Efficacy of Padlet Instructional Tool on Students’ Engagement and Perception in the Teaching and Learning of some Ecological Concept

The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of padlet instructional tool on students’ engagement and perception in the teaching and learning of some ecological concept in the Accra Metropolitan of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Three research hypotheses guided the study and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A quasi-experimental design was used. A total sample of One Hundred and two (102) elective biology Senior High School students comprising sixty-seven (67) males and thirty-five (35) females were purposively sampled and used for the study. Two instruments were used for data collection in the study, namely; Students’ Engagement and Collaboration Checklist (SECC), and Students’ Perceptions on Padlet Tool Questionnaire (SPPTQ). The data collected from the study were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean and standard deviation, Krukal-Wallis test analysis, chi-square test analysis (cross-tabulation) together with mean and box plots. The result of the study revealed that students in both padlet tool instructional groups 1 and 2 performed better in terms of engagement and collaboration in class during the teaching and learning of the ecological concepts as compared to their counterparts in the conventional lecture-based instructional group. Therefore, padlet instructional approach is efficacious in enhancing students’ engagement, participation and collaboration. The study results again indicated that the padlet group students had very positive perception about the use of Padlet as an instructional tool and find it a suitable tool for teaching and learning of ecological concepts. The result further revealed a relationship between the students’ perception and their ICT background knowledge (p-value =.019) towards the use of Padlet tool in teaching and learning of ecological concepts. It was noted that almost all the students with good ICT background expressed a very positive/positive perception towards the use of Padlet. From the findings, a conclusion is drawn that the biology teachers and students should be encouraged to use padlet instructional tool in the teaching and learning of ecological concepts.