ABSTRACT
The study investigated the effect of Guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ achievement and interest in Economics. Five research questions and five null hypotheses guided the study. Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study, specifically, non-equivalent control group design. The study was carried out in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State. The sample for the study consist of 80 SS II students which comprises of 39 male and 41female students drawn from two (2) schools in the study area using purposive sampling techniques. A total of 50 multiple choice items were developed by the researcher and were subjected to content validation using test blue print after which the EAT was further subjected to item analysis. After the analysis 20 items were dropped and 30 items were selected. The Economics Interest Inventory Scale of 24 items were vetted and used for item analysis. For the reliability of the instrument, 20 copies of the EAT to the students and the data obtained from their responses were used to estimate the reliability of the instrument. The reliability of the EAT was determined using Kuder Richardson (K-R20) formula and reliability coefficient of 0.85 was obtained. The internal consistency of Economics Interest Inventory Scale was determined from the response of 20 students using Cronbach alpha formula. The test was administered to 20 secondary school II students and the internal consistency of 0.91 was obtained. The experimental groups were taught using guided discovery instructional strategy, while the control group was taught using lecture method. The treatments lasted for four weeks. Two instruments were used for data collection in the study namely; Economics Achievement Test (EAT) and Economics Interest Inventory Scale (EIIS). Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results revealed that guided discovery instructional strategy was superior to method in facilitating students’ achievement and interest in Economics. There was no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female students in Economics after the treatment, although male students performed slightly better than their female counterpart. On the test of interaction, it was revealed that mode of instruction (method) and gender had a significant ordinal interaction effect on students’ achievement and interest in Economics. Guided discovery instructional strategy was more effective than the conventional method . Based on the findings of the study, the educational implications of the findings were highlighted and the following recommendations were proffered among others: that Economics teachers and Economics teacher educators should adopt guided discovery instructional strategy when teaching in order to enhance students’ achievement and interest in Economics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification
iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables viii
Abstract
ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background to the
Study 1
1.2 Statement of the
Problem 7
1.3 Purpose of the
Study 7
1.4 Research
Questions 8
1.5 Hypotheses 9
1.6 Significance of
the Study 9
1.7 Scope of the
Study 11
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 12
2.1 Conceptual
Framework 12
2.1.1 Nature of
Economics curriculum 12
2.1.2 Teaching and
learning
15
2.1.3 Methods of
teaching economics 17
2.1.4 Guideline for
effective use of conventional method in Economics 20
2.1.5 Guided discovery
instructional strategy 23
2.1.6 Interest as a
factor in students’ achievement in Economics 27
2.1.7 Gender and
achievement in Economics 28
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 30
2.2.1 Jerome Bruner’s cognitive theory of 1960 30
2.2.2 Piaget
cognitive learning theory of 1972 31
2.3 Empirical
Studies 33
2.4 Summary
of Related Literature Reviewed 38
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 40
3.1 Design of the
Study 40
3.2 Area of the Study 40
3.3 Population for
the study 41
3.4 Sample and
Sampling Techniques 41
3.5 Instrument for
Data Collection 42
3.6 Validation of the
Instrument 42
3.7 Reliability of
the Instrument 43
3.8 Experimental
Procedure 44
3.8.1 Control
of extraneous variables 44
3.9 Method of Data
Collection 45
3.10 Method
of Data Analysis 46
CHAPTER
4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 47
41 Results 47
4.2 Summary
of the Findings 55
4.3 Discussion
of the Findings 56
CHAPTER
5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 61
5.1 Summary
of the Study 61
5.2 Conclusion 63
5.3 Recommendations 63
5.4 Educational
Implications of the Study 64
5.5 Limitations
of the Study 65
References 66
Appendices 73
LIST OF TABLES
PAGE
4.1: Effect
of guided discovery instructional strategy and conventional
method on students’ mean achievement scores in Economics 47
4.2: Effect of guided discovery instructional
strategy on male
and
female students mean achievement scores in Economics 48
4.3: Effect of Guided discovery instructional
strategy on students’
mean
interest scores in Economics 49
4.4: Effect of Guided discovery instructional
strategy on male
and female students’ mean interest
scores in Economics 50
4.5: Effect
of teaching methods and gender on students’ mean achievement
scores in Economics 51
4.6: Analysis
of Covariance of Students’ Mean Achievement Scores in
Economics 52
4.7: Analysis
of Covariance of Students’ Mean Achievement Scores in
Economics 54
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Teaching
and learning of Economics play prominent roles in determining national
development and technological advancement of every nation. Economics is very important new programme in
the noble field of Education. Education as a matter of fact is a veritable
instrument for preparing effective citizens for sustainable national Economic development.
