European Journal of Education Studies
ISSN: 2501 - 1111
ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu
Volume 3 │Issue 4│2017
doi: 10.5281/zenodo.400596
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN GEOGRAPHY IN
GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Jacob Filgona1i,
Linus K. Sababa2
Government Day Secondary School,
1
Monduva, Mubi South LGA, Nigeria
Department of Educational Foundation,
2
Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
Abstract:
The low enrolment and poor academic achievement of female students in Geography
compared to their male counterparts in secondary schools of Ganye Educational Zone
necessitated this study. Studies have it that the instructional strategies adopted by
Geography teachers in teaching could interact with gender to influence students
academic achievement. To this end, the study investigated the Effect of Gender on
Senior Secondary School Students ‚cademic ‚chievement in Geography when
Mastery Learning Strategy and Conventional Method are used for instruction. The
quasi-experimental non-randomized pre-test, post test control group design was used.
The study also employed the multi-stage random sampling technique at four levels to
select 207 (120 Male and 87 Female) senior secondary school two (SS II) students
offering Geography from six intact classes in six co-educational secondary schools in
Ganye Educational Zone in Nigeria. A 40-item Geography Achievement Test (GAT)
constructed by the researcher and validated by experts in Geography education was
used to obtain data. After pilot testing the instrument using 89 students from two intact
classes, the data obtained were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation
coefficient statistic. A reliability index of 0.78 was obtained. Data collected were
analyzed using descriptive statistics of Mean, independent t-Test and Analysis of
Covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed that Female students exposed to learning
Geography through Mastery Learning Strategy performed better than their Male
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
© 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
counterparts. ‚ significant interaction effect of treatment and gender on students
achievement in Geography was also observed. It was recommended that Geography
teachers should re-assess their classroom instructional strategies used in teaching and
adopt that which will give the students equal opportunities to excel in Geography.
Keywords: academic achievement; conventional method; gender; geography; mastery
learning strategy
1. Introduction
The problem of students underachievement in secondary schools in Nigeria has been a
much discussed educational issue. In solving any problem, it is pertinent to understand
the causes of such problems. Many causes have been studied and advanced as the
etiological starting point for investigating the phenomena of students failure or success.
These causes are looked into from several perspectives including the role of the
students, teachers, parents, school environment, society and Government. Gender has
been advanced as one of such factors that may have a considerable effect on students
academic achievement especially in science subjects such as Geography.
Gender is the range of physical, biological, mental and behavioural
characteristics pertaining to and differentiating between the feminine and masculine
(female and male) population. The importance of examining achievement in relation to
gender is based primarily on the socio-cultural differences between girls and boys.
Some vocations and professions have been regarded as men s engineering, arts and
crafts, agriculture etc. , while others as women s catering, typing, nursing etc. . The
typical African society has shown that invincible rules within the society provided what
is feminine and what is masculine. Hence, science oriented subjects in most cultures are
defined as masculine. The historical background of the provision of education in
Nigeria serves to give a picture of how tradition and culture has placed women and
girls at a disadvantage, and restricted them to a narrow range of occupation and
careers. Parents assign task like car washing, grass cutting, bulbs fixing, climbing
ladders to fix or remove things etc. to the boys. On the other hand, chores like dish
washing, cooking, cleaning and etc. are assigned to the girls. In a nutshell, what are
regarded as complex and difficult tasks are allocated to boys whereas girls are expected
to handle the relatively easy and less demanding tasks. As a result of this, the larger
African society has tended to see girls as a weaker sex . Consequently, an average girl,
especially in Northern Nigeria goes to school with these fixed stereotypes.
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Gender, as a concept, has captured the interest of educators in Nigeria, especially
now that gender equity is being emphasized in many quotas. The ABC of women's
right and gender equality (2000) defines gender as the socially constructed differences
and relations between males and females. According to the document, the term
gender is not interchangeable with the term sex , which refers exclusively to the
biological differences between men and women, which are universal and do not
change. Gender characterizes the differing roles, responsibilities, constraints,
opportunities and needs of females and males in all areas and in any given social
context. Reports from various academic sources have it that Geography as a course of
study is gender sensitive (Filgona, 2016, Gender Geography, 2010). Inputs from girls
during Geography classes in secondary schools of Ganye Educational Zone were
observed to be considerably lower. While boys are likely to ask more questions and
engage the teacher during Geography classes (active), the girls will rather choose to
remain quiet, even when they know (passive). Achievement could be a strong correlate
to students continuing in Geography as a course of study, of which the girls were
observed to lag behind their male counterparts. Moreover, the enrolment of girls in
senior secondary school Geography in the study area was also observed to be at its
lowest ebb. What could be responsible for this low interest of female students in
Geography? Such discussions have consistently centred round instructional strategies
used in teaching the subject (Filgona, 2016).
