EFFECT OF VISUAL LEARNING STRATEGY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG BIOLOGY STUDENTS OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UNGOGO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KANO STATE

ABSTRACT The study seeks to examine the effect of visual learning strategy on academic performance among biology students of senior secondary schools in Ungogo local government area of Kano State. The research design used in this study is quasi experimental design. The population for this study comprise 25 senior secondary schools in Ungogo local government area of Kano State. Therefore, study select 4 senior secondary schools in Ungogo local government area to serve as the sample size for the study. This study employed both probability and non-probability sampling techniques to obtain sample of the study. Probability sampling involved simple random sampling techniques and for non-probability sampling, purposive sampling techniques were used. The instruments for this research was virtual learning academic performance test questions (VLAPT) which consist of twenty (20) items and the twenty (20) questions are objective items in Biology with four options out of which only one is the correct response to the item(s), were based on the topics selected. Mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive analysis and t-test independent statistics was used to analyze the null hypotheses between mean scores of experimental and control groups. Data was subjected to SPSS. The study revealed that those taught Biology using visual learning strategy performed significantly better in the academic test than those taught using lecture method in senior secondary schools in Ungogo local government area of Kano State. The findings also shows that there was no significant difference between the academic performance of male and female students taught Biology using visual learning strategy in senior secondary schools in Ungogo local government area of Kano State. The study recommends that Biology teachers should be enlightened and encouraged to adopt the techniques of visual learning strategy for their students for optimum academic performance. This will help students to benefit from the goodies of the course for effective school subject. This will assist in breeding effective and productive citizenry. The use of lecture technique of teaching Biology should be minimized because there is a need for adequate motivation of visual learning resources to be used in Senior Secondary School in Ungogo local govern area of Kano State state. This will assist in bringing out the best technique. It is also recommend that government should provide all the needed visual learning aids for teachers and students of Biology. This will greatly assist in promoting student academic performances at senior secondary school level. Educators should consider gender differences when designing visual learning activities to ensure equal benefits for male and female students.