Effect of 3D Animated Science Narratives on Biology Concept Retention among Secondary Students in Zing, Taraba State, Nigeria.

This study examined the effect of immersive, three-dimensional (3D) animated science narratives on the retention of complex biology concepts among Senior Secondary Two (SS 2) students in Zing Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design was adopted. A sample of 120 SS 2 biology students from four public secondary schools was selected through multi-stage purposive and random sampling and assigned to experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups. The experimental group received instruction through 3D animated science narratives while the control group received conventional chalk-and-talk instruction. Two instruments were used: the Biology Retention Achievement Test (BRAT; KR-20 = 0.81) and the Students’ Motivation towards Biology Instruction Questionnaire (SMBIQ; α = 0.78). Three hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and independent samples t-tests. Results showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher retention scores than the control group, F(1, 117) = 47.31, p < .001, partial η² = .288. Gender was not a significant moderator of this advantage, t(58) = 1.61, p = .113. The experimental group also reported significantly higher motivation than the control group, t(118) = 10.36, p < .001. The study concluded that Immersive 3D animated science narrative instruction was significantly more effective than conventional chalk-and-talk instruction in promoting biology concept retention among SS 2 students in Zing Education Zone, Taraba State. This advantage held across gender and was accompanied by a substantial increase in student motivation towards biology learning. The study recommends integrating 3D animated science narratives into biology instruction, supported by investment in ICT infrastructure and teacher training.