The Effect of Biology Teaching Materials on the Academic Performance of Senior Secondary School Students in Ilorin West, Ilorin, Kwara State

This study examined the impact of Biology instructional materials on the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Ilorin West LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria. It employed a descriptive survey research design and targeted Biology students in senior secondary schools. A random sampling technique was used to select 120 students. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using frequency count, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, and ANOVA. The findings revealed a significant positive effect of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance. Students taught with these materials outperformed those without them. However, no significant differences were found based on gender and class size. The study also highlighted the importance of school type, showing a substantial influence of Biology instructional materials on academic performance. Recommendations include the Ministry of Education providing instructional materials, Biology teachers incorporating them in lessons to foster competition, government support for public schools in obtaining instructional materials, and additional infrastructure like classrooms and laboratories..


INTRODUCTION
Biology is a subject taught at the secondary school level to give students an in-depth understanding of biological concepts, principles, theories, and laws (Bello et al., 2020). It encompasses the study of living organisms, from microscopic cellular molecules to the entire biosphere, including ecosystems and the Earth's surface. Biology has a significant global impact and plays vital roles in various fields, such as microbiology, biotechnology, genetics, botany, medicine, zoology, and bioinformatics (Kulak & Newton, 2015). Developing a comprehensive knowledge of biological concepts is crucial for students to comprehend the complexities of the living world. Through biology, students can explore diverse aspects such as organism structures and functions, ecosystem interactions, evolution, genetics, and practical applications in health, agriculture, and the environment. A solid understanding of biology empowers students to actively contribute to environmental sustainability, engage in scientific research, and make informed decisions in the increasingly complex biological realm (Neji & Ntibi, 2019a). However, due to its abstract nature and intricate relationships, biology is often perceived as challenging to teach and learn (Cimer, 2012).
Learning is a continuous process that involves acquiring new knowledge, ideas, skills, values, and experiences, leading to behavioral modifications (Hale & Mauzerall, 2004). Effective presentation of learning concepts should engage students' diverse interests and abilities, progressing from familiar concepts to unfamiliar ones and promoting active participation in the classroom. Teachers cannot consider their instructional goals achieved until they observe the desired changes in student behavior. Instructional materials are valuable resources that facilitate learning and enhance students' understanding of the subject matter. They act as aids or tools that support effective teaching practices, contributing to a meaningful educational experience. These materials can take various forms, including visual aids, manipulatives, multimedia presentations, and technological resources. By integrating appropriate instructional materials into their teaching, educators encourage active participation and engagement among students, significantly when students can interact with and manipulate the materials (Abidoye et al., 2022).
In conclusion, biology plays a fundamental role in secondary school education, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of biological concepts and their applications. Instructional materials are indispensable pedagogical tools, effectively communicating these concepts and facilitating students' educational journeys. Teachers can improve students' understanding and academic achievements in biology by utilizing suitable instructional materials. This practice promotes an interactive and stimulating classroom atmosphere. This study examines the relationship between instructional materials and students' academic performance in Biology within senior secondary schools in Osun State. Findings revealed that students taught with instructional materials performed better than those taught without instructional materials (Awolaju, 2016). A study was conducted to examine students' attitudes towards the subject of Biology, investigating the impact of these attitudes on their academic performance in the same subject.
Additionally, the study aimed to determine the extent to which the availability of teaching and learning resources influenced students' performance in Biology (Mukhwana, 2013;Muraya & Kimamo, 2011 shows that instructional materials used in the teaching and learning of Biology enable students to achieve more, unlike situations where instructional material is inadequate. The present study examines the impact of instructional materials on student's academic achievement in Biology within Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos. The study's findings indicate that instructional materials notably impact the pedagogy of Biology. Moreover, utilizing instructional materials substantially impacts knowledge acquisition biology (Ali et al., 2014). Instructional resources are essential for quality education (Oakes & Saunders, 2002). Instructional resources assist teachers in uniquely transmitting knowledge, making learning more effective as they help learners acquire knowledge. It encourages participation, especially if students are allowed to manipulate material use. The availability of instructional materials makes teaching and learning very pleasant to primary science teachers (Gick, 1986)He added that the factors could be poor laboratory facilities, the inability of the biology teachers to put across ideas clearly to the students and an inadequate number of learning facilities in Ilorin West, Kwara State, the lack of availability and the credibility of instructional materials in the teaching of biology in terms of effectiveness and appropriateness of instructional materials have to remain significant problems and issues of interest in schools in Nigeria.
Instructional materials play a crucial role in teaching and learning as they stimulate students' interests, help overcome physical limitations, and enhance the presentation of subject matter. Research conducted in senior secondary schools in Osun State examined the correlation between the use of instructional materials and student's academic performance in Biology, revealing that students taught with instructional materials performed better than those taught without them. It highlights the significance of instructional resources in facilitating effective teaching and learning experiences. The abstract nature of science subjects, including Biology, often poses challenges for educators, making instructional materials necessary to enhance students' comprehension and engagement (Neji & Ntibi, 2019b). Insufficient availability and inadequate utilization of instructional materials have been identified as significant factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of the school system and poor student performance.
Instructional materials encompass visual resources that engage the sense of sight, audio materials that engage the sense of hearing, and audio-visual materials that integrate visual and auditory elements.
Engaging in several vital steps is crucial to effectively utilize instructional materials, including previewing the materials, preparing the learning environment, and ensuring the audience's attention, motivation, and comprehension. Private schools generally possess superior material resources compared to public schools, which consequently results in enhanced academic performance in external examinations has been shown that larger class sizes have a detrimental effect on student's academic achievement (Timilehin & Ogbomida, 2012). Furthermore, class size management is of utmost importance in facilitating effective learning as research. Additionally, managing class sizes is crucial for effective learning, as increasing class sizes has negatively impacted students' academic performance (Garrett, 2014).
Previous studies have explored the relationship between class size and academic achievement. Schools with smaller class sizes yielded better quality output than larger ones (Owoeye & Yara, 2011). they have also concluded that the output quality in secondary schools significantly differed between schools with average class sizes of 35 students and below and those above 35 (Adeyemi, 2005). They have investigated the effects of class size on the academic performance of Biology students in senior secondary schools in Lagos State, revealing that large class sizes harmed students' academic performance (Ehebha & Adeyinka, 2022). They also found no significant influence of class size on gender differences but noted its impact on students' ability levels in Biology. Given the importance of instructional materials in teaching Biology and the impact of class size on academic performance, this research examines the influence of Biology instructional materials on student's academic performance in senior secondary school. By exploring the relationship between instructional materials and academic achievement in the context of class size, this study contributes to our understanding of effective teaching strategies in Biology education.

