THE EFFICACY OF A CONCEPTUAL CHANGE STRATEGY IN REMEDIATING IDENTIFIED STUDENTS’ MISCONCEPTIONS IN BIOLOGY
THE EFFICACY OF A CONCEPTUAL CHANGE STRATEGY IN REMEDIATING IDENTIFIED STUDENTS’ MISCONCEPTIONS IN BIOLOGY
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Date
1998
Authors
SAMBA, REGINA MARITA ONABID
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Abstract
The study was carried out to determine the efficacy of a conceptual change instructional
strategy in remediating identified misconceptions about photosynthesis and respiration. The effect
o f this strategy on some variables (retention, attitude and gender) were investigated.
Consequently the study was carried out in two parts.
(1) identification of misconceptions
(2) teaching to effect conceptual shift
The target population was SSI students of selected schools of Benue State. For the
identification of misconceptions, 340 students were drawn from eleven (11) schools in Benue
State, seven co-educational two single sex boys and two girls school. During the teaching
treatment two schools which were selected based on their equivalence in the knowledge of the
experimental concepts were used. One school served as the control and the other experimental.
Altogether, there were seventy three students (21 girls and 52 boys). The control group was
taught using the traditional instructional method while the experimental group was taught using
the conceptual change instructional strategy. The conceptual change instructional strategy was
developed, based on Posner et a[ (1982) model.
Both groups were pre and post-tested. The major measurement instruments for the study
were
(a) Misconception test on photosynthesis and respiration
(b) Biology concept achievement test
(c ) (i) Biology attitude questionnaire (ii) Attitude towards conceptual change
approach.
The instructional instruments were;
(1) Conceptual change instructional strategy and
(2) Traditional instructional approach.
The data collected were analysed using t-test, Mann Whitney U-test and Pearson's product
moment correlation and tested at a significant level of 0.05. There were altogether nine
hypotheses and one question to be tackled.
The findings of the study were as follows
(I) The experimental group performed significantly better and retained more of the
biology concepts than the control group.
(ii) There was no statistically significant difference between the performance of boys
and girls taught using both conceptual change instructional strategy and traditional
instructional method.
(iii) A statistically significant correlation (P<0.05) was found to exist between attitude
to biology and performance in the control group - whereas there was no
significant correlation for same tests in the experimental group.
(iv) The conceptual change instructional strategy significantly improved students
attitude to Biology over their counterparts exposed to traditional instructional
method.
(v) Boys and girls differed significantly in their attitude towards the conceptual change
instructional strategy.
(v) There was a statistically significant correlation between retention and
performance for both groups.
(vi) Students in SSI l abour a wide range of misconceptions on photosynthesis and
respiration, some of which can be easily remediated using the conceptual change
instructional strategy.
Based on these results recommendations which could give a clearer view of, and support for the
efficacy of the conceptual change instructional strategy were made
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY
ZARIA.
1998
Keywords
STRATEGY,, REMEDIATING,, IDENTIFIED STUDENTS, MISCONCEPTIONS, BIOLOGY