Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to teach students with the guided discovery strategies to
enhance their academic performance in biology. The study used guided discovery
strategies as intervention to improve the academic performance of biology students at
St. Margaret Mary Senior High School in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The
study employed a quasi-experimental research design. The researcher did biology
practical on two selected topics, experiment to show that osmosis occurs in a living
tissue, and experiment to show the percentage of air in different types of soil. An
intact class of 63 form one science students constituted the sample. Data were
collected using test items, questionnaire and interview. Data collected from the study
was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings of the study showed
that the academic performance of the experimental group, that is, students taught
using the guided discovery performed better than those in the control group. This is an
indication that students taught guided discovery method performed significantly better
than those taught with the traditional method. The performance of students improved
after the treatment. The implications for teaching and learning are that, guided
discovery strategies make science classroom more realistic as students are actively
involved. Students also learn to be responsible for their learning.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Science Education, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award
of the degree of Master of Philosophy (Science Education) in the University of Education, Winneba.
FEBRUARY, 2023
