Effect of edutainment on pre-service teachers’ higher-order thinking skills and scientific literacy in genetics in North-Central, Nigeria

The study determined the effect of edutainment on pre-service teachers’ higher-order thinking skills and scientific literacy in Genetics in North-Central, Nigeria. The study employed a non-randomized, non-equivalent, control group quasi-experimental design. The study aimed to determine the effect of edutainment on higher-order thinking skills and scientific literacy, and their interaction among male and female pre-service Biology teachers in Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria. The sample size of the study was 372 level III Colleges of Education pre-service teachers selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Three validated research instruments comprising of treatment Instrument (Edutainment Package) and test instrument (Biology higher-order thinking ability test and Biology scientific literacy ability test) were used for data collection. The reliability of the instruments was established. The ANCOVA result revealed a significant difference (F(1,324) = 343.615, p = 0.000) in the scientific literacy skills of College of education pre-service Biology teachers taught using edutainment and those taught using conventional strategy and a significant difference (F(1,324) = 268.443, p = 0.000) in the higher-order thinking of College of Education pre-service Biology teachers taught using edutainment and those taught using conventional strategy. Also, the ANCOVA result revealed no significant difference (F(1,193) = 2.898, p = 0.090) in the scientific literacy skills of male and female College of Education pre-service Biology teachers taught using edutainment and no significant difference (F(1,193) = 0.121, p = 0.728) in the higher-order thinking of male and female College of Education pre-service Biology teachers taught using edutainment. The study concludes that Edutainment is an effective strategy for enhancing higher-order thinking skills and scientific literacy among pre-service Biology teachers. The study recommended among others that Edutainment should be used to augment teaching and learning of Biology in Colleges of Education.