EFFECTS OF 5E LEARNING CYCLE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN BIOLOGY IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of the 5E Learning Cycle Instructional Strategy on secondary school students' interest in Biology in Adamawa State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The population comprised 18,259 Senior Secondary II Biology students during the 2025/2026 academic session. A sample of 391 students drawn from three public secondary schools was selected using multistage sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Biology Interest Inventory (BII), which had a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.86. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students taught Biology using the 5E Learning Cycle Instructional Strategy demonstrated significantly higher interest than those taught using the conventional lecture method. The instructional strategy had a significant positive effect on students' interest in Biology. Although no significant gender difference was found in students' interest, the strategy proved effective for both male and female students. The study concludes that the 5E Learning Cycle Instructional Strategy is an effective learner-centred approach for enhancing students' interest in Biology in secondary schools. Its adoption can contribute to improved classroom engagement and increased interest in Biology among learners.