Thesis Abstract

<p> The study investigated the effect of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’<br>achievement, interest and conceptual change in practical biology at senior secondary school<br>level. A totalof Four hundred and sixty (460) SSI biology students were involved in the study.<br>This number was made up of 260 males and 200 females from Four (4) secondary schools in<br>Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State. A quasi-experimental research design (a nonrandomized<br>pretest-posttest control group) was used for the study. Cronbach Alpha was used to<br>establish the reliability of the Biology Students’ Conceptual Change Test (BSCCT), Biology<br>Achievement Test on Nutrition (BATON), and Biology Interest Scale (BIS). The reliability<br>coefficients of BSCCT, BATON, and BIS were 0.85, 0.84, and 0.83 respectively. Mean and<br>standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions. Hypotheses were tested using<br>Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). From the findings, it was observed that guided discovery<br>method was most effective in facilitating students’ conceptual change, achievement and interest<br>to practical biology. The result of the study provided the empirical evidence that interest is<br>dependent on teaching methods. It was revealed also that conceptual change and achievement<br>was a function of teaching methods. Students mean scores and their conceptual change due to<br>teaching methods were significant. The study equally revealed that students naïve conceptions<br>resistant and robust to change among others. Finally, the researcher recommended among<br>others that guided discovery method and demonstration methods should be adopted by science<br>teachers, science educators, authors and publishers of science textbooks. <br></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p>TITLE PAGE i<br>APPROVAL PAGE ii<br>CERTIFICATION iii<br>DEDICATION iv<br>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v<br>TABLE OF CONTENTS vii<br>LIST OF TABLES xi<br>LIST OF FIGURES xii<br>ABSTRACT xiii<br>CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1<br>Background of the Study 1<br>Statement of the Problem 8<br>Purpose of the Study 9<br>Significance of the Study 9<br>Scope of the Study 11<br>Research Questions 11<br>Hypotheses 12<br>CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 13<br>Conceptual Framework 14<br>Biology Education in Nigeria 14<br>Achievement 16<br>Interest 17<br>Conceptual Change 18<br>Method of Instruction (guided discovery and demonstration) 21<br>Gender 26<br>viii<br>Theoretical Framework<br>Piaget’s theory of cognitive development 27<br>Jerome Bruner Cognitive Learning Theory 27<br>Limon’s theory of strategy of cognitive conflict for conceptual change 28<br>Related Empirical Studies 29<br>Instructional Methods and Students’ Achievement 29<br>Instructional Methods and Conceptual Change 30<br>Students’ Interest and Achievement 33<br>Gender and Students’ Conceptual Change 35<br>Interaction Effect of Gender and Instructional Methods 38<br>Summary of Literature Review 38<br>CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD 41<br>Design of the Study 41<br>Area of the Study 42<br>Population of the Study 42<br>Sample and Sampling Techniques 42<br>Instrument for Data Collection 43<br>Validation of the Research Instrument 44<br>Reliability of the Instrument 44<br>Experimental Procedure 45<br>Control of Extraneous Variable 45<br>Method of Data Analysis 46<br>CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF DATA AND PRESENTATION OF RESULT 47<br>Research Question 1 47<br>Research Question 2 48<br>Research Question 3 49<br>Research Question 4 50<br>ix<br>Research Question 5 51<br>Research Question 6 52<br>Research Question 7 53<br>Research Question 8 54<br>Research Question 9 55<br>Hypothesis 1 56<br>Hypothesis 2 57<br>Hypothesis 3 58<br>Hypothesis 4 59<br>Hypothesis 5 59<br>Hypothesis 6 60<br>Hypothesis 7 60<br>Hypothesis 8 61<br>Hypothesis 9 61<br>Summary of the Findings 62<br>CHAPTER FIVE:DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONAND SUMMARY 64<br>Effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ 64<br>achievement in practical biology.<br>Effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ 65<br>interest in practical biology.<br>Effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ 66<br>conceptual change in practical biology.<br>Influence of gender on students’ achievement in practical biology. 67<br>Influence of gender on students’ interest in practical biology 68<br>Influence of gender on students’ conceptual change in practical biology 68<br>Interaction effect of gender and instructional treatment on students’ 69<br>achievement in practical biology.