Effect of 3D Animated Science Narratives on Biology Concept Retention among Secondary Students in Zing, Taraba State, Nigeria.

This study examined the effect of immersive, three-dimensional (3D) animated science narratives on the retention of complex biology concepts among Senior Secondary Two (SS 2) students in Zing Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design was adopted. A sample of 120 SS 2 biology students from four public secondary schools was selected through multi-stage purposive and random sampling and assigned to experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups. The experimental group received instruction through 3D animated science narratives while the control group received conventional chalk-and-talk instruction. Two instruments were used: the Biology Retention Achievement Test (BRAT; KR-20 = 0.81) and the Students’ Motivation towards Biology Instruction Questionnaire (SMBIQ; α = 0.78). Three hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and independent samples t-tests. Results showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher retention scores than the control group, F(1, 117) = 47.31, p < .001, partial η² = .288. Gender was not a significant moderator of this advantage, t(58) = 1.61, p = .113. The experimental group also reported significantly higher motivation than the control group, t(118) = 10.36, p < .001. The study concluded that Immersive 3D animated science narrative instruction was significantly more effective than conventional chalk-and-talk instruction in promoting biology concept retention among SS 2 students in Zing Education Zone, Taraba State. This advantage held across gender and was accompanied by a substantial increase in student motivation towards biology learning. The study recommends integrating 3D animated science narratives into biology instruction, supported by investment in ICT infrastructure and teacher training.

Immersive 3D Animation, Biology Retention, Science Narratives, Secondary Education, Student Motivation

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