Effect of Advance Organizer Strategy on Students’ Academic Achievement and Retention in Biology among Senior Secondary School Students in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Advance Organizer Strategy on students’ academic achievement and retention in Biology among Senior Secondary School students in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by persistent challenges associated with students’ poor understanding, achievement, and retention of biological concepts, which have been linked to the dominance of teacher-centred instructional approaches. The study was anchored on Ausubel’s Theory of Meaningful Learning, which emphasizes that learning becomes more effective when new knowledge is connected with learners’ existing cognitive structures. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all Senior Secondary School II Biology students in public secondary schools in Girei Local Government Area. A sample of 145 students was selected from four public secondary schools using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Biology Achievement Test (BAT), which consisted of 50 multiple-choice items adapted from the Biology curriculum and past examination questions. The instrument was validated by experts in Biology Education and Measurement and Evaluation, and a reliability coefficient of 0.83 was obtained using the KR-20 method. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that students taught Biology using the Advance Organizer Strategy achieved higher academic performance and demonstrated better retention of Biology concepts than those taught using the conventional method. The findings also revealed that the strategy was equally effective for both male and female students, as gender did not significantly influence students’ academic performance when exposed to the strategy. The study concludes that the Advance Organizer Strategy is an effective learner-centred approach for improving Biology achievement and retention. It is therefore recommended that Biology teachers integrate advance organizers into classroom instruction to promote meaningful learning and improved students’ outcomes.