OVERCOMING BIOLOGY ANXIETY THROUGH INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY: ASTUDY OF SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS IN ILORIN WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of Biology-related anxiety among Senior SecondarySchool students and evaluated effective strategies for mitigating its impact within IlorinWest Local Government of Kwara State, Nigeria. A descriptive design was adopted for thestudy. The population for this study comprised all public Senior Secondary Schools inIlorin West, Kwara State. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed for this study.At the first stage, a purposive sampling technique was used to select three (3) seniorsecondary schools within Ilorin West. At the second stage, a stratified sampling techniquewas used to classify respondents into senior secondary school two SSII and three SSIIIfrom the three (3) schools chosen. While at the third stage, a simple random samplingtechnique was used to select sixty (60) respondents from each stratum. Thus, a total ofthree hundred and sixty (360) respondents were selected from SSII and SSIII of the threeschools selected as the sample of this study. Findings revealed that factors such as fear offailure, low self-confidence, overwhelming content, and traditional teacher-centredmethods significantly contribute to biology anxiety. Limited access to practical resourcesand complex diagrams intensified student stress. The study also revealed that interactiveteaching methods, peer collaboration, real-life application of Biology concepts, andconsistent feedback from teachers significantly reduced anxiety and increased studentengagement. The study, therefore, concludes that addressing biology anxiety requires ashift toward active learning strategies, the integration of digital tools, and improvedteacher-student relationships. The study recommends training of teachers to ensure a moreinclusive, supportive, and engaging biology learning environment.