EFFECTIVENESS OF CONCEPT MAPPING AND COMPETITIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ON BASIC EDUCATION STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN THERMAL ENERGY IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study determined the effects of Concept mapping and competitive instructional strategies on upper basic education students’ performance in thermal energy. Quasi experimental design was adopted for the study. Out of 2,228 Upper Basic education students 60 students, (male 32 female 28) from two intact classes served as sample of the study. Three purposes, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the three research questions, while the three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant level using t-test statistics tool. The reliability of instrument of the study was 0.74. The research revealed that concept mapping has a substantial effect on students’ academic performance in Thermal Energy ( t- cal = 3.63, P-value = 0.00 at degree of freedom (df) = 58).  It also showed that gender have no substantial influence on upper basic education students’ performance (t-cal is 1.546 and P-value is 0.000 which is less than alpha α= 0.05 with degree of freedom (df) = 58).  It was concluded that concept mapping strategy improve students’ performance in basic science. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that the use of concept mapping instructional strategy in the teaching of basic science should be encouraged during upper basic education program since it enhanced students’ performance and it is also gender friendly.