EFFECT OF CONSTRUCTIVIST-BASED APPROACH ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND INTEREST IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN EKITI STATE

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate the effect of constructivist based approach on students’ academic achievement and interest in Basic Technology in Junior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State. Nine research questions and five null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. 334 (162 males and 172 females) Junior Secondary School two (JSS 2) students  from  four  co-educational  public  Secondary  Schools  in  Oye  Local  Government  in  Ekiti  North Senatorial District of Ekiti State were involved in the study. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the four co-educational Junior Secondary Schools from 14 of such Junior Secondary Schools in the Local Government Area. The four purposively selected Schools were assigned, two schools each to the experimental and control groups. The four selected Schools were in their existing intact classes, i.e. JSS2 Basic Technology Students. The regular subject teachers in each of the schools who were earlier trained on the details of the instructional approach of Constructivist Based Approach (CBA) were involved in teaching the subject. The Experimental Group (EG) was taught Basic Technology using (CBA) while the Control Group (CG) was taught the same topic conventional teaching method. The Schools’ regular time tables were used for the period of 8 weeks. Two instruments Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTEAT) and Basic Technology Interest Inventory (BTEII) were used for the study. The two instruments were subjected to face and content validation. The instruments were also trial tested in two schools outside the population using test retest method and from the data collected, the reliability coefficient of the instrument were obtained. The BTEAT had 0.83 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient while BTEAT had 0.80 with Kuder- Richardson 20 (K-R 20) for internal consistency. The Cronbach’s Alpha Technique was used to establish the reliability coefficient of BTEII with the coefficient of 0.90. The validated instruments were administered as both pre-test and post-test while the data obtained were analysed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for the hypotheses. The findings among others showed that teaching Basic Technology  with  Constructivist  Based  Approach  (CBA)  enhanced  the students’  acquisition  to  construct knowledge and career  skills  and  interest  in  Basic  Technology and  other  vocational  subjects  better  than conventional teaching method (CTM). The implication of the findings include that technical teachers should use CBA so that the students can acquire knowledge for construction and be able to develop in his cooperative skill. Based on the findings, among others it was recommended that workshops, seminars and conferences should be organized for teachers in order to sensitize them on the need to use efficient learning approach such as CBA in teaching Basic Technology.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Basic  technology  is  a  multidisciplinary  and  pragmatic  field  of  study  which  aims  at exposing the individuals with necessary basic career skills and knowledge. Basic Technology includes Metalwork, Woodwork, Automechanic, Technical Drawing, Electrical, Electronic, and Building Construction among others. Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) (2009), states that basic technology shall continue to be taught in an integrated manner in the school to promote in the  students,  the  appropriate  basic  career  ideas  and  to  provide  technical  knowledge  and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development. Basic Technology is one of the core subjects in Junior Secondary Schools which include both theory and basic practical.

Secondary education is of six years duration given in two stages:  a junior secondary school stage is of three years duration and the second stage is senior secondary school which is also of three years duration. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN 2009) emphasized junior secondary education as the education children receive after primary education and before senior secondary education. The junior secondary school is planned as neighbourhood school which shall provide all primary school leavers with the opportunity for education of a higher level, irrespective of sex, social status, religion or ethnic background; it is the last three years of the 9 year basic education. The 9 year basic education curriculum is such that provides that Nigeria children will be in school for 9 years of continuous schooling, 6 years of primary education and 3 years of junior secondary education.

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The programme is targeted at improving relevance, equality and efficiency in education, reducing drop out and promoting the acquisition of functional literacy, numeracy, life skills and values for life long education and useful living (Nigerian Education Research and Development Council, 2007). All students in junior secondary school shall be exposed to Basic Technology as an introduction to technological education. (FGN, 2004) sees junior secondary education as a period to lay a foundation for technology and reflective thinking and with a desire for self- improvement. The policy on education states further that junior secondary shall be both prevocational and education. The prevocational includes basic technology subjects that will equip students to acquire further educational knowledge and basic career skills.

The  development  of  a  nation  depends  mostly  on  the  type  of  technology education provided and the process of impartation adopted and the ability to train her younger generations to sustain the level of such technology education developed, the reformation in education cycle must take place to involve every area of impartation of knowledge through an approach that will meet the present challenges for technological advancement (NERDC, 2004). In this information age, technology is changing the work place, the home and daily life activities. As these changes occurs, there is need to develop BTE students thinking skill and knowledge construction skills to meet the challenges that technology is bringing to the society.

