Practical biology mock examination as a predictor of secondary school students’ academic performance in biology theory in Nnewi education zone

Abstract

This study investigated the predictive value of students' practical Biology mock examination scores on their theory performance in Nnewi Education Zone. Five research questions and five null hypotheses, tested at the 0.05 level of significance, guided the research. A correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 13604 (public: 1918 males and 2049 females; private: 4332 males and 4765 females) Senior Secondary Sschool three (SS 3) students in the public and private secondary schools in Nnewi Education Zone, from which a sample of 727 (390 males and 337 females) SS 3 students was drawn using a multistage sampling procedure. The performance scores of students in the Biology practical and theory mock examination for the 2024/2025 academic session, from the selected schools, were used to collect data for the study. There was no need for instrument validation and reliability tests, since the performance scores were obtained from already existing standardized examination questions. Data were retrieved from the academic records of selected schools after due permission had been sought and obtained from the school authorities. The collected data were analyzed using simple linear and ANOVA regression analyses. The study found that practical mock Biology examination scores are not significant predictors of students’ theory performance. The findings of the study also showed that while gender was not a significant moderator of this predictive relationship, school type was. Based on the findings, it was recommended that while students should adopt study habits that integrate the practical and theoretical aspects in their learning of Biology, Biology teachers should deploy teaching methods in the classroom to facilitate this integration