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EFFECT OF REFLECTIVE INQUIRY INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUE ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED CONTENTS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY

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ABSTRACT

The study investigated  the effect of reflective  inquiry instructional  technique on  students’ achievement  in Environmental  Related  contents of senior secondary school  Geography  in Kolga  Education  Zone,  Bayelsa  State  of Nigeria.  The  study  adopted  quasi  experimental design.  Specifically,  the pretest  posttest  non-equivalent  group  design  was employed.  The population of the study consisted of all the 1,820 senior secondary school two (SS II) students who offer Geography in the 14 co-educational public secondary schools in Kolga Education Zone. Four (4) co-educational schools were drawn out of the fourteen schools.A sample size of 160 SS II Geography  students  were drawn  out of the four (4) co-educational  schools through  simple random  sampling  technique.  The instrument  used for data collection  was Environmental Related Contents Achievement Test in Geography(ERCATG).  The instrument was  validated  by  three  experts.  The  reliability  index  of  the  ERCATG  instrument  was established  usingKudder-Richardson  (K-R20)  method  of  internal  estimate  whichgave  an overall reliability  index of 0.66. Three research  questions guided  the study and  five  null hypotheses were also formulated to guide the study. Mean and standard deviation were used in answering the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Findings from the study revealed that students   taught   Environmental   Related   contents  with   reflective   inquiry   instructional technique achieved better than those taught with the conventional lecture method. The results also showed that there was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female  students  taught Environmental  Related  contents using  reflective  inquiry instructional  technique.  Therewere  no  interaction  effects  of  instructional  technique  and gender on students’ achievement in Environmental Related contents of Geography. The study found out that school location either in rural or urban area does not in any way affect the mean  achievement  scores  of  students  in  Environmental  Related  contents  of  Geography. Results  also  revealed  that  there  was  no  significant  interaction  effect  of  instructional technique  and  location  on  students’  achievement  in  Environmental  Related  contents  of Geography. It was therefore recommended that the Geography curriculum planners should carry out a review of the senior secondary school  Geography curriculum  with a view to incorporatingReflective  Inquiry Instructional Technique (RIIT) in order to ensure effective teaching and learning of Environmental Related contents of Geography. That Government should organize periodic workshops, conferences and seminars with a view to training and retrainingGeography teachers on the use of Reflective Inquiry Instructional Technique (RIIT) for effective teaching and learning of Environmental Related contents through the Geography curriculum.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Manyenvironmental  problems  or  challenges  that  face  humanity  are  as a result  of human activities.These activities occur as humans realized the need to struggle to improve the lot  of  life  and  living  standards  through  science  and  technology.  These  human  actions, according to Ogueri (2004) include over-exploitation,  deforestation,  mining, the release of harmfulgases     into     atmospheresuch     as    sulfur    dioxide     (S0 ),    methane     (CH ),

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chlorofluorocarbons  (CFCs),  the  hydroxyl  radical  (OH),  and  carbon  dioxide  (C0 ).Other

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sources of environmental problems include natural hazards such as flooding, earthquake and volcanic eruptions (Ezeudu, 2003). These have created unfavorable environmental conditions for living things and have only contributed in weighing down the environment and thereby have     resultedto     many     environmental     issues     or     challenges     (Collins     &Ertel,

2012).However,these  issuessuch  asglobal  warming,  ozone  layer  depletion,  pollution  and over-population  have provided the necessary justification for human to consciously protect and conserve the environment and the resources in it.

Thus,  in  line  with  the  need  for  environmental  protection  and  management,  the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN, 2006) defines environment as a set of natural resources for man’s prudent use. In the view of Nwosu, Uju, Nweze, Nwadinigwe, Abu and Njokuocha (2011), environment means the sum total of all the external conditions affecting the life of an organism or group of organisms. It is made up of all the physical (non-living or abiotic)  and  biological  (living  or  biotic)  factors.  However,  the  environment  has  lost  its aesthetic quality and original make-up due to human mad rush on natural resources. This is

detrimental to humans and has posed great threat to life’s existence on earth (NOUN, 2006).

