Development and Implementation of a Contextualized Comic Book to Improve Students’ Conceptions of Cell Division

Abstract

Cell division was identified as one of the least learned competencies in teaching biological science to junior high school students. Comics’ combination of pictures and words makes the process more engaging to students by changing their perspective on learning. Reading literacy and motivation are improved by contextualized comic books. The use of comic books as instructional material significantly influences academic attainment, particularly for low achieving youngsters. As a result, instructors’ teaching strategies and approaches reflect the growth and inclusion of comics in teaching-learning. The study aimed to develop and assess a contextualized comic book teach-ing cell division concepts to improve students’ conceptions. The research used a modified exam from the General Biology book based on Curriculum Guide Competency and Most Important Learning Competency (MELC). The accomplishment exam consisted of 20 items covering the following topics: Cell Division/ Cell Cycle. The contextualized comic book was rated accept-able and with moderate agreement by the evaluators. The findings showed that the developed contextualized comic book positively influenced the knowledge level of the student’s cell division concepts. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the student’s pre-test and post-test mean scores. Additionally, they positively perceived that the developed contextualized comic book had increased their interest and creativity and enhanced their knowledge and understanding of Cell Division. Because of their significance to the teaching process, instructional comics are suggested for inclusion in many courses, notably in science.