EFFECT OF LABORATORY APPROACH ON INTEREST AND ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN ENERGY CONCEPTS IN KEFFI, NASARAWA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the Effect of Laboratory Approach on Basic Science Students’ Interest and Achievement in Energy Concepts in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Four research questions guided the study and four research null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Pre-test, Posttest Quasi experimental research was used for this study. The population of the study comprised 3932 Upper Basic II students in Lafia, Nasarawa for 2024/2025 academic session. The sample consisted of 103Junior Secondary School II (JSS II) students selected through a multi-stage sampling technique from four co-educational secondary schools. The students were assigned to either an experimental group, which received laboratory-based instruction, or a control group, which was taught using the conventional lecture method. Data were collected using the Energy Achievement Test (ENAT) and the Students’ Interest in Energy Questionnaire (SIEQ), both of which were validated and tested for reliability. Kuder-Richardson 21 (K-R₂₁) reliability was used to determine the internal consistency of ENAT which yielded coefficient of 0.79 and Cronbach Alpha’s formula was used to determine the reliability of SIEQ yielding 0.81 as coefficient. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that students taught using the Laboratory Approach showed significantly higher post-interest and post-achievement scores compared to those taught using the conventional method. ANCOVA results confirmed a statistically significant effect of the Laboratory Approach on students' interest and achievement, leading to the rejection of the null hypotheses. The study concludes that laboratory-based teaching is a more effective instructional strategy for enhancing students' engagement and understanding of Energy concepts. Based on these findings, it is recommended that science teachers adopt laboratory-based teaching methods, school administrators equip laboratories with necessary resources, and policymakers revise the curriculum to emphasize practical, inquiry-based learning. The study suggests further research into the long-term impact of laboratory instruction on students' retention and its effectiveness in other science topics.