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In line with the above statement,Ngwoke (2011) warns that the environment is man’s first right and so the absence of a safe environment makes it impossible for man to fight for other rights whether they are economic, social or political. This therefore calls for prompt intervention and action on the part of humans to consciously engage in practices that promote and    encourage    environmental    conservation    and     sustainability.     It    is    therefore necessarytocreate  awareness about the environment  and the associated  challenges  through education.

Education,  according to Chukwu (2011) is the transmission of what is  worthwhile from generation to generation. It is a process of assisting learners to acquire knowledge, skills and acceptable attitudes and moral behaviours that would make them to become responsible citizens in society. It is also seen as a process of inculcating  certain knowledge, attitudes, values, skills and experiences of certain domain to a  person or group of persons (Ezeudu,

2003).  Hence,  such  education  is required  to  promote  effective  teaching  and  learning  of Environmental  Related  (ER) contents  which according  to Ezeudu  are also  referred  to as Environmental Education (EE) contents.

Environmental  Education  (EE)  is  a  programme  of  education  that  aims  at  helping students to acquire physical and mental skills as well asattitudes,values and interest required for environmental protection and repair (Nwagu, 2001). Thus, the teaching and learning of Environmental Related contents orEE increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment  and the associated challenges.  It helps  learners to develop needed skills and expertise to address the challenges and fosters  attitudes,  motivations  and commitments  to make informed decisions in order to take responsible actions (UNESCO, as cited by Dare,

2013). Environmental Education (EE) is also seen as education from the environment, for the environment and about the environment. Education from the environment implies a situation

where the environment  is seen as a medium  for the education  of human  perception  and

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understanding (Abul, 2007). Hence, the health of the environment is improved through the study of topical environmental  issues such as acid rain, flooding, excessive rise in  global temperature,  ozone layer depletion  and pollution  (Ogueri,  2004). Thus,  in order  to create more awareness about the above environmental issues or challenges,Igbogoro (2008) advised that EE sensitization and awareness programs in schools should emphasis on the teaching of environmental education contents through an integrated core curriculum where EE contents (Environmental  Related contents) should be taught  through different  independent  subjects such as Geography, Biology, Agricultural science and integrated science. This thereforeis the reason why Environmental Related (ER)  contents should  be taught through the secondary school Geography.

Geography is a science of spatial relationship which focuses attention mainly on the interactions  between man and his environment. It is a science of synthesis which seeks to understand  a  given  area  in  terms  of  the  total  integration  of  various  phenomena  which characterize it (Abul, 2007). Geography is undisputedly an environmental science that studies all systems of the environment. It is also seen as a subject whose practical and intellectual values have become widely applicable  to many  spheres of life and thereby contributes  to national and international development. Geography is distinguished  from other branches of study mainly because of its ability in taking a holistic approach in the study of phenomena and not in terms of a single issue (Obeka, 2007). Therefore, geography alone has no unique claim  to  environmental  competence  since  it  draws  attention  on  the  spatial  relationship between  phenomena  in  relation  to  space  and  time.  It  is  therefore  appropriate  to  teach Environmental Related (ER) contents which are also referred to as Environmental Education (EE) contents through the secondary school geography. In addition, Ezeudu (2003) confirms that Geography is closely related to Environmental Education since many of the concerns of

EE  coincide  closely  with  those  of  Geography.   Specifically,Ezeudu   asserts  that   most

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environmental problems have a spatial dimension and it is this that makes the geographical perspective so important in Environment related issues.

Hence,  the objectives  of geography  according  to Aman (2012)  include:  to  enable students develop interest in both physical and cultural environment as a place and home of humans and thus broaden their outlook; to enable students gain an understanding of how the environment and climatic factors influence our lives; to develop in students an understanding of the basic  concepts,  principles  and theories  relating  to geographical  and environmental phenomena  and  finally,  to  help  students  develop  a  sense  of  responsibility  towards  the environment.