Of great concern is that most Geography teachers in the study area still rely
primarily on the lecture method for imparting knowledge, while the manner of
presentation is supposed to be activity-based (Filgona, Filgona & Sababa, 2016, Filgona,
Ndatuwong & Filgona, 2016). This does not give students the opportunity to contribute
to the teaching learning process. Studies like those of Arisi (2002), Akpochafo (2001)
Okobia (2000) have pointed out that despite the more than thirty-year existence of
learning style theories, most teachers still dispense information using conventional
lecture method without regard to students learning abilities. This teaching method is
theoretical and teacher-directed, instead of being constructive or activity-based. In the
lecture method, the teacher, according to Filgona, Sababa and Iyasco (2016), Oganwu,
(2004) and Ogundare, (2000), simply becomes the centre of knowledge transmission
while the learner remains the listener and a storehouse of facts; and expected to
regurgitate same when ask to do so.
Several studies have documented that female students have lower self-efficacy in
science compared to male students (Amedu, 2015 & Nwona & Akogun,
. Girls
capabilities may be undermined by sex-role stereotypes in many cultures intimating
that females are not as able as males, especially in such disciplines as Geography. This
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EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
difference in treatment through education created and sustained gender gap, which
also became visible in the science related disciplines. Because of this reason, fewer
female students may study Geography at University level. Another contributing factor
may be the low level of expectations that some parents, teachers, and counsellors often
hold for girls, which can discourage further study in scientific and technical fields.
However, certain studies indicated that gender differences generally are small or nonexistent. For instance, Hedges and Newell (1995) found that in science, boys outperform
girls, but in reading and writing girls have the advantage.
Studies on gender
differences and students achievement abounds. While some of these studies observed
gender disparity in science in favour of males (Ekeh, 2004), others report females'
superiority (Shaibu & Mari, 1997) and others still, zero disparity (Udo & Udofia, 2006;
Udo, 2010, 2011). Hence, studies on gender and students' performance are conflicting
and inconclusive. Researchers reporting male dominance explain their observations in
terms of cultural factors and gender stereotyping. Owuamanam and Babatunde (2007)
in a study on gender role stereotypes and career choice of secondary school students
observed that boys showed interest on brain tasking careers while girls were more
interested on courses that do not require much brain work.
Filgona (2016) and Nwona (2013) noted imbalance against girls in Geography,
science, technology and mathematics. These are perceived as masculine subjects.
Research has demonstrated that different teaching methods produce different results.
The identification of the best teaching strategy for a given set of students must be done
if the best result must be achieved. Could it be that the teaching methods adopted by
teachers presently accounts for the low level of enrolment and achievement of female
students in Geography observed in the study area? To ensure a learner-friendly
learning environment, effective instructional method that involves activities with
students taking over their learning should be encouraged. Mastery learning strategy is
one of such innovative learner-friendly teaching approach that may bridge the
achievement gaps between male and female students in Geography observed in the
study area.
Mastery learning is an instructional strategy that is based on the principle that all
students can learn a set of reasonable objectives when provided with appropriate
instruction and sufficient time. It is a method in which students are given unlimited
opportunities to demonstrate mastery of content taught. It involves breaking down the
subject matter to be learnt into units of learning each with its own objectives. It gives
students the opportunity to study a material unit after unit until they master it. Obih
and Ekomaru (2011) stated that mastery learning is the mastery of a task, topic, or
subject by every learner whereby the instruction is well related with the learner s
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
characteristics and the learner is given the time required to learn the task, topic or
subject and at the same time given the optimum quality of instruction. Mastery learning
uses differentiated and individualized instruction, progress monitoring, formative
assessment, feedback, corrective procedures, and instructional alignment to minimize
achievement gaps, and focuses on how to improve the process of mastering content
rather than changing it. Following a previous instruction, the teacher administers a brief
formative assessment based on a unit learning goals (Bloom, 1971). The assessment as a
feedback informs the teacher about the student, which helps to identify what have been
learnt and what needs to be learnt better. Students who have learnt the specified
concepts continue their learning experiences while others who have not properly learnt
the concept receive feedback paired with corrective activities different from the initial
instruction and offer guidance and direction on how to remedy their learning
challenges. These correctives can include varying activities, individualized instruction,
and additional time to complete assignments. The challenge therefore becomes
providing enough time and ensuring that all students can attain the same level of
learning. Expectedly, this is what Mastery Learning Strategy could do to bridge the
achievement gaps between male and female students offering Geography in secondary
schools of Ganye Educational Zone.
