitates a process of learning in which students are encouraged to be responsible and autonomous(Gray, 2005).

This is supported by the study by Adagboji Sambo Musa and Onche (2014), who contend that knowledge is not just handed down to learners from the teacher, but it should be actively constructed by the learner: Many educators instructional technologist, educational psychologist and curricularist in literature agree with the assertion by regarding constructivism as important determinant from which effective teaching and learning can be implemented.

Most educationist advocate for student-centered instruction which has some connection with constructivism theory of learning, with great emphasis on the maximization of student activity and practice and minimization of teacher domination in the teaching-learning transaction.

The constructivist view of learning is based on the premise that learners construct their own personal knowledge and meaning out of given education experience. Knowledge construction can be made possible by solving the authentic problem, which usually requires collaboration with others. (Jonassen, 1999). In addition to the real world or authentic problems and collaboration, another essential element of the constructivist approach is the learner’s prior knowledge.

Based on the above assertion, Kulshrestha  (2009) is of the opinion that learners will not be able to solve any given problem unless they have relevant prior knowledge and skills. They include case-based learning, discovery learning, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning and project-based learning among others (Kulshreshtha, 2009). It was suggested, therefore, that proper implementation of constructivist strategies will enhance the academic performance of students.

However, while some indication shows authentic constructivist pedagogies remains relatively uncommon in classrooms, many studies support the potential efficacy of constructivist approaches.

Abbott and fonts (2003) for example found is significant correlation between constructivist teaching and high students achievement research on guided discovery learning demonstrates that students engaging in guided discovery learning activities outperform in pure discovery curricular (Shanfer and Muers, 1997) and Mayer (2004) observed that constructivist approaches have great penitential but requires authentic implementation in order to achieve that potential.

It is against this background that the research study seeks to examine the effect of constructivist learning strategies on the academic performance of secondary school students in biology in Essien Udim Local Government Area.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

In recent years, student poor academic performance in biology internal and external examination in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area has been said to be the result of ineffective teaching method adopted by teachers in teaching the students. While many theories and principal of effective teaching might have been applied,

The constructivist approach can be seen as a more effective learning strategy (Ngussa and Lazarus, 2014)

        However, little is known about practical applicability of constructivist strategy and teaching-learning of biology in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.

Therefore, it’s needful to investigate the effects of constructivist learning strategy on academic performance of secondary school students in biology in Essien Udim Local Government Area.              

1.3   Purpose of the Study:  

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of           constructivist learning strategy on academic performance of secondary school students in biology in         Essien Udim Local Government Area

Specifically, the study aimed at the following

(I)     To investigate the influence of inquiry-based learning on the academic performance of students in biology.

(II)    To determine the effect of inquiry-based learning on the academic performance of male and female student in biology.

1.4   Significance of the Study:

The findings of the study will be significant to educational planners, administrators, teachers and science student as follows.

(i)     This study will aid science education planners to restructure the curriculum in a way that would promote students effective leaning.

(ii)    The findings of this study will enable educational administrators to ensure that science (biology) students are properly taught using adequate strategy.

(iii)   The result of this study will help biology teachers and students to appreciate the effectiveness or otherwise of constructivist learning strategy in the teaching of the subject.

(iv)   This study would also be useful to future researchers that may investigate related variables

1.5   Research Hypotheses:   

        The following research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study.

(i) There is no significant difference in academic performance between student exposed to inquiry-based and those exposed to direct instruction in biology.

(ii)    There is no significant difference in academic performance in biology between male and female students exposed to inquiry-learning.

1.6   Delimitation of the Study:

The study is delimited ascertain the effect of constructivist learning strategies on the academic performance of students in biology. It is also delimited to inquiry-based learning and inquiry-based on gender; it is delimited to Essien Udim Local Government Area.

1.7   Limitation of the Study:

        The limitation of this study is as follows:

        (i)     This study would not cover the entire secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area due to time factors and financial problem.

        (ii)    insufficient reference material on the topic of the study also posed a problem to the researcher.

1.8   Definition of Terms:

Constructivist learning strategy: this is referred to as the teaching and learning approach to which is based on the belief that students learn better when they are actively involved in the process of meaning and knowledge construction as opposed to passively receiving information.

        ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: this can be defined as the measure of student’s academic achievement in biology.

        BIOLOGY: this is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organism including their structure, function, growth, evolution distribution