Similarly, the objectives of EE which closely coincide with those of geography were listed by Dare (2013) to include:

–     Awareness:  to  develop  and  increase  awareness  about  the  environment  and  the associated challenges,

–     Knowledge: to help students gain adequate knowledge and understanding of the total environment,

–     Attitude;  to  help  learners  develop  values,  strong  feelings  and  concern  for  the environment  which  will  motivate  them  to  actively  participate  in  environmental protection and improvement,

–     Skills: to assist students acquire the necessary skills for working towards the solution of environmental problems,

–     Participation:  to enable students to actively participate  in activities that lead to  the resolution of environmental challenges.

Thus, achieving the above lofty objectives of EE calls foran urgent need to consciously engage in practices that promote environmental or resource conservation. Hence, in an effort

to actualizing the above need or dreams, several sensitization efforts and programmes were

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initiated at global levels by United Nations Organization (UNO) which manifested in form of international  conferences,  workshops  and  inter-government  meetings  aimed  at  addressing environmental  issues such as environmental degradation,  global warming,  the need to cut down pollution rates and as well encourage sustainable development (Ogueri, 2004). In line with the above statement, Abul (2007) stated that at these international conferences and inter- governmental  meetings,  the  teaching  and  learning  of  EE  components  also  known  as Environmental Related contents were emphasized.

Similarly in Nigeria, awareness on the need for EEincreased in 1988 following the dumping of toxic wastes in Koko village of former Bendel State (National Open University of Nigeria, 2006). Pointing to that incident, Ezeudu (2003) clearly stated that the Koko toxic waste  incident  served  as an eye opener  to Nigerians  and thereby  prompted  the Nigerian government to act in different dimensions to purposely and consciously conserve and secure natural  resources  even  for  generations   yet  unborn.   This  led  to  the  promulgation  of environmental  protection  decrees  and  laws  such  as:  Federal  Environmental  Protection Agency   (FEPA)   decree   No.   58   of   1988,Endangered   Species   Act   Cap.   108   LFN

1990,Minerals  Act 1958 Cap. LFN 1990, Harmful waste decrees No. 42 of 1988,  Factory decree No. 16 of 1987 and Natural resources conservation decree No. 50 of 1989 (Zephaniah,

2012). Hence, the teaching and learning ofEnvironmental Issues or contents was given top priorityin order to equip people with the required knowledge and skills for  environmental protection and management (Olusanya, 2007). In addition Igbogoro (2008) explained that the Koko waste incident made the Nigerian government to emphasize more on the teaching and learning of environmental issues or topics at the primary,  secondary and tertiary levels of education.

Thus,  in  recognition  of  the  importanceplaced   on  the  teaching  and  learning  of

Environmental Issues or contents at all levels of education, UNESCO (2001) recommended a

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multi-disciplinary  approachto  environmental  related  issues  or  topics  whichis  capable  of enabling students of various disciplines to achieve a life-long education for the environment. The report further stressed on the importance of acquisition of life-skills for the improvement, quality, and health of the environment for sustainable development.

Thus,  stressing  on the  need  for a proactive  problem solving  and learner  centered methods  which  would  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  life-skills  in  learners,  Ezeudu  (2003) clearly  pointed   out  that  Environmental   Education   (or  the  teaching   and   learning   of Environmental Related contents) should not be theoretical but rather practical, action packed, problem oriented and issues based. Hence,Ezeudu, maintains that the environmental educator who teaches Environmental Related contents should as such create avenue for the students to observe, ask questions, collect and collate data, analyze data, pass value judgment and as well participate actively in the classroom.

In line with the above statement, Ezeudu (2003), Emesini (2011), Anyima (2011) and Mason  (2012)  recommended  the  following  methods  for  effective  delivery/teaching  and learning: Fieldwork, problem solving method, constructivist based method, inquiry method, simulation and games, computer assisted instructions (CAI),  scaffolding, reflective inquiry instructional  technique  and  demonstration  method.  In  spite  of  the  above  recommended modern methods for effective teaching and learning  of Environmental Related contents in Geography, geography teachers still resort to using the conventional lecture method (chalk- talk method) in teaching the subject at secondary school level (Abul, 2007).

