Effects of Model-Lead-Test Strategy on Interest and Performance in Ecology Concept among Secondary School Biology Students in Tudun Wada Local Government Area, Kano State, Nigeria

This study examined the difference in interest and academic performance between senior secondary school students taught selected Ecology concepts through the Model-Lead-Test (MLT) instructional strategy and students taught the same concepts through the conventional lecture method in Tudun Wada Local Government Area, Kano State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design was adopted. The study involved 128 Senior Secondary II Biology students: 65 in the MLT group and 63 in the control group. Data were collected using a Biology Performance Test (BPT) and a Biology Students’ Interest Questionnaire (BSIQ). Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests were used for data principal analyses. The descriptive results show a higher mean interest score for the MLT group (M = 3.92, SD = 0.42) than the control group (M = 3.25, SD = 0.51), and a higher mean performance score for the MLT group (M = 68.25, SD = 8.50) than the control group (M = 61.10, SD = 7.90). Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test statistics to answer the research questions and tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students taught using the MLT instructional strategy shows higher interest level and performed significantly better in Biology concepts than those taught using lecture method. The study concludes that the MLT approach enhances learning and students’ interest. The study recommends that teachers, curriculum planners, and professional bodies such as STAN should adopt the strategy to improve Biology teaching and learning.