The effect of resource-based instructions on pre-service biology teachers' attitudes towards learning biology

Abstract

A positive attitude correlates to successful learning, while a negative attitude leads to poor learning. The present study aimed to compare the pre-service biology teachers' attitudes towards learning biology and assessing their attitude change before and after being taught by resource-based instructions (RBI) in Rwanda. A survey research design was used, in combination with a quasi-experimental control group and the equivalent time-series designs. Pre-service biology teachers were taught at a public university in three separate groups, with one control group and two experimental groups. Each group received a pre-attitude and a post-attitude assessment. In contrast, at a private university, they were taught as a single group, in a series of instructions, starting with the lecture method, followed by animation-based instruction and small-group laboratory activities, in which at each stage, the pre-service biology teachers received the same assessment. The biology Attitude Scale showed a Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.625 before its use. The data were analyzed quantitatively, and the results revealed no statistically significant difference between the public and the private pre-service teachers' attitudes before learning microbiology. Basically, the results show that pre-service biology teachers at the private University had much more positive attitudes than those in a public university. Contrary to the private university, pre-service teachers' attitudes towards biology changed after instruction in all groups across all the attitudinal statements at the public university. Nevertheless, all methods used during the intervention, namely the lecture methods, animation-based instructions, and small-group laboratory activities, equally improved pre-service biology teachers' attitudes towards learning biology. The lack of statistically significant difference among methods suggests that the preservice teachers' attitudes towards learning biology could also be influenced by other factors including their maturity level as well as their anticipated career commitment.