EFFECT OF PROBLEM BASED LEARNING APPROACH ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PHYSICS IN AWKA EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the Problem-Based Learning approach on students’ academic achievement and retention in secondary senior school physics in Awka Education Zone. The study was guided by four research questions and six hypotheses tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. The population of the study comprised 3777 SS2 physics students, which includes 1588 males and 2189 females in the 65 government-owned secondary schools in Awka Education Zone, Anambra State. A sample of A sample of 157 (90 males and 67 females) SSII physics students selected using multi-stage sampling procedures was used for the study. Data were collected using Physics Achievement Test (PAT), validated by three experts, one from the Department of Science Education, one from the Measurement and Evaluation unit of the Department of Educational Foundations, both from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and one from an experienced Physics teacher. The reliability of the PAT was established using the Kuder- Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20), yielding a coefficient of 0.82. Data were gathered with the assistance of two trained research assistants. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, and ANCOVA was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 alpha level. Findings revealed among others that; there was a significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught Physics using the Problem-Based Learning Approach (PBLA) and those taught using the Conventional Lecture Method (CLM), and Male and female students taught Physics under the PBLA, and CLM did not differ significantly in their academic achievement, with only a marginal difference in post-test mean scores between the genders in both groups. Based on the results, it is recommended that; Schools should incorporate the Problem-Based Learning Approach into their Physics curricula to enhance student achievement, effective training programmes should be developed for Physics teachers to facilitate the transition to PBLA methodologies and Policymakers and educational leaders must recognize the gender-neutral benefits of PBLA on Physics achievement and promote its use across all student demographics.