Effect of Think-Pair and Discussion Instructional Strategies on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Biology in Ado Local Government Area, Ekiti State

This study investigated the effects of think-pair and discussion instructional strategies on secondary students’ performance in Biology in Ado Local Government Area, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The purpose was to identify which of the think-pair and discussion instructional strategies would be more effective in teaching Biology. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, control group design. The sample for this study comprised 180 selected Senior Secondary School Two (SSSII) students from Ado LGA, Ekiti State using multistage random sampling techniques. Intact classes were used in each of the three schools selected for the study. The instrument used for the study was Biology Performance Test (BPT). The reliability of the instrument was determined using split-half method. Reliability coefficients of 0.73 was obtained. The experiment was carried out in three stages; the pre-treatment stage, the treatment stage and post-treatment stage. Two general questions and three research hypotheses were raised. Data collected were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential analyses. The research questions were answered using mean, standard deviation and bar-charts. All hypotheses generated were tested using inferential statistics of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The results from the study revealed that both experimental strategies had positive effects on students’ academic performance in Biology. The findings also revealed that both experimental instructional strategies were not gender sensitive. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that among the methods tested, think-pair instructional strategy was the most effective and had the potency of producing the highest students’ performance. It was therefore recommended that, the conventional method commonly used in teaching Biology should be modified and improved upon by making lessons activity-based and government should organize and sponsor teachers to attend training courses on the use of think-pair and discussion instructional strategies in order to facilitate their adoption.