EFFECT OF PROBLEM-BASED TEACHING METHOD ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY IN UNIVERSITY DEMONSTRATION SECONDARY SCHOOLS, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The provision of infrastructure, instructional facilities and employment of qualified teachers without the use of effective teaching methods may not enhance students' academic achievement in school subjects including Basic Technology. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the Problem-Based Teaching Method (PBTM) on students' academic achievement in basic technology in University Demonstration Secondary Schools in Edo State. Three research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The quasi-experimental research design of non-randomized groups was the method used to carry out the study. The study had a population of 580 Basic 8 (JSS 2) students and a sample size of 70 Basic 8 students was purposively selected. Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTAT) was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts and a reliability coefficient of 0.74 was established. The research questions were answered with mean (X) statistics while the hypotheses were tested with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Findings revealed that students taught basic technology with problem-based teaching methods performed better in their post-test mean scores than those taught with the conventional teaching method. Also, findings indicated that the problem-based teaching method is more effective in enhancing the academic achievement of female students in basic technology. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the male and female students taught Basic Technology using PBTM based on their academic performance. It was recommended among others that basic technology teachers should use PBTM to teach their students since it is an effective teaching method.