Effects of STAD Strategy on Achievement in Nervous System Concept among Secondary School Male and Female Field-Dependent and Field-Independent Learners in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Gender has long been investigated as a potential predictor of academic achievement in science disciplines. Scholars have attributed observed gender disparities in achievement to factors such as task difficulty, cognitive competence, and persistent gender stereotypes. This study investigated gender as predictor of achievement among Field-dependent and Field –Independent secondary Biology students taught the nervous system using Student –Teams - Achievement –Division (STAD) in Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test- post-test research design. A sample of 133 Senior Secondary School 11 (SS2) students was drawn using multi stage sampling technique from a population of 7,756 SS2 students in Bwari Area Council. For data collection, two instruments- Nervous System Achievement Test (NSAT) and Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) were used. The reliability of the instruments was determined using Kuder-Richardson formula 21 (K-R21) and both yielded reliability coefficients of 0.88 for NSAT and 0.81 for GEFT. The research questions were answered with means and standard deviation while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that males had higher achievement scores than the females and field-independent learners performed better than the field-dependent learners. The results also revealed the effectiveness of STAD as an excellent approach for conveying complex and abstract concepts such as the nervous system. Consequently, it was recommended that biology teachers adapt instructional strategies such as STAD and consider students learning styles in order to encourage collaborative learning in heterogeneous groups, promote individual accountability and provide equal opportunities for achievement.