This research work was aimed at finding out the relationship between types of misconceptions and achievement in genetics among senior secondary schools biology students’ in Jos-North Local Government Area of Plateau State. Correlation research as well as survey research designs were employed for this study. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The research was analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation while the hypothesis was analyzed using Pearson’s r. The population of the study consisted of randomly selected biology teachers and students’ of Government Senior Secondary Schools in the area of study. Thus, a total of two hundred and ten (210) respondents’ were used. Two hundred students and ten teachers drown from ten schools served as sample for the study. Three instruments were used for data collection. Achievement Test in Genetics (ATG), Questionnaire on Types of Misconceptions (QTM) and Biology Teachers’ Questionnaire on Students’ Causes of Misconceptions in Genetics. Major findings from this research work revealed that, there is poor trend of students’ academic achievement in genetics test, students’ held vary form of misconceptions in genetics concepts and the most prevalent misconception found among the students’ was the vernacular misconception, abstractness (AC), was the major reason for students’ causes of misconceptions, and there is perfect negative relationship between students types of misconceptions and their achievement. Recommendations were made based on these findings. Some of these recommendations are; effective and evidence-informed pedagogic practices are clearly needed by all teachers, and students, to identify, overcome and eliminate misconceptions in the acquisition of accurate scientific knowledge, to promote effective and meaningful learning, teachers’ need to identify the causes of such misconceptions and find ways to rectify them. The Government on her part should brace up to her responsibility of providing adequate teaching aids and instructional materials to all her schools, which must be equally use by the biology teachers to stimulate students in learning genetics.
Keywords: Biology Students, Education, Genetics, Nigeria, Senior Secondary School, Types of Misconceptions
