Impact of Brainstorming Instructional Strategy on Science-Process-Skills of Biology Students in Secondary Schools of Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract The study investigated the impact of brainstorming instructional strategy on science process skills of biology students in secondary schools of Zamfara state, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study which adopted the pretest, posttest non-randomized control group quasi-experimental design. The target population of the study was a total of 25,335 (16,395 male; 8,940 female) SS2 students while the sample was 115 (62 male; 53 female) students in the state. Multi-stage sampling was used in selecting 2 schools for the study. The experimental group was exposed to brainstorming instructional strategy, whereas the control group was taught using conventional method. Cellular respiration was the biological concept treated while Science Process Skills Inventory (SPSI) was the research instrument used. Three experts validated the SPSI and its reliability index was 0.82 using test-retest method and Cronbach Alpha tool. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and One-Way ANCOVA statistical tools at 0.05 significant level. The result of the study revealed that the experimental group students gained higher science process skills than those in the control group. It was also found that there was no significant gender interaction effect on science process skills of the students exposed to the strategy. Thus, it was concluded that the strategy enhances students’ science process skills and is gender-friendly. It was therefore recommended that biology teachers should adopt the strategy to improve students’ acquisition and utilization of the science process skills, learning outcomes and ways of doing science. Keywords: Brainstorming, Strategy, Science-Process Skills, Biology