EFFECT OF ARGUMENTATION INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN EVOLUTION

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to investigate the effect of argumentation instructional strategy on Senior Secondary school students ’achievement in evolution as compared with Lecture method used in most secondary schools in Nigeria. Four research questions were raised and all of them were hypothesized as tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted the quasi experimental design using pretest, posttest nonequivalence control group design. A total of 8,594 populations from 26 public coeducational government secondary schools and a sample of 31 students from group took part in the study. The purposeful sampling technique was used to carefully select students which captured small class sizes and a good representation of both Christian and Muslim. Achievement test in evolution in biology (ATEB) was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts in the field of science education. Content and face validities of ATEB were determined using a table of specification. The instrument was pre tested on a sample of 20 students who were not part of the study and reliability coefficient of 0.77 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the hypotheses were tested using Independent sample t-test and ANCOVA. The findings revealed that AIS significantly improved students’ acquisition of argumentation skills in evolution. There was no significant effect of gender on students mean score achievement test both in AIS and Lecture method. Findings also showed that there was significant difference on mean score achievement on students’ religious belief. Based on this, it was recommended amongst others that, students should be made to be part in science discuss where they are given opportunity to argue as scientist. In the same vain teachers and science educators should employed innovative instructional strategies in teaching topics in science. And lastly, Curriculum planners and developers should fashion strategies in science education and teachers should employed argumentation instructional strategy in teaching certain topics in Biology.