A Comparative Study to Find Effectiveness of Teaching Biology Through Low-Cost material as Teaching Aid and Traditional Method of Teaching at Secondary Level

The study was conducted to investigate a comparative study to find the effectiveness of teaching biology through low-cost materials as teaching aid and traditional method of teaching at secondary level. The objectives of the study were, a) to find the effectiveness of low-cost material as teaching aid on the academic performance of the students in the subject of Biology at secondary level, b) to find the effectiveness of traditional methods on the academic performance of the students in the subject of Biology at secondary level, and c) to compare the effectiveness of low-cost material as teaching aid and traditional methods on the academic performance of the students in the subject of Biology at secondary level. A Pretest–Posttest Equivalent Group Design was used in the study. Forty-six students from class 10th from The Educators Dhamial Campus, Rawalpindi were taken as a sample for the study through paired random sampling technique. An experimental research design was used for the conduction of the study. For data collection, assessment sheets were developed. To measure the performance of the students, statistical techniques such as t-test (independent and paired) and Chi Square were applied to analyze the collected data. Data analysis revealed that the experimental group scored significantly better on post-test than on pre-test in the learning of biology. The students also showed high level of interest and involvement. The use of low-cost materials in models proved to be effective in increasing academic achievement of biology students. On the basis of findings, it was recommended that biology teachers use low-cost materials as a teaching aid. This study may be significant for science students and teachers.