EFFECTS OF PROBLEM SOLVING INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN ECOLOGY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT COGNITIVE PREFERENCES IN ZARIA EDUCATIONAL ZONE

Project Abstract

<p>&nbsp;                 <b>ABSTRACT&nbsp;</b></p><p>This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Problem Solving Instructional Strategy on Academic Achievement and Retention in Ecology among Senior Secondary School students with different cognitive preferences four Senior Secondary Schools in Zaria Education Zone, comprising Zaria and Sabon Gari areas of Kaduna State, constituted the population for the study. A randomly selected sample of two hundred forty students (240) constituted the subjects for the study. A randomly selected sample of one hundred and twenty students who constituted the experimental group were taught using Problem Solving Instructional Strategy, while the remaining 120 students that constituted the control group were taught using the lecture method Instructional Strategy (LMIS). Two Secondary Schools served as the experimental group, while the other two served as the control group respectively. The study adopted the quasi experimental control group pretest-post-posttest design. Two instruments were used in this study for data collection, namely, the Cognitive Preference Test (CPT), and Ecology Achievement Test (EAT) in Ecology. The CPT was adopted from Heath (1964), while the (EAT) was developed by the researcher. A pretest was administered before the treatment to establish the equivalence of the experimental and control groups using Problem Solving Instructional Strategy (PSIS), while the control group was exposed to the Lecture Method Instructional Strategy (LMIS). The topics covered were basic ecological concepts, major biomes of the world, population studies and ecological factors. These topics have been established by researchers as being very difficult to learn in ecology. Seven null hypotheses were subjected to statistical analyses involving the use of t-test. ANOVA on Achievement and Retention. ANOVA was used to test for the difference in the level of significance in the mean scores of the experimental groups of Recall, Application, Principles and Questioning in favour of the experimental groups in these fields. The result of the study showed among others that there was significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control group of recall variable in favour of the experimental group. Significant differences exist between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in Application variables in favour of the experimental group. There was significant difference] between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in principles, in favour of the experimental group. Posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in principles variable were statistically different in favour of the experimental group. Posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups in Questioning variable were also statistically different in favour of the experimental group. The posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups were found to be statistically significant in favour of the experimental group in Retention of the ecology concepts. Seven recommendations were made in the study, one of which was that the study of ecology results in the accruing of many benefits to mankind; therefore the study of ecology is viewed to be very important in Secondary Schools. It was therefore suggested that a wider coverage, patronage and publicity should be accorded the study of Ecology in the school curriculum syllabus, and all facets of human endeavour. <br></p>

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