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Effects of Field Trip and Demonstration-Based Teaching Methods on Students’ Academic Achievement in Basic Science

ENEH, Chinecherem Precious, OFFOR, Joseph Chidiebere, MBONU-ADIGWE, Bianca Uzoamaka, CHUKWU, Peter Ndubuisi, Corresponding author Chukwu, Peter Ndubuisi

Abstract

Background: Persistent poor academic achievement in Basic Science among junior secondary school students in Nigeria has been attributed, in part, to the continued reliance on teacher- centred instructional approaches that provide limited opportunities for active learner engagement. Although field trip and demonstration-based teaching methods have been identified as learner-centred instructional strategies capable of enhancing science learning, empirical evidence comparing their effectiveness in Basic Science remains limited, particularly within the Nigerian junior secondary school context. Purpose: This study investigated the effects of field trip and demonstration-based teaching methods on students' academic achievement in Basic Science in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study compared students' achievement under the two instructional methods, examined the influence of gender on achievement, and determined whether teaching method and gender interacted to influence students' academic achievement. Method: The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group design. The population comprised 4,040 Junior Secondary School II students enrolled in 30 public secondary schools, of whom 68 were selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using the Basic Science Achievement Test , a 30-item multiple-choice instrument with a Kuder-Richardson 20 reliability coefficient of .84. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance was employed to test the hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. IJEE IJEE www.ijee.io Results: Students taught using the field trip method recorded a higher post-test mean score (M = 78.44, SD = 11.63) and greater mean gain (51.57) than those taught using the demonstration-based teaching method (M = 72.19, SD = 11.20; mean gain = 44.63). ANCOVA revealed a significant main effect of teaching method on students' academic achievement, F(1, 65) = 15.54, p < .001. Gender also had a significant main effect, F(1, 65) = 12.49, p = .001, whereas the interaction between teaching method and gender was not statistically significant, F(1, 65) = 2.25, p = .137. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that field-trip instruction is significantly more effective than demonstration-based teaching at enhancing students' academic achievement in Basic Science. Although gender significantly influenced achievement, the effectiveness of the instructional methods did not vary by gender. The study therefore recommends greater integration of field trips into Basic Science instruction to promote experiential learning and improve students' academic outcomes.

Keywords

Basic Scienceacademic achievementdemonstration methodexperiential learningfield tripgender

References

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