IMPACT OF 5ES STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN ECOLOGY CONCEPTS AMONG FIELD-DEPENDENT AND FIELD-INDEPENDENT SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY STUDENTS IN THE POST PANDEMIC ERA

Abstract

The study investigated the Impact of 5Es problem solving Strategy on Performance and Retention in Ecology Concepts among Field-Dependent and Field-Independent Secondary School Biology Students in the Post Pandemic Era. The population of the study was one thousand four hundred and fourty-nine (1,449) senior secondary school students. Two intact classes were used. A sample of one hundred and twenty-six (126) SS II students were drawn from the population using simple random sampling technique through balloting. Two research questions were raised with their corresponding null hypotheses formulated to guide the study. The study employed quasi – experimental, control group involving pretest, posttest and post posttest design. Three instruments used for data collection were Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT 0.82), Ecology Performance Test (EPT 0.81) and 5Es Instructional Package (5-EIT). The experimental group was taught using Problem Solving model while the control group was taught using Lecture method. Research questions raised were answered using mean, standard deviation and mean difference while null hypotheses were tested using 2-way Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) and t-test analysis at P ≤ 0.05 level of significance. Research findings revealed significant difference between performance and retention mean scores in favour of the experimental group. It was therefore recommended that secondary school biology teachers should frequently employ 5Es problem solving model in teaching difficult and abstract concepts in biology like ecology concepts.