This cannot be achieved when more than ninety percent of the citizens lack
basic skills of managing their behaviour and behaviour of other members of the
society in the face of available resources. This therefore justifies the
introduction and study of Economics at secondary and tertiary institutions in
Nigeria. Economics becomes a panacea and appropriate tool for equipping citizens
with the appropriate knowledge, attitudes, values and skills for effective citizenship
(Ede, Oleabhiele & Modebelu, 2016).
Economics
as a subject is offered at the both senior secondary schools and the tertiary
levels of education, it is offered by all classes at the senior secondary
school level by the Science, Arts and Humanities students, and the aim of
teaching Economics is to present it as a subject that has relevance to everyday
life as it is concerned with the relationship between various parts of economy as
noted by (Aderinto & Abdullahi in Ede,
et al 2016).These relationships are quantitative in nature and it is
necessary to state these relationships in mathematical terms in order to aid
rational thoughts, present real life situations and use statistical methods measure
the various relationships included in Economics models (diagrams or
mathematical equations). Robbins in Ede,
et al (2016) defined Economics as a social science that studies human
behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative
uses. According to Anyawucha (2010), Economics is a subject that has gained
interest among students, it is offered by all classes at the senior secondary
school level by the science, Art and Humanities students. Economics is an
exciting and intellectual based subject that inspires young people to expand
the frontiers of their knowledge about how best to use limited resources with
minimal wastes.
Economics
as a subject under the new National Policy on Education is considered as one of
the elective subjects to be studied in senior secondary school level (Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 2014). With these ideas, students are taught to cultivate
the understanding and application of mathematical skills on Economics concept
necessary to thrive in ever changing socio-economic and technological world.
And the structure of the new system is that with knowledge and competence, the
products of secondary school will be self-reliant so that even when they are
unable to secure paid employment at the end of their schooling, they can be
gainfully self-employed as a result of the skills and the knowledge they had
received in secondary school.
The aim of teaching Economics is to
present it as a subject that has relevance to everyday life as it concerned
with the relevance to every part of the Economy (Aderinto & Abullahi,
2009). Relationships in Economics are quantitative in nature; for example, the
relationship between consumption and income, supply and price, and demand and
price are quantitative in nature. Therefore, it is important and necessary to
state these relationships in mathematical terms in order to explicate rational
thoughts, present real life situations and use statistical methods to measure
the various relationships included in Economics models. These explain the
reason why Federal Republic of Nigeria (2014) introduced elementary mathematics
and statistical tools in Economics in order to integrate the theoretical
foundations of the subject with practical application to achieve the objectives
which include: to cultivate the understanding and the application of
mathematical skills on Economics concepts necessary to thrive in the ever
changing technological world; to acquire mathematical literacy necessary to
function in an information age; to develop essential element of problem solving
and reasoning to enable students acquire knowledge for the practical solution
of the Economic problems in the society among others.
In addition, West African Examination
Council (2012) syllabus stated the objectives of Economics at the secondary
school level as follows: understand basic Economic principles and the concepts as
well as the tools for sound economic analysis, understand the structure and
functioning of economic institutions, appreciate the role of public policies on
national economy, develop the skills and also appreciate the basis for rational
economic decisions, become sensitized to participate actively in national economic
advancement through entrepreneurship, capital market and so on, understand the
role and status of Nigerian and other African countries in international
relationships, appreciate the problems encountered by developing countries in
their effort towards economic advancement, contribute intelligently to
discourse on economic reforms and development as they affect or would affect
the generality of Nigerian.
Despite these laudable objectives for
the introduction of the subject in the senior secondary school curriculum, the
current trend of poor performance of students in Economics in terminal and public
examinations in Abia State is a worrisome issue that has attracted the interest
of major stakeholders in education across the state. Experts had always blamed
the present declining performance of students on wrong selection of appropriate
teaching methods. Ogbonna (2003) noted that most teachers use mere lecture and
explanation methods to teach skill related lessons which often retard learning.
Similarly, Obodo (2002) affirmed that lecture and demonstration teaching
methods are regarded as conventional teaching methods which are content driven
and certainly not learner-centered, and as such are not activity centered and
learner centered especially for subject like Economics which is more of
abstraction, mathematical and theoretical in nature.
