Effect of Simulation Instructional Strategy on Students’ Interest in Basic Science at Junior Secondary School in Ogun State

Abstract

Basic Science serves as the background for higher science subjects like Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Despite the importance
of secondary school science to build foundation for the study of science at tertiary levels of education for sustainable development,
there is a major concern that students’ interest in science keeps declining. In response to this concern of declining interest in
science, the researcher sought to investigate the effectiveness of simulation instructional strategy on students’ interest in Basic
Science.
The research is a quasi-experimental design of 2x2 factorial matrix. Three research hypotheses guided the study. Purposive
sampling technique was used to select two intact classes in Ijebu North Local Government Area. A validated Students’ Interest
in Science Questionnaire (SISQ) (r = 0.70) was used to collect data.
The result shows a significant difference in the post-test mean interest scores of students exposed to different instructional
strategies. However, the result shows there is no significant interaction effect of gender on students’ interest in Basic Science.
Finally, the result shows there is no significant interaction effect of instructional strategy and gender on students’ interest in Basic
Science.
This study concluded that Simulation instructional strategy has the power of sustaining students’ interest in Basic Science when
compared with the conventional teaching method. It is therefore recommended that simulation instructional strategy should be
introduced to the teaching and learning of Basic Science in schools.
Keywords: Simulation Instructional Strategy, Students’ Interest, Basic Science