Effect of Cooperative Learning Method on Secondary School Students' Achievement in Biology, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the effect of Cooperative Learning Method on secondary school students' achievement in Biology, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, non-randomized control group design. The population comprised 5,888 Senior Secondary School II (SS II) Biology students in public secondary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A sample of 118 students selected through purposive and simple random sampling techniques participated in the study. The instrument used for data collection was the Biology Achievement Test (BAT), which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.80 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students taught Biology using the Cooperative Learning Method achieved significantly higher than those taught using the Conventional Teaching Method. The study also found no significant difference between the achievement scores of male and female students taught Biology using the Cooperative Learning Method. It was concluded that Cooperative Learning Method is an effective and gender-inclusive instructional strategy for enhancing students' achievement in Biology. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Biology teachers adopt Cooperative Learning Method in classroom instruction, while educational authorities should provide training opportunities to strengthen teachers' competence in implementing learner-centred instructional strategies. The study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting cooperative learning as a viable approach for improving Biology achievement among secondary school students.