Conventional teaching methods are
predominantly used for instructional delivery in Nigerian schools including
secondary schools. Okoli (2001) equally noted that conventional teaching
methods are not challenging enough to the needs of the students. Conventional
methods of instruction which are sometimes referred to as “one-way
communication” methods of instruction are widely used in Nigerian schools, when
this method is used, the teacher does most of the talking, and the students
more often assume a passive role which makes learning ineffective. This calls
for the use of modern teaching methods that are capable of stimulating
students’ achievement and interest in learning. For instance, Bilgin (2006)
stated that effective teaching methods are meant to be as interactive as
possible, emphasizing small group work using relevant and practical case
studies. In affirmative, modern teaching methods require less talk on the part
of the teacher and more activities and contributions from the students (Aderinto
& Abdullahi, 2009). This call for modern instructional strategies that are
capable of stimulating students’ achievement and interest in learning Economics
which the researcher believe that guided discovery instructional strategy might
help to address.
The guided discovery instructional
strategy is described as a range of philosophical, curricular and pedagogical
approaches to teaching. It is an instructional method developed during the
discovery learning movements of the 1960s. It was developed in response to
perceived failure of more traditional forms of instruction, where students are
required simply to memorize facts laden instructional materials (Bruner, 1975).
However, Guided discovery instructional strategy is a form of active learning
where progress is assessed by how well students develop experimental and
analytical skills rather than how much knowledge they possess.
In addition, Discovery learning can
be guided or unguided (unguided); guided discovery provides specifics-data or
facts but wants students to make generalization (Okoli, 2001). It is carefully
planned, closely supervised, targeted on-going assessment and intervention by
an instructional team of a school. It allows students to discover specific
information by themselves before they make generalization. Hence, there is no
prescribed target result which the students have to achieve; rather students
are allowed to discover facts for themselves. On the contrary, unguided
discovery allows students to discover specifics information without the
guidance or intervention by an instructor or instructional team of a school,
before they make any generalizations.
The art could make or mar students achievement in any given task or
assignment.
Academic achievement could be seen as
the learning outcomes of the students which can be measured by any form of
assessment technique to ascertain academic gain of the students. Aninwaeze
(2014) described achievement of students as learning outcomes which include the
knowledge, the skill and experiences acquired in both classroom and laboratory
practices. Achievement according to Adeyemi (2008), is the scholastic standing
of a student at a given moment. It has to do with the successful accomplishment
of goal(s). The purpose of testing an achievement is to help the teacher and
the students evaluate and estimate the degree of success attained in learning a
given concept. It is also useful in testing the retention of information and
skill. It is equally appropriate in determining the efficiency of instruction.
David (2012) stated that students’ achievement in learning are determined by
factors such as teachers’ ability, motivation, interest, meaningfulness of
subject matter, methods of instruction, memory capacity of the learners and
gender of the students. However, it is
assumed that student achievement in any subject is a function of the interest
he/her attached to it.
Interest is an important variable in
learning because when one is interested in an activity, one is likely to
perform positively. Chukwu (2001) stated that interest can be expressed through
simple statement made by individuals of their like and dislikes. According to Chukwu,
lack of interest may be caused by uninteresting teaching methods. In the same
vein, Obodo (2002) described interest as the attraction which forces or compels
a child to respond to a particular stimulus. This point that a child develops
interest if a particular stimulus is attractive and arousing or stimulating
This shows that interest comes as a result of eagerness to learn not by force
(Harbor, 2001). The development of interest in teaching and learning of Economics
may likely promote achievement in Economics. Guided discovery method uses the
same idea as scientists do when they conduct experiment, thereby making the
students become mini scientists.
Gender has been identified as one of
the factors influencing students’ achievement (Anagbogu & Ezeliora, 2007). According
to Nzewi (2010), gender refers to all the characteristics of male and female
which describes behaviours or attributes expected of individuals on the basis
of being either a male or female in a given society. Gender can also be seen as
a terminology that categorizes human beings into males and females with
reference to teaching and learning situation, Saskatchewon (2010) observed that
different results and views of researchers in studies of different subjects
showed that male and female students perform differently as a result of
cultural and traditional reasons. The present level of academic achievement of
students of Economics irrespective of gender calls for immediate attention. One
of the proven ways of averting poor performance of students and stimulate their
interest in learning is the use of interactive teaching and it will be
worthwhile to investigate whether guided discovery has the best potential of
promoting students’ achievement, interest and gender differences in academic
achievement.
