Impact of Learning Together Strategy on Anxiety and Performance in Ecology among Secondary School Slow Learners, Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of Learning Together strategy on anxiety, and performance among secondary schools’ biology slow learners in Kano State Nigeria. The study adopted a pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental control group design. The population consisted of 5185 SS2 biology students made up of 3392 males and 1793 females. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample due to gender difference in senior secondary schools in Kano state. Four schools were randomly selected using balloting method, which involved hand picking from the container, two were females’ schools and two were males’ schools. One hundred and twenty-three (123) identified slow learners were purposively selected from the four sampled schools. A total of 62 students were in the experimental group and taught using enriched cooperative learning strategy while 61 students were in the control group taught using lecture method. The two groups were taught ecology concepts for six weeks. Two instruments used are; Ecology Performance Test (EPT) with reliability coefficient of  and Biology Students Anxiety Questionnaire (BSATQ) with reliability coefficient of . Four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the researcher. The hypotheses were tested using t-test and U-test statistics at P≤0.05 level of significance. The result of the analysis shows a significance difference exist in the first two hypotheses while it shows that, there is no significance difference in the last two hypotheses. The researcher concluded that, Learning Together strategy has significant effect on anxiety, and performance of slow learners in ecology concept among secondary school students in Kano State. The researcher recommended that biology teachers in secondary school should be using Learning Together strategy.