Effects of Scaffolding Instructional Strategy on Performance and Attitude in Biology among Secondary School Students in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The study examined the effects of scaffolding instructional strategy on students’ Performance and Attitude in Biology among secondary school students in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study ascertained the difference in the pre-test and post-test mean scores of students exposed to scaffolding instructional strategy and conventional method of teaching Biology in secondary schools. The study investigated the difference in the performance and attitudinal mean scores of students in experimental and control groups, This study adopted a two group quasi-experimental of pre-test, post-test and control group design. The population for the study comprised 12,585 SSSII students in 205 public secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The sample for the study consisted of 159 SSS II students in the selected schools using multistage sampling procedure. Two instruments were used to collect data, Biology Performance Test (BPT) and Students’ Attitudinal Scale (SAS). The face and content validity of the instruments were ensured by experts. The reliability of the instrument (BPT ) was established using test-retest method of testing reliability while that of SAS was established through Cronbach’s Alpha reliability testing. The reliability coefficients of 0.81 and 0.87 were obtained for BPT and SAS respectively. Two research questions were raised and answered while four hypotheses were generated and tested. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses 1-4 were tested using t-test. The findings of the study showed that: there was significant effect of scaffolding instructional strategy on the performance mean scores, attitudinal mean scores, of students in Biology after treatment. Based on the findings it was recommended that, implementing scaffolding as instructional strategy can significantly enhance students’ academic performance and Attitude in Biology, Therefore, the use of scaffolding instructional strategy should be included into Biology curriculum. Key Words: Scaffolding, Performance, Attitude