USING 5Es LEARNING-CYCLE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC REASONING ABILITY AND ACHIEVEMENTAMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY STUDENTS IN MINNAEDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGER STATE

Abstract

This study examined using 5Es learning cycle strategy to enhance scientific reasoning ability and achievement among secondary school Biology students in Minna educationalzone.This study was guided by six research questions and six research hypotheses tested at the 0.05 level of significance. It was a pre-testpost-test non-equivalent, non randomizedquasi-experimental design. Intact classes were employed for the study. The population was 58,303Biology students in 90 public senior secondary schools in Minna educationalzone for 2020/2021 academic session. Hence the target population for the study consisted of 19,520 SS II Biology students in Minna educational zone. The sampling technique adopted to select four co-educational public secondary schools in Minna was purposive sampling technique to allow the researcher to make her judgement and choice.Therefore the sample size for this study was made up of two hundred and seventy two (272)with male (120) and female (152) students from four (4) selected co-educational schools in Minna educational zone, Niger State. The sample size was guided by Central Limit Theory. The classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning Ability (ClaTeSRA) and Respiration Achievement Test (RAT) were used to collect data. Reliability coefficient of ClaTeSRA obtained was 0.86 and RAT was 0.81 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Research questions were answered with mean and standard deviation, while research hypotheses were tested with Z-test and ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that 5Es learning-cycle strategy enhanced the students’ scientific reasoning ability and achievement more than the conventional method. There was no statistical significant difference in the scientific reasoning ability of male and female secondary school Biology students as well as rural and urban students taught with 5E learning-cycle strategy. It was concluded from the study that 5Es learning-cycle instructional strategy has the potency to improve students’ scientific reasoning ability and achievement. It was recommended among others that curriculum planners and education stakeholders should endeavour to organize workshops, seminar and symposia for science educators in general and Biology teachers in particulars so that they would be trained on how to use 5Es learning-cycle instructional strategy to enhance Biology students’ scientific reasoning ability for better academic achievement.