EFFECT OF ANALOGY INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND CRITICAL THINKING IN BASIC SCIENCE IN TARABA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of analogy instructional strategy on students’ academic performance and critical thinking in basic science in Taraba State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The non-randomised, pre-test post-test control group type of quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. The study area was Taraba State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised all the 21, 672 Upper Basic II students in public upper basic schools.  The sample for the study was made up of 164 students drawn from four intact classes using multiple stage sampling technique. Two instruments were used for data collection in the study. The instruments were Basic Science Performance Test (BSPT) and Critical Thinking Test (CTT). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. The hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at the significance level of 0.05. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference between the mean academic performance scores of students taught Basic Science using analogy instructional strategy and those taught using the conventional method in favour of those taught using analogy strategy (F(1, 163) = 117.18, P =0.00). Also there is a significant difference between the mean critical thinking scores of students taught Basic Science using analogy instructional strategy and those taught using the conventional method in favour of those taught using analogy strategy (F(1, 163) = 26.14, P =0.00). Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that analogy strategy enhanced students’ academic performance and critical thinking in Basic Science. It was recommended that Basic Science teachers should intensively employ the use of analogy teaching strategy in teaching science concepts to enhance students’ academic performance and critical thinking and that Analogy teaching strategy should be included in the methodology content of teachers training institutions as this may ensure the pre-service science teachers knowledge of and use of analogy strategy.