Date of Award

2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

First Advisor

Dr. Fredrick Mtenzi

Department

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Abstract

Ensuring learner engagement is crucial for achieving conceptual understanding, especially in biology classes. In Kenya, a noticeable decline in average biology scores, and insights from studies indicate that there is a dominant use of teacher-centered teaching methods which rarely engage learners to enable them to comprehend some of the biology topics that are marred with complexity. This research aimed to explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support biology teachers in improving their pedagogical practices in teaching topics perceived as difficult. The study began by exploring the perceived difficult topics in biology, the current pedagogical approaches used to teach them, and teachers’ perceptions towards learner-centered pedagogies.  The study conducted in a pure boy's secondary school involved collaboration between two teachers of biology and the researcher. Data was gathered through document analysis, lesson observations, and interviews. In this study context, teachers seemed positive to learner-centered methodologies. However, they mention administrative, financial, and teacher-related barriers that impede its actualization. Topics such as cell physiology, excretion, Homeostasis, construction of dichotomous key, cell division, genetics, evolution, support, and movement in animals were found to be very challenging to teach, and learners struggled to comprehend. The findings also reveal that conventional teaching approaches and resources tended to make learners passive participants during lessons due to their limited engagement. When ChatGPT and POE AI were introduced to collaborative teachers, they were able to prepare intensive lesson plans, generate more engaging questions, identify, and easily fix misconceptions, and improve their lesson notes. Furthermore, based on prompts, ChatGPT was able to suggest insightful pedagogical approaches to the study topic, appropriate teaching resources to be used, and how to integrate such resources including ICT during classroom instruction. These benefits are poised to significantly improve student’s performance in biology. The study recommended that secondary school educators adopt more engaging pedagogical methods and embrace ICT in teaching. Additionally, teacher professional development programs will be necessary for teachers. ChatGPT and POE AI were found effective in supporting teachers to improve their pedagogical approach to teaching the topics perceived to be difficult in biology. The study further recommends that policymakers and stakeholders formulate policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence use in education

First Page

1

Last Page

80

Download

Share

COinS