Effects of Demonstration and Problem Solving Methods of Teaching on Students Achievements in Basic Technology

Abstract

The study experimentally determined the effects of demonstration and problem solving methods of teaching on students’ achievement in Basic Technology in Junior Secondary Schools in Niger State. Two research questions were articulated and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. Out of 195 Junior Secondary Schools, purposive random sampling technique was employed to select three Junior Secondary Schools each from each education zone, one single sex male, one co-educational and one single sex female Junior Secondary Schools were selected. In each of the Junior Secondary Schools selected, three intact classes were also considered in two (JSS II). Seven hundred and twenty (720) students in the eighteen intact classes constituted the sample for the study. The instrument for data collection was a 40-item ‘Basic Technology Achievement Test’ (BTAT). The instrument was face and content validated. Using Kuder Richardson 20, a reliability index of 0.80 was obtained based on the table of specification. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study revealed that students taught with the problem solving method, demonstration method and conventional lecture method had significant effects on students’ achievement. The educational implications of those findings were discussed and various recommendations were made such as: efforts should be made by teachers to integrate thoroughly both the demonstrate and problem solving approaches in the teaching of Basic Technology m Junior Secondary Schools.