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EFFECT OF PROJECT METHOD ON PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
The study examined the effect of project method on the performance of students in Social studies in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State, Nigeria. The study was carried out with the objectives to; determine the difference between the performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state; examine the extent to which gender difference affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state; and compare the performance of students taught social studies using project method in rural and urban junior secondary schools in Jigawa state. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were postulated in line with the stated objectives. The study was conducted using quasi-experimental research design. The study used a target population of 12,380 JSSII students from Dutse education zone in Jigawa State. The total of fifty-two (52) students were sampled as experimental group, while sixty-five (65) students were sampled for the control group making the total of one hundred and seventeen (117) students, comprising of seventy- two (72) male and forty-five (45) female students. Data for the study was collected through the pre-test, treatment and post-test using a teacher made instrument (Test), which consisted of 30 objective test items and a treatment package. Data collected were analyzed statistically through the use of the descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics of independent sample t-test. It was found that, there was significant difference in the performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State and there was no significant difference in the extent to which gender difference affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State among other finding. Based on the findings, recommendations were made that project method should be incorporated into the teaching of Social studies at the secondary school level since it stimulate students to effectively learn and retain the concepts presented to them. Teachers should ensure they plan their lessons with equal learning opportunity for both male and female students in junior secondary schools in Jigawa State.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
COVER PAGE i
TITLE PAGE ii
DECLARATION iii
CERTIFICATION iv
DEDICATION v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi
ABSTRACT vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS viii
LIST OF TABLES xi
LIST OF APPENDICES xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS xiv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study 1
- Statement of the Problem 5
- Objectives of the Study 6
- Research Questions 7
- Research Hypotheses 7
- Basic Assumptions 8
- Significance of the Study 8
- Scope of the Study 10
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
| 2.1 | Introduction | 11 |
| 2.2 | Conceptual Framework | 11 |
| 2.2.1 | Concept of Social Studies | 12 |
- Concept of Project Method 14
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Introduction 54
- Sample and Sampling Techniques 55
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSIONS
- Introduction 61
- Summary of Major Findings 66
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Summary 69
- Suggestions for Further Study 70
Appendices 85
LIST OF TABLES
- Population Distribution 55
- Sample distribution 56
- Table of Specification 57
- Items specification 57
- Frequency and percentage of respondents based on Groups 61
- Frequency and percentage of respondents based on Gender 61
- Descriptive statistics showing the difference between the academic performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with
conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 62
- Descriptive statistics on the extent to which gender differences affect the academic performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 63
- Descriptive statistics on the academic performance of students taught social studies using project method rural and urban in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 63
- Independent sample t-test on the difference in the academic performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 64
- Independent sample t-test on the extent to which gender difference affect the academic performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 65
- Independent sample t-test on the academic performance of students taught social studies using project method rural and urban in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state 66
LIST OF APPENDICES
Pages
Appendix A: Social Studies performance tests for the two groups (SOSPM/SOSCOM),
pre-test to be filled by students 85
Appendix B: Marking Scheme for the Social Studies performance test for the two groups (SOSPM/SOSCOM) pre-test 95
Appendix C: Population Distribution of Schools in Dutse Educational Zone,
Jigawa State 96
Appendix D: Experimental group: Lesson Plan for Social Studies Project Method (SOSPM) 98
Appendix E: Control group: Lesson Plan for Social Studies
Conventional Method (SOSCOM) 122
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ASESP – Africa Social and Environmental Studies Programme BPNT – Basic Psychological Needs Theory
CESAC – Comparative Education Study and Adaptation Center
CORI – Concept Oriented Reading Instruction LCM – Learner-Centered Model
NERC – Nigeria Educational Research Council NNTEP – Northern Nigeria Teacher Education Project NRC – National Research Council
SDT – Self-Determination Theory
SOSAN – Social Studies Association of Nigeria UPE – Universal Primary Education
USAID – United State Agency for International Development
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Academic Performance simply means the outcome of the educational goals that are achieved either by the students or teacher. It is a measurement in terms of specific and desirable results in examination.
Learning is an activity of obtaining knowledge or connection between response and stimuli.
