Effects of Laboratory Practical Activities on Learners’ Academic Achievement and Attitude towards Biology in Selected Secondary Schools in Rwanda

Frederic Ntawuhiganayo & Florien Nsanganwimana
African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science University of
Rwanda-College of Education.
Email: fredn5050@gmail.com/ florinsanga.fr

Abstract: The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of practical activities on students’ academic achievement and attitude towards biology. Quasi-experimental design under quantitative method was adopted, pre-posttest biology achievement test (BAT) and biology attitude questions test (BAQT) were used for data collection. Two public secondary schools from Nyamagabe district with 272 students were purposively selected based on the availability of biology laboratories and equipment. The intact classes were randomly selected for experimental and control groups with 142 and 131 students respectively. Results were analyzed through descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test using statistical package for social science (SPSS). The findings revealed that, experimental group taught under laboratory practical activities achieved higher mean-scores than control group taught using teacher centered activities, the‟ chalk and talk method”. However, laboratory practical activities did not exert a significant effect on students’ attitude towards biology. The study recommends the use of laboratory practical activities to improve students’ biology performance in secondary schools and a further investigation on the effect of practical activities on students’ attitude towards biology.