<br>Interaction effect of gender and instructional treatment on students’ 69<br>interest in practical biology<br>x<br>Interaction effect of gender and instructional treatment on students’ 70<br>conceptual change in practical biology<br>Conclusion 71<br>Educational Implications of the Study 71<br>Recommendations 72<br>Limitations of the Study 73<br>Suggestions for Further Study 74<br>Summary of the Study 75<br>REFERENCES 76<br>APPENDICES 84<br>A: Request for validation of research instrument 84<br>B: Table of specification for biology achievement test<br>on nutrition (BATON)<br>85<br>C: Biology Achievement Test on Nutrition (BATON) 86<br>D: Marking Scheme/ Guide for Achievement Test 92<br>E: Biology interest scale (BIS) 94<br>F: Table of specification and Biology Students Conceptual<br>Change Test (BSCCT)<br>96<br>G: Biology Students’ Conceptual Change Test (BSCCT) 97<br>H: Scoring Guide for conceptual Change Test 101<br>I: Reliability of Instrument 102<br>J: Lesson note using guided discovery 103<br>K: Lesson note using demonstration method 116<br>L: Population distribution for the Study 127<br>M: Analyzed Result 130</p><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE</strong></p><p>INTRODUCTION<br>Background of the Study<br>Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms,<br>including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution and taxonomy. It is a<br>subject that inevitably permeates through all other science subjects and explains the<br>fundamentals of every living organism. With the knowledge of biology, the students are in a<br>position to understand the structure and functions of different parts of the body, the environment<br>in which they live and how best to conduct themselves (Ramalingam, 2003). Biology provides a<br>platform for teaching students everyday science-related problems.<br>Biology is a science subject offered in all senior secondary schools which attracts the<br>greatest number of both science-oriented and art-based students. It is a common practice that<br>most students choose biology either as one of the science subject they offer or as the only science<br>subject. Most of these students choose biology not because they have interest in biology but<br>because they see it as the easiest science subject when compared with chemistry or physics. For<br>this reason, they achieve poorly in biology examinations. In spite of the importance and<br>usefulness attached to biology, students have reportedly achieved poorly in public examinations<br>in biology. For instance, in Nigeria, in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 the percentage pass<br>with credit and above in biology were 23.0%, 31.0%, 24.94% and 38.98% respectively (WAEC,<br>2008-2011).<br>Also, the chief examiner’s reports (2008 – 2011) from West African Examination<br>Council (WAEC) show that students’ achievement in Senior School Certificate Examination<br>(SSCE) May/June in Biology has not been encouraging. Iloputaife (2001), reported that<br>achievement of students in Biology is as a result of poor and ineffective instructional skills and<br>Methodologies by Biology teachers. Monday (2013) noted that biology classes in the state<br>secondary schools are overcrowded, most times one finds a single teacher in a class with about<br>1<br>2<br>eighty (80) students which lead to use of ineffective teaching methods. In view of these, teaching<br>of biology requires that biology teachers at the senior secondary school level to have a sound<br>knowledge of the appropriate method of teaching biology as this will improve students’<br>achievement<br>According to Mbajiorgu (2003), achievement means a successful performance or<br>outcome in learning science using students efforts and the use of innovative strategies as opposed<br>to traditional conventional strategies, which does not take into consideration some<br>cultures/environment that are indirect conflict with science culture. The effect of students mass<br>failure in biology examinations is worrisome and poses a great question to what is happening at<br>the classroom level in the senior secondary schools in Nigeria today (Okpala, 2009). This<br>culminates to provoking questions such as: are there enough learning facilities Even the findings<br>of Nwagbo (2001) revealed that some science teachers find it difficult to teach some instructional<br>content due to their personal incompetence.<br>Nwagbo (2008:41) maintained that:<br>Biology as a science subject is a practical course. Being concerned with the study<br>of life, the entire environment which life exists, can serve as its laboratory while<br>the entire living organisms (biotic) and the non-living (abiotic) components of the<br>environment serve as its resources. The use of practical activities (approach) to<br>the teaching of biological concepts should therefore be a rule rather than an option<br>to biology teachers, if we hope to produce students that would be able to acquire<br>the necessary knowledge, skills and competence needed to meet the scientific and<br>technological demands of the nation.<br>According to Ali (2008), practical activities can be defined as the various technical work<br>components, systematically carried out with ultimate intention of creating a product or<br>explaining scientific phenomena. Example are: carrying out operations such as sorting of<br>specimens, dissection of specimen and observation of growth rate, food testing and<br>experimenting with opportunities for students to actually do science as opposed to learning about<br>sciences. Practical activities therefore, are back bone of biology teaching and learning.