Influence of Biology Remedial Instruction on Students' Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Kimaeti Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya
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The study sought to determine the effect of remedial teaching on students' academic performance in Biology. The study was guided by the Constructivist Theory of Learning advanced by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised 315 students, 80 teachers, and 20 school administrators drawn from public secondary schools in Kimaeti Sub-County, for a total of 415 respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from students and teachers, while interview schedules were administered to school administrators to collect qualitative data. The validity of the research instruments was established through expert judgment, and reliability was determined using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26 and presented using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was used to determine the relationship between remedial teaching and students' academic achievement in science. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The study established that remedial teaching had a positive and significant relationship with students' performance in Biology (r = 0.684, p = 0.000). The findings further revealed that remedial teaching enabled teachers to revisit difficult concepts, provide individualized instruction, and increase students' mastery of scientific concepts, thereby improving academic achievement in science. The study concluded that remedial teaching significantly contributes to improved students' academic achievement in Biology in secondary schools in Kimaeti Sub-County. The study recommends that school administrators institutionalize remedial teaching programs, the Ministry of Education formulate clear guidelines on remedial instruction, and teachers adopt learner-centered remedial approaches that address students' specific learning difficulties in science subjects.
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