Purpose of the study
The main purpose of this study examined Biology instructional materials effect on students' 2. Biology instructional materials effect on students' academic performance based on school type.
3. Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance based on class size.

Research Questions.
In this work, the following research questions are set for answering; LGA specifically, there are 28 public secondary schools and 25 private secondary schools, totalling 53 secondary schools. Six secondary schools were selected to delimit the scope of the study, consisting of three private and three public schools. The target population for the study comprised 120 biology students from these selected schools, chosen through a simple random sampling technique.
The data collection instrument used in this study was an adapted questionnaire titled "Biology To gain access to the sampled schools, the researcher presented a letter of introduction from the Head of the Department of Science Education at the University of Ilorin. Additionally, the principal of each selected secondary school was provided with a consent form before the questionnaires were administered to the students. The researcher personally administered the instruments to the sampled biology students, providing clear instructions for the exercise. To prevent the loss of questionnaires, the researcher immediately retrieved completed questionnaires.
The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Frequency and percentage (%) were used to analyze the demographic information, while the research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Hypothesis 1 was tested using a t-test, and the effect of instructional materials on students' academic performance (hypothesis 2) was examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA). These statistical analyses were conducted to provide insights and draw conclusions based on the data collected in the study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data collected for this study were analyzed and presented in a table for straightforward interpretation. The data were the responses to the questionnaire items by the population on the influence of Biology Instructional material on students' academic performance in senior secondary school in Ilorin West, Kwara State. Frequency count and percentage were used to describe the demographic data; research questions will be analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while t-test statistic was used to test all the hypotheses formulated at alpha = 0.05 significance level. All analyses used a statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0. Table 1 shows the general data of respondents' personal information. Out of 120 students sampled in this survey, 60 students, which correspond with 50% of total respondents, were from public schools and also 50 students representing 50% from private schools. 40 students in SS1 were involved, which corresponds to 33.3%. Forty-nine were in SS11 (40.8), while 51 students were in SS111 (25.8) based on class size.

