EFFECT OF SIMULATION-BASED LEARNING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ABIA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of simulation-based learning strategy on students' academic achievement in Agricultural Science in public secondary schools in Abia State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study determined the effect of simulation-based learning strategy on students' academic achievement, examined the effect of gender on students' achievement when taught using the strategy, and determined the interaction effect of teaching method and gender on students' academic achievement. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design using a non-randomized, non-equivalent pre-test and post-test control group design involving intact classes. The population comprised 13,288 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students offering Agricultural Science in public secondary schools in Abia State during the 2025/2026 academic session. A sample of 96 students was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection was the Agricultural Science Achievement Test (ASAT), which was validated by experts and yielded a Kuder–Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) reliability coefficient of 0.78. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that simulation-based learning strategy significantly improved students' academic achievement compared with the conventional lecture method. Although male students recorded slightly higher mean achievement scores than female students, the difference was not statistically significant. There was also no significant interaction effect of teaching method and gender on students' academic achievement. The study concluded that simulation-based learning strategy is an effective instructional approach for improving students' academic achievement in Agricultural Science irrespective of gender. The study recommended that Agricultural Science teachers should adopt simulation-based learning strategy and that schools should be equipped with appropriate simulation technologies to enhance effective teaching and learning.