<br>Nzewi (2008) asserted that practical activities can be regarded as a strategy that could be<br>adopted to make the task of a teacher more real to the students as opposed to abstract or<br>3<br>theoretical presentation of facts, principles and concepts of subject matter. Nzewi (2008),<br>maintained that practical activities should engage the students in hands-on activities, using<br>varieties of instructional materials/equipment to drive the lesson home. These activities in<br>biology at the secondary school level have been incorporated into the senior secondary school<br>certificate examination syllabus (SSCE, 2002: 16), which stipulated the goals of biology<br>practical, as follows:<br>· promote the power of observations;<br>· promote the ability to represent observation by illustration;<br>· develop the ability to relate form to function;<br>· develop the ability to recognize general characteristic of animals and plants;<br>· develop ability to perform simple experiment and draw conclusion from result obtained;<br>and interpret data, which illustrate certain known biological principles.<br>These goals can only be achieved through effective usage of the laboratory. In the<br>laboratory, the learners acquire more in science learning when given the chance to perform<br>certain tasks that will include manipulating apparatus, classifying data, designing experiments,<br>hypothesis formation to verifying and drawing conclusions.<br>Many teachers regard practical biology as very important for various reasons which<br>include concept learning, motivation and development of skills and appropriate scientific<br>attitudes as mentioned earlier. This is in line with the objectives of science education. Most of<br>the objectives have not been achieved because of students’ aversion for biology laboratory. The<br>aversion could have been emanated from the phobia of blood during dissection of specimen like<br>rat, frog, heart and lungs of sheep or goat etc, and lack of acquisition of manipulative skills<br>which are needed to manipulate apparatus like microscope especially while observing microorganisms<br>under slides in cultured environment.<br>It is argued that laboratory experiences are a worthwhile aspect of science education<br>where drilling and practicing is applied to train students to be more scientifically inclined to pass<br>their practical examination (Morgil, Gungor &amp; Secken, 2009). Meanwhile, the laboratory has<br>value for nurturing positive students’ attitudes and providing avenue to develop and demonstrate<br>their practical skills in practical biology work. Ali (1996), noted that there is no best method but<br>4<br>that effective science teaching should be laboratory centred, activity oriented rather than text or<br>lecture centred which characterize the Nigerian schools. Various instructional methods, such as<br>guided discovery and demonstration methods which make the task of the teacher more real to the<br>students and engage the students in hands on activities could be successful in attaining numerous<br>vital educational goals, since learning takes place when the learner is actively involved during<br>teaching and learning interaction.<br>Guided discovery method is a teaching method in which the principal content of what is<br>to be learned is not given but must be discovered by the learners. It has been observed that<br>science teachers play important role in the implementation of guided discovery method, which<br>faces many difficulties especially during implementation process. Cheung (2007), listed some of<br>these obstacles often experienced during the implementation of guided discovery method in a<br>study with biology teachers. They are: crowded class, insufficient time, scarcity of effective<br>research materials, teacher’s beliefs, pedagogical problems, management problems, security<br>issues, scarcity of teaching materials, fear of assessment, fear of encouraging students to<br>misunderstanding, students’ complaints etc.<br>Moreover, Cheung (2007) is of the opinion that guided discovery method is an approach<br>to inquiry. On the other hand the teacher provides illustrative materials for students to study on<br>their own. Leading questions are then asked by the teacher to enable students think and provide<br>conclusions through the adoption of the processes of sciences.<br>It is the intention of the researcher that activity based science will allow learners to<br>explore the environment and discover nature. It should be borne in our mind that as the teacher<br>takes on guided discovery method; learners will be expected to carry out some mental processes<br>such as observing, classifying, measuring, predicting, inferring and hypothesizing. It is on this<br>premise that a lot of inquiry predominates in the laboratory with the teacher acting as an<br>organizer, a facilitator and motivator, moving from one point to another to guide the learning of<br>students and aid them to obviate difficulties as observed by Etuk (2004). In the light of this, the<br>5<br>teacher plays the role of a resource person who guides the learners to sources of information. The<br>most important feature of this method is to enable both teachers and learners to be researchers,<br>idea propagators and problem solvers. Furthermore, it has some positive influence on students’<br>academic achievement by making such students proactive, developing their understanding,<br>improving their research skills and understanding of the nature of the science (Wallace and<br>Kang, 2004, Blonder, Naaman &amp; Hofstein, 2008).