Situated learning and biology education: Effects of constructive controversy strategy and genetics self-efficacy on secondary school students’ attitude to genetics concepts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v18.n3.747-763Keywords:
Attitude to genetics concepts, Constructive controversy strategy, Genetics self-efficacy, Situated learningAbstract
Genetics Concepts (GCs) as received a great deal of attention in recent times due to its importance in human being development and society wellbeing at large. However, recent advancements in genetics, have sparked significant public controversy, in areas like reproductive cloning, ordering genetically modified infants, genetic therapy, modification of animals and crops species, organs farming, and sex determination. Also, available reports have shown that students exhibited negative attitude to GCs, while previous interventions failed to incorporate socioscietific issues into the teaching of GCs. In this regard, it is important to raise genetics literate citizens who will be equipped with the fundamental information, positive attitude and skills needed in genetics using Constructive Controversy Strategy (CCS). The study was anchored to situated learning theory, while the pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design using 2x3 factorial matrix was adopted. An intact class of secondary school two science students from six public school was randomly assigned to CCS (121) and conventional strategy (119). Five instruments were used. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance at 0.05 level of significance. There was a significant main effects of treatment on student’ attitude (F(1;215)=4.42; partial η2=0.02) to GCs. The participants exposed to CCS had better attitude to GCs (60.85) than those taught with CS (55.15). Genetics self-efficacy had significant main effect on students’ attitude to GCs (F(2;214)= 3.12; partial η2=0.03), in favour of participants with low genetics self-efficacy. Treatment and self-efficacy had significant interaction effect on students’ attitude to GCs (F(2; 213) = 3.04; partial η2 = 0.05). Constructive controversy strategy enhanced secondary school students’ genetics concepts in Oyo State, Nigeria. Biology teachers should adopt this strategy in teaching genetics concepts and related socioscientic issues in genetics concepts.
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