GENDER DIFFERENCE IN GEOGRAPHY STUDENT'S ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT USING CONCEPT MAPPING AND LECTURE METHOD METHODS IN TARABA STATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the 'Effect of Concept Mapping Teaching Strategy on Senior Secondary School Geography Students' Academic Achievement in Taraba State, Nigeria'. The study specifically determined the gender difference on the Academic Achievement of geography students when taught with concept mapping and Lecture Methods in Taraba State secondary schools. One research question was raised and one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance to guide the study. The experimental design of the study was quasi-experimental pretest posttest non-equivalent control group design which involved 87 SSII students from four purposively selected senior secondary schools in Taraba State. The instrument used for data collection was a cognitive test tagged Geography Concept Achievement Test (GCAT) adapted from WAEC past questions from 2014-2021. The instrument was content validated by three experts. The instrument was also tested for reliability, using KR-20 method. The reliability coefficient of 0.92 was obtained. The treatment lasted for six weeks. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics for the research question, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for the hypothesis. The result shows that there is no significant gender difference on students' Academic Achievement scores in geography when taught with concept mapping and Lecture Teaching Methods [F = 2.65 (df 1, 86), P = 0.107]. The use of student-centered activity in teaching and learning geography should be encouraged. The result of this study clearly showed that concept mapping teaching strategy enhanced students' academic performance in geography and is gender-friendly, as both male and female students benefitted equally. Symposium and workshops should be organized and made compulsory for practicing teachers to inculcate skills in organizing and implementing concept mapping strategy. Schools should organize workshops and seminars internally which will enable teachers and their students to share ideas on the skills of designing and implementation of concept mapping strategy.