Lecture method is viewed as a one way flow of communication from the teacher to the students. It is a teacher centered or teacher dominated approach. As such, most  of the talking is done by the teacher while students remain as passive listeners, taking down notes. However, in most cases it is only the brilliant ones that benefit from such lectures while the

majority  of students  do  not  understand  what  is  been  taught.  Students  are  mere  passive

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listeners (Nworgu, 2009).  Another notable disadvantage in the use of lecture method in the teaching and learning of Environmental Related contents of secondary school geography is its ineffectiveness in developing the desired manipulative motor-skills and skills of the affective domain in students. It does not encourage acquisition of life-skills for problem solving in real life situation (UNESCO, 2001). In addition,Asogwa and Echemazu (2011) maintained that the  old  method,  conventional  as  it  is,  appears  to  reduce  and  kill  students’  interest  and attitudes towards learning and thereby results to poor achievement.

Thus, the noticeable ineffectiveness of the lecture method has made it inappropriate to be  used  alone  in  teaching  Environmental  Related  contents  of  senior  secondary  school Geography.  In this light, Igbogoro  (2008) and Abul (2007)  confirmed that students’ poor achievement in Environmental Related contents of secondary school Geography is as a result of the inappropriate teaching methods used by geography teachers at secondary schools. In view of this, there is therefore need for a  more innovative  approach  to the teaching  and learning of Environmental Related  contents ofGeography.  Thus, Ogbuanya and Owodunni (2013) suggested that teachers should adopt the use of innovative problem solvingmethods (such as reflective inquiry instructional technique) to enhance effective teaching and learning. According   to   Navaneedhan   (2007),   the  use  of  such  learner   centered   methodscreate opportunities for learners to actively participate through observation, questioning, collect and analyze data, pass value judgments, make informed decisions, and make inference based on their (students) own findings. This therefore drives home the need to critically examine the effect of reflective inquiry instructional technique on students’ achievement in Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school Geography.

However, it is notable that any educational venture or programme that creates room for  students  to  observe,  ask  questions,  and  actively  participate  in  the  teaching  learning

process  is under  the umbrella  of reflective  inquiry  instructional  technique  since  it  offers

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students   such   opportunities   (Anyima,   2011).   Hence,   the   teaching   and   learning   of Environmental  Related  contents  of  secondary  school  Geography  requires  the  use  of  an innovative method such as reflective inquiry instructional technique.

Reflective  inquiry  is  seen  as  a  broad  based  instructional  technique  that  affords learners the opportunity to think critically, discuss and share their wealth of knowledge and experiences (both past and present) together in small groups on a particular subject matter (Anyima,  2011).Anyima  further  asserts that  reflective  inquiry  technique  is an innovative trend that incorporates  a blend of scaffolded  learning,  inquiry and critical thinking skills, questioning  skills,  discussion,  and  collaborative  learning  in  order  to  promote  effective teaching and learning. It is therefore seen not as a one way technique. Reflective inquiry is learner centered as it engages learners in series of questioning and thinking processes which makes  learners  construct  knowledge  within  and  among  themselves  without  necessarily relying on the teacher  for everything.  Reflective  inquiry is a pedagogy by which inquiry thinking is nurtured. It is a technique that allows students to consider how they know, the way they learn and  become more aware of themselves as knowledge constructors and knowers (Lyons, 2010). Reflective inquiry instructional technique is also seen as an inquiry approach and  a constructivist  approach to teaching that emphasizes on student’s active learning and creative problem solving (Eastern Mennonite University [EMU], 2013). Reflective inquiry is a continuous learning process that encourages life-long learning. It motivates and sustains students’  interests  in  learning  and  as well  facilitates  long  time retention  and transfer  of learning  in real life situation (Navaneedhan,  2007). Thus,Ogbuanya  and  Owodunni(2013) reported  that  reflective  inquiry  instructional  technique  is  a  learner  centred  method  that significantly improves students’ academic achievement.