Project method is an educational enterprise in which children solve a practical problem over a period of several days or weeks. It focuses on applying, not imparting specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student involvement and motivation in order to foster independent thinking, self-confidence, and social responsibility.
1.1 Background to the Study
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Social studies deal with man‘s interactions with his environment. It is concerned with the reciprocal relationship between man and his various aspects of his environment. While interacting with his physical and social environments, men encounters problems and challenges in him to live comfortably, orderly and more meaningfully (Muhammed, 2006). Man continuously finds solutions to problems and issues that arise in his socio-economic life. It is expected that through social studies man would have been sufficiently informed to tackle these societal problems and issues. Therefore, the general purpose of social studies education is to help learners develop the ability to adapt to acquisition of relevant knowledge, attitudes, values and practical skills.
Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence (NTI, 2006). Within the school programme, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Social studies is taught in kindergarten through junior secondary schools across the nation. As a field of study, social studies may be more difficult to define than is a single discipline such as history or geography, precisely because it is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary and because it is sometimes taught in one class (perhaps called ―social studies‖) and sometimes in separate discipline based classes within a department of social studies. According to National Teachers‘ Institute (NTI, 2006),
social studies was designed and introduced into the national curriculum of primary and junior secondary schools, to provide functional social education to Nigerian children and youths.
The Social studies programme is expected to make good citizens and patriots out of the youths of Nigeria. Incidentally, the programmes of social studies in school have been implemented for many years now without success in terms of inculcating the values of good citizenship among the youths (National Council for the Social Studies, 1992). The youths are rich in knowledge of social concepts and facts, but deficient in expected social values, attitudes and behaviours‘ that characterize social responsible citizens. It is assumed that this deficiency arises from the way the subject is taught and learnt in the classrooms. However, the teaching of social studies has relied on conventional methods of teaching such as, the lecture methods, dictation and note taking, which are not interactive. These methods are inadequate to facilitate optimal learning in pupils and modify their behaviours‘ positively (NTI, 2006). According to Adoke (1997), students, teachers and students perceptions of social studies and teaching methods in selected junior secondary schools in the northern states of Nigeria where he discovered that methods mainly employed in teaching social studies were the discussion and storytelling methods upon which serve as problem militating against the implementation of social studies. That is why the researcher embarked on this research to see whether project method will be among the best method of teaching social studies.
The term project method refer to a wider variety of educational programmes learning experiences, institutional instructions and academic support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning need interests aspirations or cultural background of individual students and groups of students, to accomplish this goal schools teachers, guidance and counselors and other educational specialist they employ wide variety of education method from modifying assessments and instructional strategies in the classroom to entirely
redesigning the way in which students are grouped and taught in a school (Adinoyi, 2000). The project method is an educational enterprise in which children solve a practical problem over a period of several days or weeks. It may involve building a rocket, designing a playground, or publishing a class newspaper. The project may be suggested by the teacher, but they are planned and executed as far as possible by the students themselves, individually or in groups. Project work focuses on applying, not imparting, specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student involvement and motivation in order to foster independent thinking, self-confidence, and social responsibility (Kilpatrick, 2015).
Project method is a medium of instruction which was introduced during the 18th century into the schools of architecture and engineering in Europe when graduating students had to apply the skills and knowledge they had learned in the course of their studies to problems they had to solve as practicians of their trade, for example, design a monument, building a steam engine (Knoll, 1996). In the early 20th Century, William Heard Kilpatrick expanded the project method into a philosophy of education (Knoll, 2007). His device is child-centred and based in progressive education. Unlike traditional education, proponents of the project method attempt to allow the student to solve problems with as little teacher direction as possible. The teacher is seen more as a facilitator than a deliver of knowledge and information. The teaching method is regarded more effective since it does not centralize the flow of knowledge from the lecturer to the student (Lindquist, 1995). The instruction also motivates goal-oriented behaviour among students, hence the method is very effective in improving student achievement (Slavin, 1996).
