Utilization of Inquiry-Based Approach and its Influence on Students’ Attitudes towards Biology in Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Attitude incorporates beliefs and ideas, feelings and tendency of like or dislike about a subject or an object. Attitude towards Biology is related to motivation and influences performance (Diaz et al., 2021). One of the ways students are motivated to learn is when they are taught Biology through inquiry-based approach (IBA). They become interested, and develop positive attitudes towards Biology (Annan et al., 2019). The purpose of this study was to determine students’ attitudes towards Biology when using IBA in Githunguri sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya. The research question was, what are students’ attitudes towards Biology when learning through IBA? The study targeted 37 public secondary schools, 1,194 Form 3 students and 14 teachers. Purposive sampling was employed to select 11 secondary schools with laboratories and 14 experienced teachers while simple random sampling was used to select 344 students. Questionnaires and interview were employed for data collection. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and Statistical Package of Social Sciences. Qualitative data was analysed using narratives. The findings show that most students have positive attitudes towards Biology when taught using IBA. They found Biology as requirement for careers such as medicine. Although most students have positive attitudes towards Biology, some have inadequate understanding of basic concepts due to difficult Biology terminologies. It is concluded that a range of factors including, availability of resources which include computers and internet facilities, are key to helping students understand difficult concepts and do research in Biology. Ensuring the validity of test questions in the Biology papers set for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), will facilitate the development of positive attitudes and interest in Biology. It is recommended that Teachers should be provided with more resources to simplify Biology concepts and terminologies in order to alleviate fears, thereby encouraging students’ positive attitudes towards Biology.