Achievement is a result gained by effort. It is a great or heroic deed. Achievement is the act of accomplishing or finishing. According to Pandey (2008), academic achievement is

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the performance of the students in the subjects they study in the school. It is directly related to students’ growth and development of knowledge in educational situation where teaching and learning take place. ToUsman (2000), academic achievement is the measure of students’ learning  acquisition  of  certain  skills  at  the  end  of  teaching  and  learning  activities.  As observed by Devis and Mayuri (2003), academic achievement is excellence in all academic disciplines,  in classes as well as in extracurricular  activities.However,  students’ academic achievement can be affected by many variables such as teaching method, gender, and school locationamong other things.

Although   there   is   a   general   agreement   that   students’   poor   achievement   in Environmental Related (ER)contents of secondary school Geography is attributable  to the Geography teachers in their selection and use of inappropriate methods, it is likely that some intervening variables such as gender and school location can also have much influence on the effectiveness  of  teaching  methods  and  learning  outcomes  specifically  in  Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school Geography.

Thus,gender  refers to the social attributes associated with one’s feelings of  beinga male  or  female.  Gender  denotes  one’s  subjective  feelings  of  maleness  and  femaleness irrespective of one’s sex. It is generally classified into masculine or feminine and concerned with the attitudes that describe males and females in the socio-cultural context. Thus, gender is a sociological  concept  referring  to the roles each sex is  assigned  by society and plays within (Ezeh, 2013). As such, whileAbul(2007)  and Peter &Anoh (2011)revealed that boys achieved better than girls in some school subjects such as Geographyand integrated science, Negedu (2008), Thomas(2011) and Ukozor(2011) found that girls achieve better in integrated science,  mathematics  and  physics.  On the basis of these contradicting  findings  therefore,

thiswas one of the gaps this work attempted to fill.Specificallythe study ascertained whether

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gender  can  influencestudents’  achievement  in  Environmental  Relatedcontents  of  senior secondary school Geography if exposed to reflective inquiry instructional technique.

Another key variable  in this context is school location. According  to Orji (2013), schoollocationrefers  to rural and urban schools. Rural schools, according to Orji,  are those schools in the villages or semi-urban while urban schools are those schools in municipalities or within the towns. However, location of students in either rural or urban setting has posed intense debate among researchers in recent times. Precisely, whileAnyima (2011), Frederick (2011), Onah (2011) and Owoeye and Yara (2011)revealed that there is significant difference between   academic   achievement   of   students   in   rural   and   urban   areas   in   public examinations,Chinedu (2008) andOnuoha (2010)argued that there is no significant difference between students’  academic  achievement  in rural and urban areas. On the  basis of these conflicting  findings on the possible interactive influence of location on students’ academic achievement, the present study therefore attemptedto ascertain whether students’ achievement in EnvironmentalRelated contents of Geography can be influenced by school location. Statement of the Problem

It is obvious that students’ poor achievement  in Environmental Related contents of

secondary school Geography is attributable to many factors such as gender, school location and the use of inappropriate  teaching method. Specifically,  it has been  noticed  that one’s subjective  feelings  of being  a  male  or  female  contributes  greatly  in  influencing  his/her (students’)  academic achievement.  Thus gender is one of the  major  intervening  variables suspected to have also influenced students’ academic achievement in Environmental Related contents of Geography. On the other hand, school location either at rural or urban area is been suspected to have greatly influenced students’ academic achievement because school location may or may not have a significant  influence on students’ academic  achievement.  Hence,

school location is another key intervening variable that is suspected to have also  influenced

