Enhancing students’ achievement in biology using inquiry-based learning in Rwanda

Students in secondary schools in Rwanda manifest difficulties in learning science subjects including biology. Studies revealed that inadequate teaching methods dominated by teacher-centered traditional or conventional educational strategies are some of the factors that cause difficulties in learning, which in turn leads to poor achievements in biology. This study investigated the effect of inquiry-based learning (IBL) using 5Es instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate) on secondary school students’ achievement in biology. There were 231 secondary school students from six schools in Rwanda constituted the sample. A quasi-experimental quantitative approach consisting of pre- and post-tests was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results indicated that the mean of post test score of experimental group was higher than the mean of counterparts in control group. Further, t-test and ANCOVA were used for inferential statistics. Findings showed once again significant differences between experimental groups taught with IBL and control group taught with conventional teaching methods. There was no significant effect on gender while a significant difference based on school location was identified. The study recommends educational stakeholders to use the IBL designed by 5Es instructional model at school level to solve problems related to poor performance in biology

The Role of Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods Towards the Classification of Living Things: A Review

Biology continues to present difficulties in teaching and learning. Among other biology domains classification of living things is considered to be one of the challenging subjects as different studies indicated students’ misconceptions in the test to classify both plants and animals. Inadequate teaching methods were the core source of these challenges which were also found to lead to poor performance in schools. This review paper shows the role of active teaching methods to improve learning science subjects. The article gives an insight into how adopting innovative teaching methods can help educators implement appropriate teaching strategies recommended in reforms of science education, such as the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) using the 5Es (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and evaluate) instructional model. Findings of this review indicate that the instructional methods give opportunities to relieve misconceptions for learners. It is appreciated to allow students learning by doing, hence perform well in assessments and evaluation due to acquired skills and competences. This is the reason why the 5Es instructional model was recommended among other active learning instructions as a remedy that can enhance teaching and learning of biology, especially the content of classification of living things, based upon its advantages in science education

Using consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing instructional strategies to enhance students’ achievement in Biology

Teachers are supposed to adapt their teaching-learning process based on classroom interaction to suit the learning conditions of learners to produce a complete learning community that is intellectually and behaviourally sound. This can only be achieved in a serene, friendly, and collaborative environment. This study determined the effects of consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing instructional strategies on students’ achievement in biology, with gender moderating at two levels. A pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design with a 3X2 factorial matrix was adopted. The treatment lasted for six weeks. The sample consisted of 305 senior secondary school II students in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was the Students’ Biology Achievement Test (SBAT). The generated data were analysed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANCOVA) and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. The results of the study revealed that consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing strategies improved students’ achievement in biology. The results also revealed that gender affected students’ achievement in biology. Treatment and gender did not affect students’ achievement in biology. The study concluded that the strategies adopted enhance students’ achievement in biology and, therefore, recommended to be adopted in biology classroom