Effect of multimodal instructional approaches on senior high school students’ cognitive achievement in selected biology concepts

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of multimodal instructional approaches on the academic achievements of selected senior high school students on selected topics in biology (Mammalian anatomy and physiology). It was carried out in the New Juaben South Municipality in the eastern region of Ghana. The research study adopted the quasi-experimental research design using the pre and post-test design. The sample comprised of 80 students from Koforidua Senior High Technical School (KSTHS) and Oti Boateng Senior High School (OBOSS) both in the New Juaben South Municipality. Students from KSHTS were 40 (forty) in number comprising twentyeight (28) males and twelve (12) females. They formed the control group of the research. Another forty students were drawn from OBOSS to form the experimental group. They comprised 18 males and twenty-two (22) females. In totality, the research was made up of forty-six (46) males and thirty-four (34) females. A pre-test was administered to all the participants to be sure of their homogeneity. Treatment was administered to the experimental group using multimodal instructional approaches and the control group was taught using the lecture method of teaching. After the treatment, a post-test was administered to both groups to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. The pre-test and post-test scores of the students in both groups were used for data analysis. The results of the post-test revealed that the use of multimodal instructional approaches in teaching the concept of mammalian anatomy and physiology was effective. When the results of the two methods were compared, the Multimodal instructional approach was found to be effective than the lecture method. Questionnaires were also administered to students of the experimental group to determine their perception of multimodal instructional approaches. Students' responses to the questionnaire proved that majority of students agreed that the multimodal instructional approach is an effective method of teaching Mammalian Anatomy and Physiology. It was therefore recommended that Biology teachers adopt multimodal instructional approaches in teaching and should be made to attend workshops, seminars and conferences to update their knowledge of the methods of teaching concepts in biology.