<br>Demonstration as a teaching method is an instructional method that has its link between<br>explanation and the practice where the teacher demonstrates an experimental activity in a<br>functional biology laboratory while learners watch (Blair, Schwartz, Biswas &amp; Lealawong,<br>2007). The teacher demonstrates a procedure with clarifications where necessary and then<br>learners observe. Demonstration methods unfold to the students their misconceptions when<br>appropriately employed and brings about conceptual change. This is in line with the findings of<br>Ryan, Reid and Epstein (2006).<br>Westbrook and Roger (1992) defined conceptual change as a process of using<br>instructional strategies to bring children’s thinking into line with that of scientists. Conceptual<br>change has been viewed from the social context. Tobin (1992) states that conceptual change is<br>learning which is a social process of making sense of experience in terms of extant knowledge<br>since learning occurs in a social milieu, all learning is inherently social. By extension, conceptual<br>change is primarily a way of thinking about learning, since learning occurs in a social milieu, all<br>learning is inherently social. By extension, conceptual change is primarily a way of thinking<br>about learning, i.e. it is something that a learner does as an intentional act, rather than something<br>done by a teacher (Hewson, 1992). So in summary, conceptual change is a change or<br>modification or rejection of one’s conceptual beliefs when presented with anomalous situation.<br>There are three things that changes under conceptual change. They are beliefs, concepts and<br>knowledge. Conceptual change is a process of replacing misconceptions with correct concepts.<br>This means helping learners to transform their mental models (internal representations of objects,<br>6<br>events and processes learners construct in order to predict and explain phenomena) into the<br>consensus models (the expressed representations used by the scientific community for the same<br>purpose). The change from naïve mental models to consensus models is infrequently<br>straightforward, and many times it goes through intermediate stages which combine parts of both<br>models a hybrid model (Noh &amp; Scharmann, 2005).<br>Fisher (2004) and Taber (2001) stated a fundamental dissimilarity between alternative<br>models and consensus models as in the range of their validity while alternative models are<br>usually only consistent with the limited experience of the learner, the consensus models are<br>based on the collectively accumulated experience of generations of scientists. The efficiency of<br>consensus models emerges from the consistent ability to predict and explain a vast range of<br>phenomena using a small set of assumptions and rules. Any effort to tackle the problem of<br>misconception in order to bring about conceptual change in practical biology will prove abortive<br>if the students’ interest in not taken into consideration.<br>Interest has been defined by different authors in different ways. Obodo (2002) described<br>interest as the attraction which forces or compels a child to respond to a particular stimulus if it is<br>attractive, arousing or stimulating. This is to say he or she bound to pay attention as a lesson<br>goes on if he is interested in that particular lesson. This shows that interest comes as a result of<br>eagerness or curiosity to learn. Taylor (1999) opined that interest enables individual to make a<br>variety of choices with respect to the activities in which he engages. This means if a student has<br>positive interest toward a particular subject, he or she will not only enjoy studying it but will also<br>derive satisfaction from the knowledge of the subject. From the above definition, interest in<br>biology refers to individual reactions, feeling and impression about biology and other science<br>subjects. It has been observed generally that both teachers and students will work diligently and<br>most effectively at task in which they are genuinely interested. To create and sustain interest<br>becomes therefore one of the most important task of a biology teacher at all levels of education.<br>7<br>Academic success or failure is closely tied to interest. Interest is an important variable in<br>learning because when one becomes interested in an activity, one is likely to be more deeply<br>involved in that activity. Interest is a subjective feeling of intentness or curiosity over something<br>(Habor-Peters, 2001). It is the preference for particular type of activity that is, the tendencies to<br>look out for and participate in certain activities. Students seem to learn more efficiently those<br>things that are of interest to them. However, research studies attributed poor achievement of<br>students in examination most to students’ poor study habit and the teaching approach adopted by<br>biology teachers in presenting instruction. A report by Ezeudu (2000), suggested a reorientation<br>in the teaching and learning of chemistry for better results. Ezeudu (2000) emphasized the need<br>to seek out for innovation in teaching the subject.