Comparative Effect of Concept Mapping and Jigsaw Instructional Strategies on the Academic Achievement of Agricultural Education Student’s in Soil Nitrogen Cycle in Benue state, Nigeria
Keywords:
Concept Mapping, Jigsaw, Agricultural Education, Nitrogen CycleAbstract
This study examined the effect of concept mapping and jigsaw instructional strategies on undergraduate Agricultural Education students’ achievement in soil nitrogen cycle in Benue State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three objectives, three research question and tested one hypothesis. A quasi- xperimental research design was adopted. The population comprised of 220 three hundred level (300 level) students ofundergraduate Agricultural Education students in selected tertiary institutions in Benue State. Due to the manageable size of the population, a census technique was adopted, wherein the entire population was included in the study. Purposive sampling of intact classes was adopted for the study. The study involves three groups: one was taught using concept mapping instructional strategies (CMIS), another was taughtusing jigsaw instructional strategies (JIS) as experimental group while the third group was taught with lecture Teaching method (LTM) as control group. 25 items structured multiple choice questions, titled: SoilNitrogen Cycle Achievement Test (SNCAT) was developed for the study. The items were validated by three. A pilot study was conducted to determine reliability using the test- retest method, yielding a coefficient of 0.86. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students taught using concept mapping and Jigsaw strategies achieved significantly higher mean scores in soil nitrogen cycle than those taught using the lecture teachingmethod. The study concluded that concept mapping learning strategies CMIS and Jigsaw instructional strategies (JIS) improve students’ academic achievement in soil nitrogen cycle. It was recommended that agricultural educators should adopt concept mapping and jigsaw strategies to enhance students’ academic achievement e in tertiary institutions.Downloads
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