Impact of Practical Laboratory Work on Achievement in Biology among Unity Colleges Students in Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of practical laboratory work on achievement in Biology among Unity Colleges students in Niger State, Nigeria. The research design adopted for the Study was a quasi-experimental: pretest, posttest and non-randomized experimental and Control groups design. The population consisted of students in the five Unity Colleges with population of 576. A sample size of 92 students consisting of 54 male and 38 female students was selected and used as experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, rabbits were dissected to illustrate the digestive system of rabbit and a lesson plan on the digestive system of a rabbit was used, while the control group was taught using the alternative to practical approach. Two research questions, two objectives, and two null hypotheses were adopted to guide the study. Practical Laboratory Achievement Test Items (PLATI) was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument contained 25 items which were validated by experts in biology. A reliability coefficient of 0.66 was obtained from the instrument using split-half method. The data collected was first subjected to descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation. Thereafter, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was computed using the same data. The result showed that, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (Fcal (1, 90) =64.209, P<0.05). The ANOVA analysis on gender in the experimental group indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female students (F (1,40) =0. 35, P>0.05). Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that Biology teachers should always conduct practical to convey theoretical knowledge to practice while school administrators and government should also provide the enabling learning environment and resource s for practical work/exercises in our schools.