<br>These innovative teaching methods could bring about better achievements among the<br>students. Furthermore, the issue of parity and disparity in achievements of male and female<br>students in biology and science related subjects have formed an important focus of research<br>because the society believes that there are certain subjects that are meant for the male folk while<br>there are some subjects that are meant for their female counterparts as this affects their<br>achievements in such subjects. Gender issue in Nigeria has become an issue of concern, since<br>some years back. As schools and educational institutions are more structured, gender difference<br>takes up new and more focus of researchers. Gender relates to the difference in sex (that is either<br>male or female) and how these qualities affect their dispositions and perception toward life and<br>academic activities (Nzewi, 2008). This has shown that gender disparity is still very prevalent in<br>Nigeria and perhaps the whole African countries. This is in line with the findings of Jimoh<br>(2004) that male students performed better than female students in cognitive, affective and<br>psychomotor skills achievements. This shows that there is a strong association between gender<br>and response in science education.<br>Njelita (2008) found that there was a significant difference in gender achievement<br>between experimental and control groups, but girls had a significant mean score than boys.<br>8<br>Chang and Tsai (2010) investigated the effect of classroom goal structures on children’s goal<br>orientation, mathematics achievement and intrinsic motivation. The investigation also assessed<br>gender effects and the interaction between goal, structure and gender. In learning situations, with<br>these variables related to mathematics learning, the result shows no significant gender effects on<br>the variables of goal orientation, mathematics achievement, intrinsic motivation and beliefs<br>about failure. The works of Uhumuaybi and Mamudu (2010), are in support of male students<br>achieving significantly better when compared to female students in sciences. Maduka (2011)<br>asserts that the difference in gender as it affects students’ academic achievement is inconclusive.<br>On this premise, it is important to consider gender as a moderating variable and also its<br>interaction effects with the key instructional methods under study.<br>Statement of the Problem<br>Over the years, there has been a decline in achievement in biology school certificate<br>examination (Evidence available from research and West African Examination Council’s Chief<br>Examiners annual report 2014). This could be attributed to poor achievement in practical biology<br>school certificate examination. This poor achievement in practical may be linked to biology<br>activities carried out in the mundane, unimaginative manner (Morgan, 2014). The practical<br>biology lesson in a typical Nigerian classroom is dominated with lecture style of talk and chalk<br>method that has not changed for decades. This teaching method has lead to abstractness which<br>makes the students less active and engages them in rote memorization.<br>Practical experience in any science subject is crucial for the real understanding of<br>principles and application of knowledge ingrained in that subject for cognitive growth and<br>technological orientation and advancement. Due to several constraining factors ranging from<br>facilities to teachers and learners characteristics and effort the required practical experiences are<br>not usually possible in most schools, (Ango and Sila, 2013).<br>Guided discovery and demonstration methods are precursor to learning by students as<br>these methods make them participate actively in the act of learning activities. This could have a<br>9<br>major impact on how well students achieve the goals of instructions. The search for ways and<br>means of identifying empirically the role of learners’ centered learning approach as a tool for<br>enhancing biology achievement is a continuing research effort. Considering the need to improve<br>biology achievement level and prepare the students for a diverse global work place, it was<br>becomes necessary to investigate the effects of guided discovery and demonstration methods on<br>students achievement, interest and conceptual change in practical biology.<br>Purpose of the Study<br>The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of guided discovery and<br>demonstration method on students’ achievements, interest and conceptual change in practical<br>biology. The researcher specifically sought to ascertain, the:<br>1. effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ mean achievement<br>scores in practical biology.<br>2. effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ mean interest scores<br>in practical biology.<br>3. effects of guided discovery and demonstration method on students’ mean conceptual<br>change scores in practical biology.<br>4. influence of gender on mean achievement scores of male and female students in practical<br>biology.<br>5. influence of gender on mean interest scores of male and female students’ in practical<br>biology.<br>6. influence of gender on mean conceptual change score of male and female students’ in<br>practical biology.