EFFECT OF AN IMPROVISED PLANT CELL MODEL ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY WITHIN MINNA METROPOLIS, NIGER STATE

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of an improvised plant cell model on the academic achievement of secondary school students in Biology within Minna Metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria. The research was motivated by the persistent under-performance of students in biology, particularly in abstract topics like cell structure, which are often taught using conventional, lecture-based methods that fail to facilitate conceptual understanding. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed, involving a sample of 256 Senior Secondary II (SSII) students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was instructed on the plant cell using the improvised model, while the control group was taught the same topic using conventional teaching strategies. Data were collected using the Improvised Plant Cell Model Test (IPCMT), administered as a pre-test and post-test. Findings revealed that the experimental group demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in mean achievement scores (mean gain of 10.35) compared to the control group (mean gain of 2.98). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed a statistically significant difference in post-test scores between the two groups (F (1, 254) = 123.310, p < 0.05). While female students in the experimental group exhibited slightly higher mean gains, the analysis confirmed no statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of male and female students taught with the improvised model (F (1, 117) = 3.233, p > 0.05). The study concludes that the improvised plant cell model is a more effective instructional strategy than conventional methods for enhancing academic achievement in biology, irrespective of gender. It is recommended that biology teachers adopt this hands-on, model-based approach to improve learning outcomes.