ABSTRACT

The concept Microbes in Action is an important concept, yet students do not master it. This study sought to investigate the Effectiveness of Instructional Media in the Retention of Microbes in Action for Secondary School Students in Ikwuano Local Government Area. Pre-test /post-test model of quasi experimental design was used for the study. The "subjects" consists of an intact class of 40 students made up of 22 females and 18 males with the age range of 16-18 years in S.S.2 offering Biology. These were purposively sampled from one public secondary school in lkwuano Local Government Area. The "subjects" were put into two groups — Treatment (T) and Control (C) groups. 1- Microbes in Action Achievement/Retention Test (MIAART) of reliability 0.76 and 0.79 were used for the study. The treatment group was taught using realia/specimen video clips and diagrams (RESVID), while the control group was taught without instructional media. Data collected was analyzed using mean, standard deviation and i-test statistics. The findings revealed that students taught with instructional media performed better and were able to retain the concept more than those taught without instructional media at both post-test and follow up periods(176.75, s2 =13.9 & =76.5, s2 =12.6 ).Also there is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female students taught with RESVID. The null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance indicated that there is significant difference between the mean scores of those taught with instructional media and those taught without instructional media at follow up (t 7.7, d.f = 38) meaning t calculated was statistically significant at p<0.05. It was therefore recommended among other things that relevant instructional media be used in teaching Microbes in Action in secondary schools as it enhanced students' comprehension and retention of the concept. The limitations of the study were pointed out and suggestions for further studies in the area were also pointed out. It was concluded that the use of relevant instructional media in teaching of Biology concepts greatly improves the comprehension and retention of concepts by students which helps them in mastering the subjects.