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students’  academic  achievement   in  Environmental  Related  contents  of  Geography.   In addition,  the  teaching  of  Environmental  Related  contents  of  senior  secondary  school Geography just like other subjects,  is been done with the use of the  conventional  lecture method.  This is a situation where  the teacher  engages the  students  in continuous  verbal instructions  on what  he/she (teacher)  feels they  (students)  should  know.  The use of this method therefore, has been suspected to have killed and reduced students’ interests and has contributed  to students’ poor achievement  in examination  results at the secondary school level.  Thus,  the  lecture  method  is   suspected  to  be  inappropriate   for  the  teachingof Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school Geography since the subject is issues based and likely motivate and challenge students to be actively involved in teaching- learning activities. Therefore, thesereasons justify the present attempt in this study to use the reflective  inquiry  instructional  technique  in  the  teaching  and  learning  of Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school Geography.

Hence, the problem of this study therefore, put in question form is: What is the effect of   reflective   inquiry   instructional   technique   on   students’   academic   achievement   in Environmental  Related  contents  of senior  secondary  school  Geography?  This  study also sought to ascertain whether students’ academic achievement can in any way be influenced by factors of gender and location.

Purpose of the Study

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The  main  purpose  of the  study was  to  determine  the effect  of reflective  inquiry instructional  technique  on  students’  academic   achievement   in   Environmental   Related contents of senior secondary school Geography. Specifically, the study determined:

1.        The effect of reflective inquiry instructional technique on students’ achievement  in

Environmental Related contents of Geography.

2.        The  influence  of gender  on  academic  achievement  of students  in  Environmental

Related contents of Geography.

3.        The   influence   of   school   location   on   academic   achievement   of   students   in

Environmental Related contents of Geography.

4.        Interaction effect of instructional technique and gender on students’ achievement  in

Environmental Related contents of Geography.

5.        Interaction effect of location and instructional technique on students’ achievement in

Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school Geography.

Significance of the Study

This study had both practical and theoretical significance.  Theoretically,  this  work canbe used to support Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Socio-constructivist Theory and Ausubel’s Theory of Meaningful Learning.

Specifically,  this  work  couldbe  used  to  support  Piaget’s  Cognitive  Development  Theory because  cognitive  development  theory  maintains  that  cognitive  development  occurs  as learner(s) creatively interact with their environment continually, adapt and build their sense of reality by exploring their environment. The theory recognizes the role of the student as a self-regulated  active  learner  who  is  intrinsically  motivated  to  learning  by  exploring  the environment. This of course, was the main stay of this work as reflective inquiry instructional

technique was expected to improve students’ achievement in Environmental Related contents

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of Geography by promoting students’ active learning through use of questions which helped students to explore their environment for purposeful learning.

Again, the Socio-constructivist Theory by Vygotsky was particularly important since it emphasizes  on learners  mastery of new approaches  of learning and gaining  knowledge through  interaction  with  others.  It  advocates  for  assisted  learning  also  referred  to  as scaffolding, enhanced through social interactions. This of course, was the  main stay of this work  as  reflective  inquiry  instructional  technique  was   expected  to  improve  students’ achievement in Environmental Relate contents of Geography by promoting students’ active learning through group discussions,  questioning  and scaffolding approaches which usually encourage social interactions.

Finally, this work couldbe used to support Ausubel’s Theory of Meaningful Learning because this theory maintains that the use of advance organizers increases recall and helps learner(s) to connect  and reconcile already existing knowledge (or  learner’s prior existing cognitive structure) to the new experience which leads to meaningful learning and retention. This of course, was the main stay of this work as reflective inquiry instructional technique was  expected  to  improve  students’  achievement  in  Environmental  Related  contents  of Geography  by promoting  students’  active  learning  through  critical  thinking,  and  use  of advance organizers which enhance recall and remembering processes.

Practically,  the  findings  of  this  research  work  would  be  beneficial  to  students, teachers, curriculum planners and future researchers.

