Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1080/02635143.2025.2555196

Publication Title

Research in Science & Technological Education

Volume

44

Issue

2

Pages

548-569

Abstract

Background

The dominance of Western-inspired teaching methods and instructional materials has contributed to cultural erosion in African schools. In response, increasing attention has been directed toward culturally responsive approaches to decolonising science education. One such approach is the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA), which enables African students to conceptualize science as culturally embedded knowledge, integrated into their everyday experiences and practically relevant to their lived realities.

Purpose

This study examined the potency of the CTCA in enhancing students' achievement in the biology topic of variation, which is widely regarded as conceptually challenging.

Sample

The study involved 105 Senior Secondary II students from two schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Design and method

An explanatory sequential design was adopted, comprising a quantitative quasi-experimental phase followed by a qualitative interview phase. The Achievement Test in Variation (reliability coefficient = 0.73) was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were gathered using a CTCA-based interview guide. The experimental group received instruction using CTCA, while the control group was taught with a conventional lecture-based method.

Results

Results revealed a statistically significant difference in achievement favoring the CTCA group [F(1,102) = 20.92, p < .05]. There was no significant effect of gender on achievement [F(1,60) = 1.65, p >.05]. Students expressed largely positive perceptions of the CTCA approach during interviews.

Conclusions

The study concludes that the CTCA is effective in improving students' academic achievement in variation. It offers valuable implications for science teaching practice and provides directions for future research focused on culturally grounded pedagogy.

Rights

© 2025 The Authors.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License, which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the authors or with their consent.

ORCID

0000-0002-4304-3428 (Adam)

Original Publication Citation

Adam, U., Ayanwale, M. A., Mustapha, H., Saibu, S. O., Owolabi, T., & Oladejo, A. I. (2026). 'I want to learn biology and preserve my culture' testing the efficacy of a culturally relevant and context specific approach. Research in Science & Technological Education, 44(2), 548-569. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2025.2555196

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