ENHANCING BASIC SCIENCE PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION AMONG BASIC EDUCATION STUDENTS IN TARABA STATE NIGERIA: THE IMPACT OF METACOGNITIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY USING PEEDA.

Abstract

This paper explored the impact of the PEEDA metacognitive instructional strategy on Basic Science students' performance and retention in Taraba State. Using a quasi-experimental design, 98 out of a population of 6,288 students were sampled. Data was collected through the Basic Science Performance Test (BSPT) which was adopted from BECE. Descriptive statistics answered research questions, and ANCOVA tested the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Results showed that the PEEDA method significantly improved scores from pre-test to post-test compared to traditional methods (p<0.05), although there was no significant difference between male and female students' performance using PEEDA (p=0.584). The study concluded that PEEDA enhances basic education student’s engagement and comprehension, thereby, recommending its adoption across subjects to improve performance and retention.