Technological development in every sphere of life is in a constant state of instability and change. The development brought by technological advancement thus rendered conventional teaching method inadequate to impart the necessary functional and sophisticated skills needed by the learners. Greater stress should therefore be placed on providing students with broad learning and problem-solving skills in order to prepare them for a wide range of changes posed by technological advancement (Szczurkwska, 1997). For this to be achieved, teachers who are the

facilitators and executors of government policies on any educational programme that will bring positive changes and portray the good image of Ekiti State and the nation at large now and in future need to consider the teaching approach been used. For these reasons, teachers are therefore expected to use the best teaching approach that will boost students’ interest to attain better academic achievement.

Despite the needs for adjustment, lecture method and demonstration method which are based on behavioural learning theories are still the main teaching/learning strategies employed for implementing the curriculum in junior secondary schools. Teachers are set as the only active participant in the class while students are made observers or admirers throughout the class. Oranu (2003), said the methods are content driven and certainly not learner-centered. These methods referred to as conventional methods which are predominantly used in teaching Basic Technology in junior secondary schools cannot achieve the best desired for the learners. These conventional  methods  of  teaching  may  also  account  for  poor  performance  of  vocational education students at public examinations (Aina 2000). This could be responsible for the poor performance of basic technology students at both internal and public examinations being taken by these BTE students that reflect their performance at school.

The consequence of using these approaches in teaching Basic Technology in junior secondary schools is that, students might lose interest in learning the subject and they cannot apply it in new situations. Negative attitude would be projected but this can be reduced or eliminated by using the approach that  will  project  and  engage  the  student’s  participation.  There  is  no  gainsaying  that prominence must be given to Basic Technology teaching in schools. It must be rich and elaborate enough to provoke the love and academic interest of students. In pursuance of this, it is imperative to consider the teaching approach that will have impact on the students’ academic achievement and interest in Basic Technology (BTE) in the schools. Ogwo (2005) stated that contemporaneous

teaching is perceived as a range of activities aimed at assisting the learners acquire knowledge, attitudes, values, habits and basic skills.

The focus in teaching and learning should be on the individual’s active construction of knowledge (Stevenson 1994).    The  essential core of constructivist  is  that  learners actively construct their own knowledge and meaning from their experiences (Fosnot 1996). Constructivist learning  is  based  on  students’ active  participation  in  problem-solving  and  critical  thinking regarding a learning activity which they find relevant and engaging. Students are “constructing” their own knowledge by testing  ideas and  approaches based on their prior knowledge and experience, applying these to a new situation, and integrating the new knowledge gained with pre-existing intellectual constructs.

According to Kerka (1997) the vocational education (basic technology inclusive) teacher’s role is not to set tasks, but to organize experiences that will allow learners develop their own knowledge and understanding. Okoro (1993) opined that students learn more when they supply answers to questions rather than when the answers are supplied to them. This increases the involvement of the students and makes the teaching more interesting and effective.

The constructivist based approach is considered a veritable tool for shifting technology teaching from conventional to problem solving scenarios. Many teaching methods that are in use have not adequately catered for students thinking skills and their construction of knowledge in which if constructivist based approach is used, may allow for students active participation in the classroom and knowledge construction.

The constructivist approach to learning and teaching is based on a combination of a subset of research within social psychology. The underlying principle is that an individual learner must actively “build” knowledge and skills and that information exists within these built constructs

rather than in the external environment. The constructivist approach includes scaffolding, fading, higher order thinking skills and collaborative work.

Instructional scaffolding  is  a  learning  process  designed  to  promote  a  deeper  level  of learning. Scaffolding is the support given during the learning process which is tailored to the needs of the student with the intention of helping the student achieve his/her learning goals (Sawyer, 2006). Day and Cordon (1993) scaffolding model considers students’ needs to be an effective way to diagnose cognitive abilities of students. In scaffold instruction, students’ needs are regarded and the support given was faded according to the students increased ability and students then take the responsibility to complete parts of the task that they can do.

Fading is a gradual disappearance. For information  such as scaffold to fade away, the rules to  be followed include: definition of target  behaviour, this  begin  by defining exactly what behaviour to be changed; identify suitable scaffolding that will reliably produce the expected change; reinforce to produce the motivation for the learner to learn; monitor results to know the progress  of  the  approach.  Students  are  allowed  to  think  and  bring  in  their  ideas  on  the information and from there the support (scaffold) is gradually withdrawn.