Project method actively engages students in the learning process for effective mastery of the subject matter and promotion of a positive attitude towards the subject. As noted by the ministry of Education in its National Report on the Development of Education in Nigeria, presented at the International Conference on Education in September 2001, teaching
instructions adopted should make learning more learner-centered in order to promote imaginative, critical and creative skills in students resulting in better achievement of instructional objective (Ministry of Education, 2001). In a project method class, students take a participative role by leading discussions and teachers become facilitators in this regard, teachers facilitate student‘s discussion and interject only when necessary, allowing students to put the language to use and explore aesthetics of learning materials (Eken, 2000; Ahmad and Aziz, 2009).
Academic performance is defined as the measure of what a person has accomplished after exposure to educational programmed. Recent social learning education standards in U.S. proposed that all students should learn social studies both inquiry and learn social studies through project method (National council, 2006). While some previous researches had shown that project instruction method can improve student skills concept learning and performance. In a research carried out by Anyaegbu, (2004) education is the key to rural development and an essential building block of national development; that poverty cannot be eradicated without eliminating illiteracy among the rural populace and raise their level of knowledge. Abidogun (2006) emphasized that, rural areas as having greater challenges concerning educational development than the urban centers, due to the peculiar socioeconomic and institutional structures of the rural areas.
Gender differences and equalities are common biological nature of every human being. In school organization, gender differences play vital roles in school enrolment and in learning process. In some regions, there are more girls in schools more than boys, due to the fact that boys sometimes stay at home or other societal issues. According salami (2004) states that, sex has no barrier to successful achievement in social studies teaching and learning as both male and female are engaged in education. However, Brady (2001) states that, in school enrolment, there are more number of male then the females. It is expected that more males
would offer social studies subjects than females. While, Azi, Nkom and Aboderin (2001) argued that girls comprise a smaller percentage of children informal education system than boys in many part of Africa. Also explained that education is only a human right, but also central to the transmission of values such as equality, democracy, equity and national unity as well as preparation for citizenship.
Studies have considered how the use of project method can influence students‘ academic performance. Project method communicates information effectively, promote the acquisition and longer retention of knowledge, when they are systematically designed, used and evaluated. This toe the line of the study conducted by Adoke (1997), on the perceptions of social studies students and teachers on the teaching methods used in junior secondary schools in the northern states of Nigeria where he discovered that, the methods mainly employed in teaching social studies were the lecture and storytelling methods upon which serve as problem militating against the implementation of social studies. This necessitated the researcher to embark on this research, effect of project method on the performance of students in Social studies in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state, Nigeria to see whether project method will enhance students‘ performance and be among the best method of teaching social studies.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Project method is an instructional method that uses active learning strategies to engage students directly in the learning process, enhance academic performance and promote the development of important learning skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and ability to cooperatively work with each students. Properly implemented project method can lead to increased motivation to learn greater retention of knowledge, deeper understanding and more positive attitudes toward the subject being taught (Collin and Obrain, 2003). While teacher-centered comprises of lecture and storytelling, which neglect the students‘ interest,
abilities and learning styles, places the teacher as the source of information and knowledge, students are often assessed alone without peer interaction before or after the learning process, it is also inadequate in an attempt to provide for the overall development of learner (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) domains, this is because the teacher dominate learning climate and provide little or no room for the learner to participate, therefore neglecting the individual differences that exists among the students and also neglecting the spirit of inquiry, creativity, or novely among the students (Adoke, 1997). Consequently, the teacher centered instruction resulted to weak and slow learners working individually may give up when they get stocked, delay in completing assignment or skip them all together, performing poorly in their continuous assessment and their placement examination and may engage in malpractice during the examination.
Previous studies conducted in Jigawa State revealed that teaching and learning of social studies were dominated with teacher-centered instruction which may have resulted in poor academic performance in the previous placement examinations result of 2013-2014 with only 30% pass in social studies which is not encouraging (Jigawa State Ministry of Education, 2014). The continuous of occurrence of these problems among social studies students necessitated educationist to look for the ways to promote teaching and learning among students, based on the assumptions that when project method is incorporated in teaching and learning of social studies, it may help to improve students‘ academic performance in social studies subject.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are:
- determine the difference between the performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
- examine the extent to which gender difference affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
- compare the performance of students taught social studies using project method in rural and urban junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions would be addressed:
- What is the difference between the performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state?
