Efficacy of Virtual Reality Simulation-Based Instruction on Students’ Academic Achievement in Ecology in Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti State

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of virtual reality simulation-based instruction on students’ academic achievement in ecology in Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti State. Three research questions and hypotheses guided the study. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was adopted. The population comprised all Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) students offering Biology in public secondary schools in the state. A total of 65 SS2 students (35 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group) participated in the study. Participants in the experimental group were taught using VRSI, while the control group received instruction using a conventional method, and the treatment lasted for six weeks. Data were collected using a researcher-designed Ecology Achievement Test (EAT), and were validated by three experts. EAT reliability was established using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, yielding a coefficient of 0.83. In analyzing the data, the mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. In contrast, independent-samples t tests were used to test the hypotheses at the .05 significance level. The results revealed that students exposed to Virtual Reality Simulation-Based Instruction obtained significantly higher posttest achievement scores than those taught conventionally, t(63) = 5.66, p < .001, d = 1.41. They also recorded significantly higher mean gain scores, t(63) = 3.93, p< .001, d = 0.98. There was no significant influence of gender on students’ academic achievement in ecology when taught using VRSI, t(33) = −0.71, p = .484. It is thus recommended that Biology teachers should employ Virtual Reality Simulation-Based Instruction strategies to teach ecological concepts.