This findings of this study could be of great benefit to students because reflective  inquiry instructional technique is an innovative instructional method that is issues based and problem oriented.  It  is a  learner  centered  method  and  as such,  students  have  the  opportunity  to observe, collect and analyze spatial data, and as well carry out experimentations.  Reflective

inquiry technique allows room for students group discussions where individual students have

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ample chance to air his/her own views, ask questions and learn meaningfully. The technique encourages students to participate actively in the teaching learning activity. Hence, students learn  practically  by  exploring  environment/phenomenon;   asking  probing  questions  and construct knowledge meaningfully, acquire skills necessary for problem solving and decision making, develop attitudes and values that promote  resources conservation  and sustainable development.  Through  the  findings  of this  study,  students  would  begin to  have a better understanding of Environmental Related contents of senior secondary school geography and see it as a subject that one can pass without struggle. The findings also helped students to see the need to engage in reflective  learning to gain self-confidence and get them prepared for meaningful learning.

The findings of this study wouldalso be ofgreat benefit to teachers in the sense that geography  teachers  could  find  it  very  easy  to  teach  Environmental  Related  contents  of geography by adopting and applying reflective inquiry instructional technique (RIIT) in the teaching–learning  situations  in  geography  classes.  The  RIIT  requires  teachers  to  act  as moderators, one who guides the learning process by asking leading questions to bring out the main points or placing factual statements. As such, the teacher saves a lot of energy, talks little and at same time, becomes very effective in the teaching activity. Therefore, teachers of geography  would  see reasons  to adopt  the  RIIT  for effective  teaching  of Environmental Related contents of geography which was expected to bring about a significant improvement in the achievement of students at schools.

More so, this study would provide important information to curriculum planners of educational  institutions  in  preparing  geography  teachers.  They  would  see  the  need  to incorporate RIIT into the curriculum for training and re-training of teachers for improvement in teacher effectiveness  in the class. Finally, the workcould  serve as a  useful material to

anybody carrying out research on similar topic especially for literature review.

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Scope of the Study

This  study  was  limited  to  determining  the  possible  effect  of  reflective  inquiry instructional  technique  on  students’  academic   achievement   in   Environmental   Related contents  of secondary  school  Geography  in  Government  ownedco-educational  secondary schools  inKolga  Education  Zone  ofBayelsa   State.   The  choice  of  this  zone  was  for convenience as it is the domicile zone of the  researcher.Hence,  the zone was preferred for ease of supervision of the experiment.   This work was restricted to SS II students offering geography in the Education Zone  mentioned above. The SS II students were used because they have already acquired  background knowledge at their previous level or class and are more exposed than the  SS I students. The content scope covered included: the concept of renewable  and  non-renewable  resources,  advantages  and disadvantages  of   renewable  and non-renewable   resources,   types   and   causes   of   environmental   problems,   effects   of environmental  problems  and  solutions  to  the  problems,  the  meaning  of  environmental conservation,  environmental  conservation  methods,  and  the  importance  of environmental conservation. The choice of the above content scope was appropriate since they formed part of the Environmental Related contents ofthe secondary school Geography curriculum. Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1.        What are the achievement scores of students taught Environmental Related contents of Geography using reflective inquiry instructional technique and those taught using conventional lecture method?

2.        What   are  the  mean  achievement   scores  of  male  and  female  students   taught

Environmental Relatedcontents using reflective inquiry instructional technique?

3.        What are the mean achievement scores of urban and rural studentsin Environmental

Related contents of Geography?

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Research Hypotheses

The  following  null  hypotheses  were  formulated  to  guide  the  study  at  0.05  level  of significance.

H01:    There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught with  reflective  instructional  technique  and  those  taught  with  conventional  lecture method.

H02:    There is no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students in Environmental Related contents of Geography.

H03:    There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of rural and urban students in Environmental Related contents of Geography.

H04:    There  is no significant  interaction  effect  of instructional technique  and gender  on students’ achievement in Environmental Related contents of Geography.

H05:    There is no significant  interaction effect of instructional technique and location  on

students’ achievement in Environmental Related contents of Geography.


This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research



EFFECT OF REFLECTIVE INQUIRY INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUE ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED CONTENTS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY

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