Impact of Team-Teaching Strategy on Performance and Retention in Biology concept among Secondary School Students in Effutu Municipality.

Abstract

This study examined the impact of team-teaching on academic achievement and retention of biology students in the first year of Winneba Senior High School, Effutu Municipality, Ghana. The reason for this study was the persistent low performance in biology, especially on complex concepts such as the mammalian system, and the need to explore more effective teaching methods beyond the traditional lecture. A quasi-experimental research design was used, based on a random sample of 150 SHS 1 biology students. The sample was divided into experimental and control groups, which were taught using team and conventional single-teacher methods, respectively. The Biology Achievement and Retention Test (BART) was employed to collect data, administered as a pre-test, post-test, and delayed retention test. The instrument was validated by experts and pilot tested, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.78. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were used to analyse the data at a 0.05 significance level. The results indicated that students taught using team teaching outperformed their counterparts in academic performance, with the experimental group having a significantly higher mean score (M = 15.31) than the control group (M = 10.56). Additionally, the experimental group scored significantly higher on retention of biology concepts (M = 14.01) than the control group (M = 8.27). The study found that team teaching is a more effective instructional method than the traditional lecture approach for improving academic achievement and retention in SHS biology students in the long run. It is recommended that biology teachers and education policymakers encourage the incorporation of team-teaching approaches in biology instruction to enhance learning outcomes.