Adie, Emmanuel Benimpuye; Obi, Joy Joseph; Okri John Arikpo & Ogbe Alphonsus Okori
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of constructivist method of teaching basic science and mathematics on the academic performance of junior secondary school 3 students in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study with some conceptual works reviewed. A total of one hundred and eighty-six (186) basic science and mathematics students, comprising four intact classes were selected from a population of 2684 JSS3 students in public secondary schools. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the schools. Two groups, namely: the experimental group and control group were used for the study. The study used a non-equivalent, pre-test, post-test, quasi-experimental design. Basic Science and Mathematics Performance Test (BSMPT) instrument, which consists of 15 test items each, was used to get data, with a reliability coefficient of 0.82 obtained using Kuder-Richardson-21 formula. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. The result showed that students taught using the constructivist method had a higher mean than those who were taught using the traditional lecture method. Based on the results obtained, recommendations were made, one of which was that workshops and seminars should be organised by the Ministry of Education in conjunction with professional bodies on how to use this innovative method in order to make learning realistic.