A thinking skill is a mental process. This process can be divided into higher and lower order thinking skills. Higher order thinking skills seems a  natural fit  with a  constructivist based approach to learning. Higher order thinking involves the conceptualization, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and ultimate application of information so that the learner may reach conclusions or form independent judgments’ based upon what  the  learner  has experienced combined with previous knowledge. These applications offer opportunities to analyse, evaluate and solve problems and therefore offer  more opportunities to  practice  analytical and  critical thinking through collaborative learning.

Collaborative Learning allows the classroom to be more co-operative than competitive. Students begin to view one another as resources rather than sources of ridicule. The social context within which learner resides is crucial to their achievement (Solomon, 1998, Petrag Lia,

1998). Stranmen and Lincoln (1992) found that constructivist has led to the additional discovery that the powerful gains are made when students work together. Students are able to reflect and elaborate not first their own ideas but those of their colleagues as well.

Constructivist learning is a decision making process which is shaped by the skills, drives, beliefs,  attitude  and  experiences  of  the  students.  Students  construct  knowledge  through exploring, interpreting and interacting with their environment. According to Duncan (1996) the most appropriate instructional approach is the one that incorporate both realistic presentation of knowledge, procedures, skills and the opportunities for students to apply the knowledge, practice the procedures and skills in a realistic context. The aim is to develop mature thinkers who are able to acquire and use knowledge (Anderson, 1977). Thus constructivist helps students to develop higher-order thinking skills by prompting them to (a) relate new knowledge to their prior understanding (b) think in both abstract and concrete terms (c) apply specific approach to noble tasks and (d) understand their own thinking and learning strategies (Hemelo & Ferrari, 1997). In this study, the art of constructing knowledge is constructivist based approach that may enhance students’ achievement and stimulate students’ interest in basic technology.

Achievement is the result, the successfulness, the extent or ability, the progress in learning educational experiences that the individual indicate in relation with his/her educational learning (Olga, 2008). Achievement means an act of accomplishing or finishing, especially by means of assertion, skill perseverance. Achievement according to Stern (2010) is that thing which somebody has done successfully using his efforts and skills. Achievement is a very strong word

which is often used in many areas. For example achievement in Basic Technology, which is the focus of this study, is viewed as a very important factor in teaching and learning of BTE and it refers to students’ cognitive achievement, which is measured in terms of pass or fail. When achievement is below expectation, it is referred to as under-achievement or poor achievement. When students are successful in Basic Technology examinations they will have the feelings of pride that they made success with their own efforts and skill. Small success can give students sense of achievement. On the other hand, persistent failure in BTE dampens students’ interest.

Interest is a feeling of like or dislike towards an activity. Interest is concerned with choice or preference for a particular type of activity to the other. Interest is a feeling somebody has when one wants to know or learn more about something. It is zeal or willingness to participate in an activity for which one derives some pleasure (Harbor-Peter, 2002). According to Obodo (2004), the interest of students is thwarted by several factors, which include negative attitude of students and influence of other people’s attitude. Also, students’ interest can be generated and sustained through several methods. These  include  motivation, effective  use  of instructional approach, most especially use of constructivist based approach. Interest in basic technology could be achieved when students are made to construct knowledge, collaborate with others and see the importance of what they are about to learn. It involves linking the new concept to be learnt to the learners’ previous experiences. A students’ interest will induce him/her to behave and act in a certain way toward his /her studies. Therefore, the use of CBA is important to provide rich environment that will stimulate the interest of both male and female students of junior secondary schools in Basic Technology despite their gender differences.

Gender issue has assumed prominence in science and technology education, gender has also been identified as one of the factors influencing students’ interest and achievement (Popoola

& Ajani, 2011). Gender is a sense of awareness of being male or female. It is a behavioural pattern and attitude perceived as masculine or feminine within a culture (Colman 2000). Gender issues as a factor or variable are not skewed to any direction. There are different findings on gender matters, some in favour of males others in favour of females and sometimes no gender differences are found. Damarin, cited in Ifeanacho (2012) remarked that science and technology are  traditionally  taught  and  reflected  in  a  masculine  approach to  the  world  that  tends  to marginalize women. Aiyedun (2000) found no significant difference between male and female students  achievement  in  science.  Contrary to  this  findings,  Osafehinti  in  Ifeanacho  (2012) ascertained that there exists a significant gender difference in favour of male in computational problems while girls out performed boys problems. In view of the fact that gender issues are yet inconclusive, gender implication especially as it affects academic achievement in BTE needs to be verified. The issue of gender differences and school location need to be considered since a number of studies especially in Africa has reported that girls are underrepresented in the field of science and technology at secondary schools (Alel-Williams, 1999). Parents in the rural communities send their daughters into domestic labour as a source of income which normally have impact on their academic work. It may be the reason why Bosede (2010) stated that sex and location of School influences students’ academic achievement in some areas.

