Assessment of Biology Content Knowledge on Academic Performance among Senior Secondary Schools in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study investigated the assessment of biology content knowledge on academic performance among senior secondary schools in Kwara State Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, involving a total of 600 senior secondary school students drawn from 24 schools (12 public and 12 private) across the three senatorial districts of the state. Data were collected using structured checklists to assess both curriculum content coverage and students’ performance in biology in WAEC from 2011 to 2016. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages, and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions, while a paired simple t-test was employed to test for significant difference. The findings revealed that private schools recorded a higher average curriculum content coverage (mean = 1.79) compared to public schools (mean = 1.57). The t-test result indicated a statistically significant difference in the extent of curriculum coverage between public and private school (p < 0.05). The study concluded that extensive curriculum coverage significantly influences students’ academic performance in biology. Based on these findings, the study recommends Future studies should explore curriculum content coverage and academic performance across other science subject and replicate this research in other state of the federation. School time table should be adjusted to allow sufficient periods or time for biology classes. This study contributes to body of knowledge by empirically establishing the direct relationship between curriculum content coverage and academic performance in the context of Nigerian secondary science education.