EFFECT OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN GENETICS

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of science technology and society (STS) instructional approach on secondary school students’ achievement in genetics in Udi Education Zone, Enugu State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. Quasi-Experimental research design, specifically the non-equivalent pretest- posttest control group design was adopted for the study. Genetics Achievement Test (GAT) was administered on a sample of one hundred and forty (140) SSIII Biology students drawn randomly from a population of 1264 SSIII Biology students in the forty-five (45) government owned co-educational schools. Two schools each were assigned to the experimental and control groups respectively. The experimental groups were exposed to STS instructional approach while the control groups were taught using the conventional approach. The instrument was trial tested and a reliability index of 0.97 was obtained using Kudder- Richardson formula KR 20. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that students taught using STS instructional approach had higher   mean achievement scores than their counter parts in the control group.  The interaction effect of instructional approach and gender on students' mean achievement scores in Genetics was statistically significant. In line with the findings of the study, the educational implications of the findings were highlighted and the recommendations were equally proffered among others, that science teachers should intensify the use of STS instructional approach to enhance better achievement among students in science and technology-based subjects.