EFFECT OF VIRTUAL SIMULATION INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUE ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY IN NNEWI EDUCATION ZONE OF ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated effect of Virtual Simulation Instructional Technique on Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology in Nnewi Education Zone, Anambra State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design, specifically, the pretest-posttest control group design. The population of the study comprised of 3,493 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering Biology in State Government-owned secondary schools in Nnewi education zone of Anambra State. A sample of 93 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering Biology (45 males and 48 females), selected using multi-stage sampling approach was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was the Biology Achievement Test (BAT), which was validated by three experts and tested for reliability using Kuder-Richardson (KR-21) formula which yielded a reliability index of 0.83. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings of the study revealed among others that there was a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught nutrient cycle using the Virtual Simulation Instructional Technique (VSIT) and those taught using Conventional Expository Method (CEM) in favour of the experimental group. In conclusion, students taught nutrient cycle using Virtual Simulation Instructional Technique (VSIT) achieved higher mean scores compared to those taught using Conventional Expository Method (CEM). Based on these findings, it was recommended among others, that Biology teachers, curriculum planners, and policymakers integrate virtual simulation tools into classroom practice to foster active learning and improve biology education in Nigerian secondary schools.