PREDICTORS OF BIOLOGY ACHIEVEMENT IN OGUN STATE’SRESOURCE-SCARCE SCHOOLS: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OFLABORATORY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PEDAGOGICAL METHODS

Abstract

The persistent underperformance of students in biology across the West AfricanExamination Council’s Biology necessitates a critical evaluation of the determinants ofacademic success. This study employed multiple regression analysis to determine therelative predictive power of laboratory facilities (equipment, specimens, furniture) andteaching methods (demonstration, inquiry, laboratory, expository) on the academicachievement of 602 Senior Secondary School students and 53 teachers in Abeokuta,Nigeria. The results revealed a significant combined influence of facilities andmethodology on performance, F (7, 589) = 10.959, p < .05, accounting for 10.5 per centof the variance (Adjusted R2 = .105). A breakdown of relative contributions showed thatLaboratory Equipment (Beta = .191, p < .05) and Specimens (Beta = .173, p < .05) werethe only significant physical predictors, while the Demonstration method was the onlysignificant pedagogical predictor. Notably, the Inquiry method (p = .950) and LaboratoryFurniture (p = .199) were statistically non-significant. The study concludes that inresource-constrained environments, tangible learning consumables are more critical forsuccess than the adoption of advanced pedagogical theories. Major recommendationsinclude a strategic realignment of educational funding to prioritise the procurement ofscientific apparatus over general furniture, and the training of teachers in interactivedemonstration techniques as a pragmatic bridge between theory and practice until schoolsare adequately equipped for individual student inquiry.