EFFECTS OF PEER INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN MANGU, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the effects of Peer instructional strategy on students’ achievement in Basic Science and Technology in Plateau State, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study while three hypotheses were formulated and tested. The study employed the non- equivalent group pre-test- post-test quasi experimental design. The population of the study was all the 2,195 Upper Basic 2 students in the 21 public schools. The sample for the study was 164 students from two co-educational secondary schools in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. The instruments used for data collection were Basic Science Achievement Test (BSAT). Kuder Richardson (K-R, 20) formula was used to determine the reliability coefficient of BSAT which yielded 0.799. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer all the research questions and inferential statistics of Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test all the hypotheses at 0.05 significant level. The results of the study showed that peer instructional strategy enhanced students’ achievement in Basic Science and Technology more than the conventional method. There is a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught Basic Science and Technology using peer instructional strategy and those taught using the conventional method (p = .000 < 0.05). peer instructional strategy facilitates achievement more in male students’ Basic Science as compared to the female students in the same class (P = .011 < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught using peer instructional strategy (P = .011> 0.05). There is a significant interaction effect of gender and the strategy on students’ achievement in Basic Science and Technology (P = 000 < 0.05). Based on the findings it was recommended that Basic Science and Technology teachers should not only guide the students on the subject matter but allow them to interact with one another to learn through discovery. This can foster confidence in the students and enhance their achievement in Basic Science