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Effects of Thematic WebQuest Strategy on Students Achievement in Upper Basic Social Studies in Jos North, Plateau State, Nigeria

Gutul Edward Christopher, Ruth J Umaru

Abstract

The study examined the Effects of the Thematic WebQuest Strategy on students' achievement in Upper Basic Two Social Studies in Jos North, Plateau State. Specifically, the study sought to determine how Thematic WebQuest Strategy affects students’ learning outcomes and whether gender influence these effects. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the investigation. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pre-test and post-test Quasi-experimental design was adopted. Two intact classes in two co-educational public schools were purposively selected and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 34) and control (n = 36) groups. The Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) was used for data collection two weeks after treatment. Mean and standard deviation were the descriptive statistics used to answer all research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) inferential statistics was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in both achievement (M = 57.97 vs 38.47). Gender had no significant main or interaction effect on achievement of students (p > 0.05). The study concluded that Thematic WebQuest Strategy is an effective pedagogical tool for improving students achievement in Social Studies without widening the gender gap. Recommendations include mandating the integration of WebQuest in Social Studies lessons, continuous teacher professional development, and further longitudinal studies to study the effect of the Strategy on students BECE in a long term.

Keywords

Thematic WebQuestAchievementGenderSocial StudiesUpper Basic

References

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