Comparative effects of technology-enhanced teaching on secondary school students' achievement and engagement in genetics in Kwara State

Abstract

Persistent low achievement in biology across Nigerian secondary schools underscores the failure of traditional lecture-based instruction. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of interactive methods, including Demonstration, Projection, Integrated, and a Control, on the achievement and engagement of 300 SS2 students in genetics across three Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kwara State, Nigeria. A pretest-posttest design was used, with data analysed via descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Results revealed a significant main effect of teaching method on achievement, F(3, 288) = 12.45, *p* < .001, and engagement, F(3, 288) = 15.23, *p* < .001. The Projection method yielded the highest achievement (M = 71.0, SD = 7.6), while the Integrated method fostered the highest engagement. Significant method-by-LGA interactions (p < .010) highlight the role of context. The study concludes that the effectiveness of teaching methods depends on both pedagogical goals and local infrastructure, advocating for context-sensitive implementation of technology-enhanced strategies in genetics instruction.