EFFECTS OF CONCEPT MAPPING ON PERFORMANCE AND MOTIVATION IN SOCIAL STUDIES AMONG UPPER BASIC II STUDENTS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the effects of concept mapping on academic performance and motivation in Social Studies among upper basic II students in Plateau state Nigeria. The study was guided by three (3) objectives, research questions and hypotheses are line with stated objectives. The study adopted Quasi-experimental and descriptive research design. The population of the study consisted of 21879 students from which 131 students were used as sample for the study. Purposive sampled sampling technique was used to select the school used for the study. Two instruments were used for data collection, that is, Social Studies Performance Test (SSPT) and Social Studies Motivation Questionnaire (SSMQ). Pilot test was conducted and .619 and .788 results were obtained. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while hypothesis one were tested using Paired sample t-test, hypothesis two were tested using independent sample t-test while three uses Wilcoxon statistics. The findings revealed among others that The post-test performance of students taught Social Studies using concept mapping strategy was higher than the pre-test performance in Upper Basic II in Plateau State, Nigeria (P-value= .000). The performances of students taught Social Studies using concept mapping was better than and those taught using conventional method in Upper Basic II in Plateau State, Nigeria (P-value= .000). it was concluded that  concept mapping enhanced students’ academic performance and motivation in Social Studies at the Upper Basic II level in Plateau State, Nigeria. The study recommended among others that curriculum planners should encourage and accommodate the use of concept mapping at in all levels of education. Social Studies teachers should be encouraged to use student-entered approach. Government should organize workshop and seminars for teachers on the effectiveness of Concept Mapping.