Effect of Individualised Creative Mapping on Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Sustained Knowledge in Biology

Abstract

Sustaining national development, which emerges from science and technology activities, is not dissociated from effective science education. This connection is anchored on adequate understanding of the concepts and processes of science. The quest for comprehensive scientific understanding and sustained knowledge by citizens necessitated the need to examine the effect of innovative teaching strategies in this wise. This study examined the effect of individualised creative map construction on students’ conceptual understanding and sustained knowledge in Biology. Four null hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance, guided the study. A pretest-posttest delayed posttest control group, quasi-experimental design with 2×2 factorial matrix. Sixty-two biology students were purposively selected from two secondary schools as participants. The instruments used for the study were Biology Conceptual Knowledge Test (r=0.85) and Teachers’ Instructional Guides on Mindmapping strategy. Data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance and Estimated Marginal Means. The results revealed that treatment had a significant main effect on students’ conceptual understanding (F_(1,57) =50.67; p<0.05, partial ?² = .47) and sustained knowledge in biology (F_(1,57) = 31.26; p<0.05, partial ?² = 0.082). Treatment and gender had no interaction effect on students’ conceptual understanding and sustained knowledge in Biology with p>0.05. The study concluded that individualised creative map construction had significant positive effect on students’ conceptual understanding and sustained knowledge in biology than lecture method. It was recommended that teachers and curriculum developers should employ creative cognitive maps which enable the students to plan, coordinate and regulate their learning to enhance improvement in biology learning and sustain scientific concepts for future generation