Guided inquiry-based biology labs linked to higher conceptual understanding in Ethiopian tenth-grade study

A quasi-experimental study of 75 tenth-grade students in two Ethiopian public secondary schools found that students receiving Guided Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments Enriched Instruction (GIBLEI) had higher post-test scores in biology conceptual understanding than students taught with traditional laboratory instruction. The study was conducted in North Shoa Zone, Oromia Region, during the 2023 academic year and examined one Grade 10 unit on “Food Making and Growth in Plants.”

The experimental group included 46 students from Fitche Secondary School, while the control group included 29 students from Abdisa Aga Secondary School. The schools were purposively selected for similar facilities, library and information-technology resources, and teacher qualifications, then randomly assigned to the two instructional conditions. Biology teachers and laboratory technicians assigned to the experimental group received three days of training in GIBLEI, while the control-group staff received a brief orientation on the traditional approach.

GIBLEI combines hands-on experimentation with guided questioning, teacher modeling and scaffolding, collaborative investigation, reflective discussion, and locally available or alternative laboratory resources. Students were expected to formulate questions and predictions, conduct experiments, interpret evidence, compare observations with initial ideas, and revise their explanations through discussion and teacher feedback. The control condition, described as Traditional Laboratory Experiments Enriched Instruction, emphasized teacher demonstrations, lectures, and step-by-step procedures with predetermined outcomes.

Both groups studied the same unit for eight weeks and received 24 periods of instruction, three periods per week. The experimental group’s activities ranged from reproduction to conceptual understanding and problem solving, while control-group activities were less cognitively demanding because students did not design or conduct their own investigations. Researchers used classroom observations and field notes to monitor whether the planned approaches were delivered as intended.

Conceptual understanding was measured with a 28-item, two-tier Biology Conceptual Understanding Test. The first tier assessed factual knowledge and the second assessed reasoning, with an item scored as correct only when both tiers were answered correctly. Five biology-education experts reviewed the test and interview protocol for content and face validity. A pilot administration to 69 students produced a Kuder–Richardson 20 reliability coefficient of 0.706.

Before the intervention, the groups did not differ significantly in pre-test scores. After eight weeks, the experimental group’s mean post-test score was 8.84, with a standard deviation of 5.95, compared with 3.20 and a standard deviation of 2.05 in the control group. A Welch’s t-test identified a significant group difference, reported as t = 5.89 with p < 0.05 and a moderate-to-large standardized effect of d = 1.16. ANCOVA controlling for pre-test scores also found a significant association between group condition and adjusted post-test performance, F(1, 72) = 12.593, p = 0.001.

Both groups showed statistically significant pre-test-to-post-test improvement: z = −5.78, p < 0.05, for the experimental group and t = −3.9, p < 0.05, for the control group. The experimental group’s improvement was greater, although the article does not report a direct between-group test of change scores. No statistically significant gender differences in post-test scores were detected within either the experimental group, t = −1.42, p > 0.05, or the control group, t = −1.34, p > 0.05.

Semi-structured interviews with 12 students—six from each group, selected by gender and tertile-based achievement level—provided qualitative support for the quantitative findings. Experimental-group students generally gave more detailed accounts of photosynthesis, leaf structure, osmosis, transpiration, plant hormones, seed structure, and plant responses, including links to agriculture and environmental effects. Control-group students more often provided partial explanations or misconceptions, such as confusing osmosis with diffusion or failing to explain water transport and hormone functions. Some misconceptions persisted among experimental-group students, particularly concerning water transport and transpiration.

The findings are encouraging but bounded by the study’s design and scope. It included only two schools, 75 students, one curriculum unit, and an eight-week intervention, and it did not assess long-term retention. The non-equivalent quasi-experimental design cannot completely exclude selection or contextual effects, and the sample was too small to establish broad gender-equity effects. The authors recommend sustained teacher training, adequate laboratory assistance and materials, protected preparation time, and assessments emphasizing conceptual reasoning and inquiry. They also note that transfer to other Grade 10 units or educational settings remains a hypothesis requiring evaluation in larger and more diverse studies.

Subject of Research: Effects of guided inquiry-based biology laboratory instruction on tenth-grade students' conceptual understanding in Ethiopia

Article Title: The effect of guided inquiry-based laboratory experiments on secondary school students’ biology conceptual understanding in Ethiopia

Article References: Chengere, A. M., Bono, B. D., Zinabu, S. A., & Jilo, K. W. (2026). The effect of guided inquiry-based laboratory experiments on secondary school students’ biology conceptual understanding in Ethiopia. Discover Education, 5(1), Article 912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-026-02155-9

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44217-026-02155-9

Keywords: guided inquiry learning, biology education, secondary school students, Ethiopia, laboratory instruction, conceptual understanding, quasi-experimental study, mixed methods, plant biology, effect, guided, inquiry-based