An Assessment of Inquiry and Lecture Methods on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Biology Students in Zaria, Kaduna State
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Abstract
This study assessed the impact of Inquiry and Lecture methods on Performance of undergraduate
Biology Students in Zaria, Kaduna State. Two objectives, two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted quasi experimental research design. The population of this study comprised of 135 all four (4) hundred level undergraduate Biology students in Federal College of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A sample of (100) one hundred Biology undergraduate students was purposively sampled from the entire 135 Biology students in Federal College of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was a multiple-choice objective test titled “Biology Inquiry Performance Test (BIPT)”. The instrument was validated by Senior lecturers in department. The reliability of the instrument was pilot tested using a test/retest method. The reliability coefficient of the test/re-test scores was computed by means of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) and a reliability value of 0.849 was obtained. The data was collected through the administration of pre-test and post-test. The bio data of the respondents was analyzed using descriptive statistics which involves frequencies and percentages while mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. Independent t-test was used to test all the hypotheses at 0.05% level of significance. Findings of the study showed among others that students taught Biology using Inquiry method performed far better than those taught using conventional method in Federal College of Education, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Zaria (.000 <0.005). Students taught Digestive System in Biology using inquiry method performed far better than those taught using conventional method in Federal College of Education, Kaduna State, Nigeria (.001 <0.005). Recommendations were made to include that teachers should use guided inquiry in teaching Biology more than unguided inquiry since the method has proved effective in enhancing students’ academic performance in Biology. And that Ministry of Education and relevant academic and professional bodies like Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN), NERDC, NTI and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) should enlighten teachers on the use of inquiry teaching methods through organized in-service trainings, workshops and seminars.
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