<br>Significance of the Study<br>Theoretically, the Piaget’s theory of cognitive development explains that when a child<br>recognizes cognitive conflict (disequilibrium), this recognition motivates the child to attempt to<br>resolve the conflict. Piaget called the process of resolving conflict “equilibration”. According to<br>10<br>Piaget, equilibration refers to the process of self-regulation that maintains a balance between<br>“assimilation and accommodation.” The findings of this study will help strengthen the basic<br>tenets and implications of this theory by exposing students’ misconceptions in practical biology<br>and showing how these misconceptions are repaired (conceptual change) following guided<br>discovery and demonstration methods.<br>The findings of this study will be of immense benefit to the following groups: biology<br>teachers, students, curriculum planners.<br>The findings of this study could be useful for many biology teachers who did not know<br>the efficacy of the learner centered instructional approach to become aware of students<br>ownership of ideas thereby providing the teachers with alternative method of teaching practical<br>biology concepts to foster the interest and achievement of students.<br>For the secondary school students, findings will review the activity oriented nature of<br>guided discovery and demonstration methods which takes every ability group along during the<br>course of instruction thereby helping every student to actively involve in teaching and learning<br>process which in turn will enhance students’ achievement, generate interest and brings about<br>conceptual change. It is by identifying pre-conceptions before coming to the classroom. It is by<br>identifying these preconceptions that appropriate plans/models would be used to bring about<br>conceptual change.<br>Curriculum developers would find the finding of the study as a relevant tool for<br>curriculum reform and improvement, the trust of this will be in the area of choice of curriculum<br>content materials, review of science textbook and perhaps teaching strategies that will be in line<br>with practical objectives.<br>11<br>Scope of the Study<br>This study was conducted using Senior Secondary School One (SS1) students in<br>Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State. The use of (SS1) students is necessitated by the content<br>scope of the study. This content is found in SSI biology curriculum. The study was restricted to<br>animal nutrition. In terms of content coverage, the researcher selected from a unit in biology<br>curriculum of Federal Minsitry of Education (FME, 2013). The content scope includes the<br>following topics:<br>1. Classes of food<br>2. Balanced diet and deficiency diseases<br>3. Food test<br>4. Digestive enzymes<br>Research Questions<br>The following research questions guided the study:<br>1. What is the mean achievement score of students taught with guided discovery and<br>demonstration method?<br>2. What is the mean interest score of students taught with guided discovery and<br>demonstration method?<br>3. What is the mean conceptual change score of students taught with guided discovery and<br>demonstration method?<br>4. What is the mean achievement score of male and female students in practical biology?<br>5. What is the mean interest score of male and female students in practical biology?<br>6. What is the mean conceptual change score of male and female students in practical<br>biology?<br>7. What is the interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on students’<br>achievement?<br>8. What is the interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on students’ interest?<br>12<br>9. What is the interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on students’ conceptual<br>change?<br>Hypotheses<br>The following null hypotheses will be formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.<br>Ho1: There is no significant difference in the achievement mean scores of students taught<br>practical biology using guided discovery and that of those taught using demonstration<br>method.<br>Ho2: There is no significant difference in the interest mean scores of students taught practical<br>biology using guided discovery method and those taught using demonstration method.<br>Ho3: There is no significant difference in the conceptual change mean scores of students<br>taught practical biology using guided discovery method and those taught using<br>demonstration method.<br>Ho4: There is no significant difference in the achievement mean score of male and female<br>students in practical biology.<br>Ho5: There is no significant difference in the interest mean score of male and female students<br>in practical biology.<br>Ho6: There is no significant difference in the conceptual change mean score of male and<br>female students in practical biology.<br>Ho7: There is no significant interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on<br>students’ achievement mean score in practical biology.<br>Ho8: There is no significant interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on<br>students’ interest mean score in practical biology.<br>Ho9: There is no significant interaction effect of gender and instructional methods on<br>students’ conceptual change mean score in practical biology.</p> <br><p></p>