Location of the school could also be a factor that affects basic technology achievement. Ezeudu (2003) stated that school location means urban and rural schools. Location is a particular place in relation to other areas (Quirk, 2003). Akpan (2008) indicated that schools in urban areas have electricity, water supply, more teachers, more learning facilities and infrastructure. To support this Ezike(2001) stated that urban areas are those with high population density, high

variety and beauty while rural areas are those with low population, subsistence mode of life, monotonous and burden.

Onah (2011), and Owoeye (2002), indicated that schools in urban areas achieved more than schools in the rural areas in science subjects. Specifically, Owoeye and Yara (2002) showed in their studies that schools in urban locations had better academic achievement than their rural counterpart in chemistry. Yet Ezeudu (2003), Bosede (2010) showed that location has no effect on students’ academic achievement. In view of these contradictory findings, location implication as it affects achievement and interest of students in basic technology in junior secondary schools needs verification, since the students who are the target of the study live in a selected place (location).

Ekiti State where these students live may influence the students positively or negatively, Ekiti State is one of the States created in the late 1996 that expect development in her education sector, since the State main industry is education. The State is homogeneous in nature and with the same characteristics. Many research studies had been carried out within and outside the State to determine the influence of location on the students’ academic achievement and interest in different field of studies. As a result from the foregoing the researcher considers it necessary to search  for  appropriate  approach  that  is  students-centred  and  that  can  enhance  academic achievement and interest in basic technology. Therefore, this study intends to find out if CBA could be used to improve students’ academic achievement and interest in Basic Technology. Statement of the Problem

Nigerian governments has invested very huge amount on junior secondary schools’ programme aimed at improving technological development, the image and performance of junior secondary  school  students.  Despite  this,  the  performance  of  the  students  has  not  been

encouraging in Ekiti State specifically. One suspects that the poor performance could be linked to the method of instruction.  The performance of students in Basic Technology in both internal and external examinations is evident to show that there is need for change of teaching approach. For instance,  JSSCE results show that average failure rate in Basic Technology in the State in the years 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 were 56%, 67%, 48% and 73% respectively  as shown in the data collected from Ministry of Education (Appendix T page 267). Students entering into senior secondary school (SS1) offering technical subjects have reduced and vocational work in technical colleges have reduced which made Federal Government change Government Technical Colleges to Government Science Technical Colleges.

The search for an effective method of teaching basic technology in junior secondary school has necessitated the need to employ more interactive and knowledge construction approach for the improved teaching and learning. The teaching approach that advocates knowledge construction approach is the constructivist based approach. However, several studies have been conducted in the area of gender-related differences in achievement and interest of students in vocational education employing constructivist based approach. It  has been noted that males performed better than females in technical related subjects while others reported no gender difference in students’ achievement and interest. The contradictive evidences in achievement and interest due to gender has resulted in the need to verify how Constructivist Based Approach (CBA) can influence students’ achievement and interest by gender and location in BTE. Against this point, the effect of constructivist based approach on academic achievement and interest of BTE students in Junior Secondary School in relation to their gender and locations was designed.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to determine the effects of constructivist based approach on students’ academic achievement and interest in Basic Technology in Junior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State.

Specifically the study intends to:

1.  determine the effect of constructivist based approach on students’ academic achievement in Basic Technology.

2.  determine the comparative mean achievement test scores of males and females taught

Basic Technology using constructivist based approach.

3.  determine the  influence of gender on mean  interest scores of students taught  Basic

Technology using constructivist based approach as against conventional teaching method

4. ascertain the influence of location on academic achievement of students taught Basic

Technology using constructivist based approach

5.  ascertain the  influence  of  location  on  students’  interest  in  Basic  Technology using constructivist based approach

6. determine the interaction effect of gender on mean achievement scores of students taught basic  technology with constructivist based approach.

