Developing in students’ positive attitude towards biology using students’ centred instructional strategies

Abstract Attitude is a complex construct affecting students’ learning of science, which invariably determines their course of study and career choices. Environmental, personal, teachers’ instructional mode has been identified as some of the factors contributing to deciding students’ attitude towards science. Researchers have sought various ways of developing in students’ positive attitude towards biology. The study, therefore, investigated the effect of students centred (consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing) instructional strategies in developing in students’ positive attitude towards biology. The study employed the pre-test-posttest, control group quasi-experimental design of the 3 × 2 factorial matrix. The sample consisted of 305 students from intact classes of senior secondary school II from six purposively selected schools across two local governments of Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was the Biology Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ). The collected data was analysed using the Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results revealed that the students’ centred instructional strategies developed in students’ positive attitude towards biology. Results also indicated that gender influenced the development of positive attitude towards biology in students. The interaction effect of treatment and gender in developing positive attitude in students towards biology was significant. The study concluded therefore, that the adopted strategies, gender and the interaction effect of the strategies and gender was effective in developing in students’ positive attitude towards biology, however, caution should be exercised when deploying the strategies in co-educational settings as it favoured one gender over the other.