EFFECT OF ACTION LEARNING AND CONCEPT MAPPING STRATEGIES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SOCIAL STUDIES STUDENTS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-EAST/WEST OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the effects of action learning and concept mapping strategies on academic achievement of social studies students in junior secondary school in south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria. The study investigated the gender differences and school location on the achievement of students in social studies.  The researcher adopted Quazi-experimental pre-test, post-test and control design. The population of the study consisted of all JSS III social studies students in all the secondary schools in south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria.  The sample size was made up of three hundred (300) social studies student drawn from the six schools from the three states in the south-east-west zone of Nigeria (Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers and Abia).  Multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection. The experimental groups were taught using action learning and concept mapping strategies and the control group were taught using conventional method.  Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) was used to generate relevant data for the study. The face and content validity of the instrument was ascertained by expert in department and their suggestions and corrections was effected and also used to build the validity of the instruments. The reliability of the instrument was ensure using test–retest method and the reliability co-efficient was ascertained at the level of significant of 0.05.  Findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean achievement score between experimental groups and control groups. The study also revealed that there is no difference in the mean achievement score of male and female students but there is difference in the achievement of students’ base on location.  Therefore, the researcher recommended that teachers should adopt the use of action learning and concept mapping strategies for the teaching of social studies being an innovative method in order to facilitate better teaching and learning of social studies teachers. Social Studies teachers should be encouraged by government to attained seminars and workshops on teaching methods for exposures to more innovative methods.