1.2
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
There
is high rate of poor achievement of students in Economics in Senior Secondary
School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and other external examinations over the
years. This could be as a result of the teacher’s use of ineffective methods
and strategies in Economics teaching which among other factors have contributed
to the students’ poor achievement in Economics at the Senior Secondary Schools.
The poor achievement in Economics has necessitated the need for new innovation
in teaching Economics in senior secondary school by the Federal Government of
Nigeria. The available literature on methods of teaching Economics suggests the
need to employ new and innovative teaching strategy such as guided discovery learning
strategy. There is need to explore more into the best methods of teaching
specific topics in Economics in order to enhance students’ achievement.
Therefore, the problem of this study posed as a question; what is the effect of
guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ academic achievement and
interest in Economics?
1.3
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of this study was to find out the effect of guided discovery instructional
strategy on students’ achievement and interest in Economics. Specifically, the
study sought to:
1. ascertain
the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ mean
achievement scores in Economics
2. find
out the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on male and female
students mean achievement in Economics
3. determine
the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ mean
interest scores in Economics
4. ascertain
the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on male and female
students’ mean interest in Economics
5. examine
the interaction effect of teaching methods and gender on students’ mean
achievement scores in Economics
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following research questions guided the study:
1. What
is the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ mean
achievement scores in Economics?
2. What
is the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on male and female
students mean achievement in Economics?
3. What
is the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on students’ mean
interest scores in Economics?
4. What
is the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on male and female
students’ mean interest in Economics?
5. What
is the interactive effect of teaching methods and gender on students’ mean
achievement scores in Economics?
1.5
HYPOTHESES
The
following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05% level of
significance:
HO1:
There is no significant difference in the
mean achievement scores of students taught Economics using guided discovery
instructional strategy and lecture methods.
HO2:
There is no significant difference in the
mean achievement scores of male and female students taught Economics using the guided
discovery instructional strategy and lecture methods.
HO3:
There is no significant difference in the
mean interest scores of students taught Economics using guided discovery
instructional strategy and lecture methods.
HO4: There
is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female
students taught Economics using the two methods.
HO5: There
is no significant interaction effect of teaching methods and genders on
students’ mean achievement scores in Economics
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
result of this study would be of immense benefit to Economics teachers,
curriculum planners, Ministry of Education, teacher training institution and
researchers. The outcome of this study will expose Economics teachers to more
effective techniques of promoting learning, which help to minimize student’s
low achievement in the subjects. It will make their teaching/learning
activities successful.
Furthermore,
guided discovery instructional strategy which is interaction oriented, would
enable Economics teachers to adjust their teaching pattern and assist the
teachers to enjoy teaching as students’ achievement would improve. Also, it
will equally enable teachers see the need why they should ensure that their
classes possess qualities of guided classroom which include being democratic
and allowing active participation of learners. In a class where all these
qualities exist, students will be active, inquisitive and will be able to
transfer what they learnt in the classroom to real life situation.
The
findings of the study would be of use to the curriculum planners, to plan Economics
curriculum in such a way that the contents will be filled with activities which
teachers and students will do together. Curriculum planners would also find the
result of this study a relevant tool for curriculum reforms and improvement in
line with the Nigerian curriculum 6-3-3-4 which recommends students centered
pedagogical method that can assist in achieving the national educational goals
which include, the acquisition of appropriate skills, mental, physical and social
abilities and competence that will equip the individual to live in and
contribute to the development of the society.
The
Federal Ministry of Education and other researchers would equally see the need
to organize workshops, seminars and conferences to review pedagogy in Economics
curriculum and new instructional strategies to address the issue of integrating
new ideas on teaching of Economics. It might help them in identifying the
concept of learners’ cognitive style and teaches instructional style in educational
programme planning that could be included in later review of Economics
curriculum. It would provide useful information to teachers training
institutions. These institutions can enrich their method courses or develop new
programme of instructions based on the findings of this study.
1.7
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
study focused on the effect of guided discovery guided instruction strategy on
students’ achievement and interest in Economics in senior secondary schools in Abia
state precisely, in Umuahia Education Zone. The study was delimited to SS II
students in the zone. The content scope was further delimited to the following
topics; production, market structure, demand and supply, reasons because it is
taught at this stage (SS II) in the Economics curriculum. It also determined
the influence of gender on students’ achievement and interest in Economics when
taught with guided discovery instructional strategy and lecture method.
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