Effect of Programmed Instruction on Academic Performance and Retention in Microscopy and Cell Stratum Among Senior Secondary School Students in Katsina State

Abstract

This study investigated the Effect of Programmed Instruction on Academic Performance and Retention in Microscopy and Cell Stratum among Senior Secondary School Students in Katsina State, Nigeria. The study comprised three objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses some of the objectives are to examine the effect of Programmed Instruction on students’ performance in microscopy and cell stratum among senior secondary school students in Katsina State, determine the effect of Programmed Instruction on students’ retention in microscopy and cell stratum among senior secondary school students in Katsina State, Nigeria. Quasi-experimental research design involving pre-test, post-test, and post-post-test non-equivalent control groups was used for the study. The population of the study comprised 86 Biology students from Government Day Senior Secondary School, Dandagoro, Katsina State, who were randomly assigned into experimental and control group. Data were collected using a Biology Performance and Retention Test (BPRT), Descriptive statistics involving mean and standard deviation were used to answer all the research questions, while inferential statistics using paired sample and independent t-test were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The finding of the study revealed that; students taught Microscopy and Cell Stratum using programmed instruction performed significantly higher than those taught using conventional teaching method, and retention ability of those taught using programmed instruction is higher than those taught using conventional teaching method. The Study recommended that Biology teachers should adopt teaching Microscopy and Cell Stratum using programmed instruction, educational administrators should organize training programmes for teachers on the use of programmed instruction and curriculum planners should integrate teaching using programmed instruction into the Biology curriculum.