Effect of Discussion Instructional Strategy On Secondary School Students' Performance in Biology in Ekiti State

This study examined the effect of discussion instructional strategy on secondary school students’ performance in Biology in Ekiti State. This study adopted a pre-test, post-test, control group quasi experimental design in which two groups (one experimental group and one control group) were involved. The population of the study comprised of all S.S.S. 2 students offering Biology in all the public secondary schools in Ekiti State. The sample consisted of 101 students offering Biology drawn from 4 public secondary schools in Ekiti State. The sample was selected using multistage sampling procedure. Performance Test in Biology (PTB) was used for collecting the data for the study. The face and content validity of the instrument was ensured by experts of Tests and Measurement, and two senior Biology teachers. The reliability of the instrument was determined through the test re-test method and the reliability coefficient value of 0.81 was derived. The study was carried out in three phases namely pre-treatment stage, treatment stage and post-treatment stage. The findings of the study revealed that the use of discussion instructional strategy enhanced better performance of students in Biology than the conventional strategy. In addition, the application of discussion instructional strategy was not gender biased. It was recommended among others that the use of conventional lecture method for teaching Biology should be supported with the application of more learner-centred approaches that get the students actively engaged. This can be achieved when discussion instructional strategy is used during Biology lessons. Keywords: Discussion Instructional Strategy, Performance, Biology