Significance of the Study

The result of this study will be of benefit to the technical teachers, students, curriculum planners, State Ministry of Education-examination division, society, parents and educational researchers.

This findings will benefit the technical teachers in the following ways: It will help teachers in the effective use of time, greater coverage of individual needs, opportunities to observe

students at work and assess skills possessed by the student, it will also bring a little bit of relief to the teachers in their multitudinous duties and responsibilities as the teacher act as facilitator and later as learner. This will be achieved as the teachers use varieties of instructional approaches and  use  of instructional resources. It  will provide  basic  technology teachers an alternative teaching  approach  in  teaching  BTE,  for  easier  understanding  and  effective  application  by students.  It will provide more insight on how to use constructivist based approach in teaching BTE in order to encourage more female participation in BTE.

The findings of the experiment will be of benefit to the students, its applications will expose students of BTE to various learning opportunities through acquisition of basic skills by way of constructing knowledge.  It will help students in removing the cognitive conflicts and increase their knowledge and understanding of the subjects thereby improve their performance academically and also encourage low level performance students to achieve higher performance. The results of the study will help them to be imaginative, encourage positive thinking and reasoning and active participation in the classroom. It will improve academic achievement of students and this will in turn lead to more students offering BTE, thereby creating an opportunity for students to acquire the necessary basic skills needed for further studies.

Moreover, the findings will be ways of raising the interest of BTE students in classroom through the use of constructivist based approach which will be of benefit to the students. It is expected that the findings will create awareness and stimulate students’ interest during lessons. It will help students become reflective, self-confident, self-mediating and social. Learners will gain confidence and motivation to embark on more complex challenges, It will also enable students apply their natural curiosity to situation and circumstances, students will be actively involved in the learning process.

The findings of this study will provide the curriculum planners with the information which could lead to the recommendation of constructivist based approach not only in basic technology but also in other vocational subjects at various level of education. It will help to introduce innovations that will provide a greater variety of ways and activities that will address the diverse learning preferences of students.

The findings of this study will be beneficial to the state ministry of education examination division; it will guide them to develop suitable assessment instruments for measuring students’ achievement. The society will stand to benefit from the findings of this study, when the product of the findings become gainfully engaged in productive activities after school and also become employers of labour, rate of dropout will be reduced.

Parents will also benefit from the findings of the study in that the better achievement of their ward and children will bring joy and satisfaction, for their education and good certification as an assurance of better future. Lastly, this study will also serve as source of literature to scholars and educational researchers.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated for the study.

1    What is the effect of constructivist based approach on the academic achievement score of students in Basic Technology as against those taught with conventional teaching method?

2   What is the difference academic achievement test scores of male and female students in

Basic Technology using constructivist based approach?

3   To what  extent  is constructivist based approach enhance students’ interest on Basic

Technology as against those taught with conventional teaching method?

4.  What is the influence of gender on students’ interest in Basic Technology due to exposure to constructivist based approach?

5    What  is the  influence of location on students’ academic achievement in BTE using constructivist based approach?

6    What is the influence of location on students’ interest in BTE using constructivist based approach?

7. What is the interaction effect of gender and academic achievement of students taught

Basic Technology with constructivist based approach on students’ interest?

Hypothesis

The following null hypotheses are formulated for the study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance:

1.        There is no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught BTE with constructivist based approach and those taught with conventional method.

2.        There is no significant difference between the male achievement scores of male and female students taught BTE using constructivist based approach.

3.        There is no significant difference between the mean interest scores of students taught BTE  using  constructivist  based  approach  and  those  taught  using  conventional teaching method.

4.        There is no significant difference between gender (male and female) on students’

interest in BTE using constructivist based approach.

5.        Location is not a significant factor in the mean academic achievement scores of students taught BTE using constructivist based approach.

6.        There is no significant difference between urban and rural students’ interest in BTE

taught using constructivist Based Approach.

7.        There is no significant interaction effect of gender and instructional treatment of students’ interest in basic technology.

Scope of the Study

This study was delimited to the effect of constructivist based approach on students’ academic achievement and interest in basic technology in Junior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State. The study focused on JSS 2 in Basic Technology. Second year Basic Technology second term syllabus was used to prepare eight lesson plans for the two groups of Basic Technology students  in public  junior  secondary schools  in  Oye  Local Government of Ekiti State.  The experiment was carried out while the school was in session. Achievement of male and female was compared together with their interest.

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