Heresies and Hopes for Scamper Instructional Strategy on Nigerian Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology

Abstract

Creativity and innovation in teaching effectiveness has become the major focus of concerned educators and researchers for effective problem solving. Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) in the curriculum for Biology encourages teachers to teach for creative and critical thinking potentials in the students which is the main focus of SCAMPER instructional strategy. This study investigated the impact of SCAMPER instructional strategy for enhancing Nigerian secondary school students’ academic achievement in Biology. It also examined the interaction effect of cognitive style on the students’ academic achievement in Biology. Three hypotheses guided the study and tested at0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a Pre-test, Post-test Quasi-experimental design with 2x2 factorial matrix. Purposive sampling technique was used to pick two intact classes of senior secondary school 1 consisting of 117 Biology students in Ogun State of Nigerian. Biology Achievement Test (BAT, r=0.75) and Cognitive style scale of 0.67 reliability were used for data collection. Data was analysed with descriptive statistics and inferential tools of Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Findings of the study revealed no significant main effect of instructional strategy on students’ academic achievement in Biology . However, the study revealed a significant main effect of cognitive style on students’ academic achievement in Biology. But instructional strategy and cognitive style did not reveal significant academic achievement in Biology It is therefore, suggested that SCAMPER strategy should be used by the Biology teachers for the effective teaching- learning process.