Effect of Jigsaw Learning Strategy on Biology Students’ Inclusive Learning Attitude and Achievement in Human Respiratory System: A Small Scale Study of Government Secondary School Abua, Rivers State

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of jigsaw learning strategy on biology students’ inclusive learning attitude and achievement in human respiratory system in Government Secondary school Abua, in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. The pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group of quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The population was all the 227 biology students Government Secondary School, Abua. The sample for the study was the 75 SS2 students purposively selected. The study was carried out with four research objectives, four research questions and four hypotheses. A teacher made test titled Human Respiratory System Achievement Test and a structured questionnaire titled Effects of Jigsaw Learning Strategy on Students’ Inclusive Learning Attitude Questionnaire were the instruments used. Both instruments were validated by experts in Science Education. The reliability index of the achievement test and the questionnaire were 0.85 and 0.78 respectively. The research questions were analyzed with the mean while the hypotheses were tested using the z-test at 0.05 level of significance. It was discovered that students who were taught respiratory system with the jigsaw instructional approach performed better and again they have a better attitude of inclusiveness in the class than their peers who were taught same topic but with lecture method. Based on the findings, it was recommended that both pre-service and in-service biology teachers should be trained properly to acquire appropriate skills and competence needed for jigsaw instructional approach.