Effects of Flipped Instructional Strategy on Academic Performance and Gender Differences in Sciences among Undergraduate Students in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The academic performance of undergraduate science students in Zamfara State, Nigeria, has been declining in recent years. Despite the availability of modern technology, teaching methods remain largely dependent on traditional lecture-based instruction. Lecturers and their students use different applications and software for their personal purposes, but using these technologies for educational purposes was very low. This study investigates the effects of the Flipped Instructional Strategy (FIS) on the academic performance and gender differences of undergraduate students in science disciplines. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 160 students from two universities in Zamfara State. The instrument used for data collection was Science Courses Achievement Test (SSPT) with reliability coefficients of 0.819. The instrument was duly validated by experts. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question, while ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed a significant improvement in students’ performance when taught using FIS compared to enhanced lecture methods. There were no significant gender differences in performance. The study recommends training science lecturers in FIS to enhance student learning outcomes.