- To what extent do gender differences affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state?
- What differences exist in the performance of students taught social studies using project method in rural and urban junior secondary schools in Jigawa state?
1.5 Hypotheses
The following postulated research hypotheses guided the conduct of the study:
- There is no significant difference in the performances of students taught social studies using project method and those taught with conventional method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
- There is no significant difference in the extent to which gender difference affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
- There is no significant difference in the performance of students taught social studies using project method in rural and urban junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
1.6 Basic Assumptions
It is assumed that:
- Students taught social studies using project method are likely to achieve higher than peers taught with traditional or other teaching methods.
- Gender difference does not affect the performance of students taught social studies using project method in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
- The use of project method does not affect the performance of students in both the rural and urban junior secondary schools in Jigawa state.
1.7 Significance of the Study
This study titled effect of project method on the performance of students in Social studies in junior secondary schools in Jigawa state, Nigeria will benefit the teachers of Social studies, schools, students, school head teachers, curriculum planners, SOSCEAN and other researchers in enhancing the quality of teaching social studies.
Findings of the study will be of great benefit to the teachers by providing relevant information to them on the best teaching method to be adopted in teaching of social studies. Also, incorporating project-based learning into secondary education will enhance teacher working with children who have a wide range of abilities, come from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and are English language learners. It is also significant in the sense that, teachers will be able to note that by facilitating learning of content knowledge as well as reasoning and problem-solving abilities, project-based instruction can help students prepare for state assessments and meet state standards.
Schools are seeking ways to respond to the needs of these students. Project-based instruction provides one way to introduce a wider range of learning opportunities into the classroom. It can engage children from diverse cultural backgrounds because children can
choose topics that are related to their own experiences, as well as allow them to use cultural or individual learning styles. For example, traditional Native Nigerian ways of teaching stress hands-on and cooperative learning experiences.
Through the use of project based instruction, students are exposed to a wide range of skills and competencies such as collaboration, project planning, decisionmaking, and time management. This approach will motivates students to learn by allowing them to select topics that are interesting and relevant to their lives. Hence, this engagement and motivation lead to high achievement. Students also retain more knowledge and skills when they are engaged in stimulating projects. With projects, students use higher order thinking skills rather than memorizing facts in an isolated context without a connection to how and where they are used in the real world. Collaborative learning allows students to bounce ideas off each other, voice their own opinions, and negotiate solutions, all skills that will be necessary in the workplace. It is also significant to the students as it will increasing social and communication skill; increasing problem-solving skills; enable students to make and see connections between disciplines; providing opportunities to contribute to their school or community; increasing self-esteem; allow students take pride in accomplishing somethig that has value outside the classroom; and provide a practical, real-world way to learn to use technology.
The school head teachers will also benefit from the study by revealing certain information concerning the areas neglected by teachers in the implementation of social studies and ways through which the heads of schools can monitor teachers‘ efficiency in teaching of social studies will also be revealed. The Association of Social Studies and Civic Education of Nigeria (SOSCEAN) will equally benefit from the findings of the study in setting out standard teaching method which will be circulated to teachers and quality assurance.
The findings of the study will provide information to curriculum planners as a matter of urgency, appropriate changes in teaching methodology in order to meet with the emerging needs of the society. Other researchers will also benefit from the findings of the study during writing literature reviews and empirical study. Research bodies such as, the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) will benefit from the findings of this study through curriculum planners by improving the quality of the curriculum and providing schools with the essential materials required in the teaching of social studies in Junior Secondary Schools.
1.8 Scope of the Study
This study, effect of project method on the performance of students in Social studies in junior secondary schools was carried out in Dutse educational zone Jigawa State. The zone comprises Dutse and Kiyawa local government area that are offering social studies, the students of junior secondary school (JSSII) were used as a subjects, while the major variables of the study are to determined the performance of students taught social study use project method and those taught with the conventional method, the extent which gender difference affect the performance of the student taught social studies using project method and performance of the students taught social studies using project method in rural and the urban junior secondary in Jigawa state.
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