Effect of Cooperative Learning Strategy on Biology Students’ Academic Performance in Senior Secondary School in Rivers State

Aims: This study investigated the effect of cooperative learning strategy on students’ academic performance in biology in Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Place and Duration of Study: Port Harcourt, Rivers State, located in the South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria, West Africa.

Methodology: The population consist of 2,150 Senior Secondary three biology students out of which 120 students of intact classes in selected schools formed the sample. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The instrument used in data collection was Biology Performance Test developed by the researchers. The test items were selected from standardized past questions of Senior School Certificate Examinations conducted by The West African Examinations Council and validated by two lecturers in Science Education and one lecturer in Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability coefficient was determined by test retest method using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to be 0.78. Mean, standard deviation and t-test at .05 level of significance were used for data analysis.

Results: The results of the study revealed a significant difference in performance between students taught biology with cooperative learning strategy and those taught with conventional lecture method. Students in the experimental group where cooperative learning teaching strategy was adopted scored significantly higher in biology performance test than those in lecture method group. There was no significant difference in performance based on gender (male and female) and school type (public or private).

Conclusion: Cooperative learning strategy is more effective in teaching and enhances biology students’ performance than the conventional lecture method.