Analysis of Research Questions
To address the research inquiries, a set of 16 items was administered to assess the impact of Biology instructional materials on students' academic achievement in Ilorin West LGA, Kwara. A mean score of 2.5 or higher indicated agreement, while a mean score below 2.5 was considered indicative of disagreement.

Research Question One:
What are the influences of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance?  There is no significant effect on school type in using Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School.
The data obtained regarding the question and hypothesis is presented in Table 3.  Table 3 shows that the mean score of private school students is 54.11(SD=4.25) while that of public school students is 51.98 (SD=4.23). at df =118, t-value =-2.75 and p<.05 level of significance. It implies that the private schools engaged in Biology instructional material more than the public schools. Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected since the hypothesis stated that there is no significant effect on school type.

Research Question Three:
Biology instructional materials affect students' academic performance based on class size H 03; There is no significant effect of using Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School based on class size.
The data obtained regarding the question and hypothesis is presented in Table 4.  Table 4 presents an analysis of variance (ANOVA) showing the effect of Biology Instructional materials on students' academic performance based on class size. The Table revealed that the F-value of 2.44 with a pvalue of 0.09 computed at a 0.05 significant level. Since the p-value is greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis States that there was no significant effect on class size in the use of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School is therefore not rejected.

Summary of Major Findings
The following is the summary of the significant findings of this study: 1. Biology instructional materials affect students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School Ilorin.
2. There was a significant difference between private and public schools in using Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School Ilorin.
3. There was no significant difference in class size in the use of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance in Senior Secondary School

Discussion of Findings
The study analyzed the data from a questionnaire survey to investigate the influence of Biology instructional materials on student's academic performance in senior secondary schools in Ilorin West, Kwara State. The data were analyzed using various statistical methods in SPSS version 25.0. Table 1 provides the demographic data of the respondents. The sample consisted of 120 students, with an equal distribution of 60 students from public schools and 60 from private schools. In terms of class size, 40 students were in SS1 (33.3%), 49 in SS2 (40.8%), and 31 in SS3 (25.8%). Research question one aimed to determine the influences of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance. Table 2 presents the mean and standard deviation of the items assessing the impact of Biology instructional materials. All the listed items had a mean score greater than 2.50, indicating agreement. The items included the use of textbooks and charts, the use of biological specimens, the use of realia, and the use of instructional resources to break down topics, among others.
Research question two examined whether Biology instructional materials affect students' academic performance based on school type. The null hypothesis (H01) stated that school type has no significant effect on the use of Biology instructional materials.

CONCLUSION
Based on the data analysis conducted in this study, it can be concluded that the use of Biology instructional materials positively influences students' academic performance. This finding is supported by the mean scores greater than 2.50 for all items measuring the impact of Biology instructional materials on students' academic performance. Furthermore, the study also found a significant difference in the use of Biology instructional materials based on school type. Private schools were more actively utilizing Biology instructional materials than public schools. It indicates a difference in teaching approaches and the utilization of learning resources between the two types of schools. However, the study did not find a significant effect of class size on using Biology instructional materials. In this regard, class size did not significantly affect utilizing Biology instructional resources. Based on these findings, it is recommended to enhance the use of Biology instructional materials in all types of schools, particularly in public schools. It is essential to consider teaching strategies that involve using Biology instructional resources to enhance students' interest and understanding of Biology concepts. However, it is essential to note that this study was conducted in a specific area (Ilorin West, Kwara State) and at the senior secondary school level. Therefore, the findings of this study may not be directly applicable to different educational contexts or levels. Further research is needed to broaden the scope of this study and generalize the findings to a broader range of educational settings.