Effects of inquiry-based teaching on students’ academic achievement in Biology in lower secondary schools in Ilala – Dar es Salaam – Tanzania

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of inquiry-based teaching on secondary students’ academic achievement in Biology. A total of 94 Form Three students from two different secondary schools in the Ilala district in Dar es Salaam – Tanzania were involved. A pre-test and post-test quasi-experiment research design was adopted for the study where students in one school were involved in inquiry-based teaching and those from the other school were conventionally instructed. To determine the effect of inquiry-based teaching, an achievement test in coordination in plants was administered as a pre-test and post-test to both groups. The test generated quantitative data that was analysed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics where independent samples T-test was used. Findings indicated that students taught through inquiry-based teaching performed better than those taught through conventional methods. Implications for practice are discussed.