Literature abounds on the efficacy of the Mastery Learning Strategy on students
achievement in different localities and in diverse fields (Hussain & Suleman, 2016,
Lamidi, Oyelekan & Olorundare, 2015, Udo & Udofia, 2014). However, the effect of
gender on secondary school students academic achievement in the use of the Mastery
Learning Strategy has not been explored in Ganye Educational Zone. This is the
rationale for this study.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Reports from various academic sources have indicated that Geography as a course of
study is gender sensitive (Filgona, 2016, Gender Geography, 2010). Inputs from girls
during Geography classes in secondary schools of Ganye Educational Zone were
observed to be considerably lower. While boys are likely to ask more questions and
engage the teacher during lesson delivery, the girls will rather choose to remain quiet,
even when they know. Moreover, the enrolment of girls in senior secondary school
Geography was also observed to be at its lowest ebb. What could be responsible for this
low interest of female students in Geography?
Studies have it that the instructional strategies adopted by Geography teachers in
teaching could interact with gender to influence students academic achievement
(Suwopoleme, Sababa & Filgona, 2016). Of great concern is that most Geography
European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 4│ 2017
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
teachers in the study area still rely primarily on the lecture method for imparting
knowledge, while the manner of presentation is supposed to be activity-based (Filgona,
2016). This does not give students the opportunity to contribute to the teaching learning
process. Therefore, there is the need to adopt newer and innovative learner-friendly
teaching approach that could bridge the achievement gaps between male and female
students in Geography. Mastery Learning Strategy is one of such innovative learnerfriendly teaching strategy that may enhance the achievement of both male and female
students offering Geography in secondary schools of Ganye Educational Zone.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
This study sought to find out the effect of gender on senior secondary school students
academic achievement taught Geography using mastery learning strategy. The specific
objectives of the study were to:
1) determine the effect of Gender on students academic achievement taught
Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy; and
2) compare the interaction effect of Treatment and Gender on the academic
achievement of students in Geography.
1.4 Research Question
The study was guided by the following question: What is the academic achievement of
Male and Female students taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy and
Conventional Method?”
1.5 Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level:
HO1: There is no statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of Male
and Female students taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy.
HO2: There is no significant interaction effect of Treatment and Gender on students
academic achievement in Geography.
2. Materials and Methods
The study adopted the non-equivalent pre-test, post test, control group design to verify
the relative effectiveness of Gender as an organismic variable on learning outcomes of
students taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy. The non-equivalent pretest, post test, control group design is a type of quasi-experimental design. Quasiexperimental design is similar to experimental design except for the lack of
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EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
randomization of students into groups. This research design is used because secondary
schools exist in intact classes and the randomization of students into groups for
experimental purpose is not allowed to avoid the disintegration of the classes. The pretest, post test suggests that measurements are taken before and after the introduction of
the intervention. The pre-test helps in examining the differences between the
experimental and the control groups entry behaviour and to establish a baseline for the
effect of the treatment. The design is represented schematically as follows:
O1
X1
O2
O3
X2
O4
where: O1 and O3, are the pre-test scores of the experimental and the control groups
respectively. O2 and O4 are the respective post test scores of the two groups.
X1 = Experimental treatment using Mastery Learning Strategy (MLS).
X2 = Control treatment using Conventional Teaching Method.
2.1 Sample and Sampling Technique
The sample for this study consisted of 207 (120 Male and 87 Female) Senior Secondary
School two (SS II) students offering Geography in six intact classes from six selected
Government secondary schools in three Local Government Areas in Ganye Educational
Zone of Adamawa State. Ganye Educational Zone is one of the five educational zones in
Adamawa State. It is located in North Eastern part of Nigeria, having a vast majority of
its inhabitant as farmers. The three selected LGAs were Toungo, Ganye and Jada. In
order to provide a suitable sampling frame for the study, the multi-stage random
sampling technique at four levels using the balloting technique was employed. The six
selected schools were randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. The
schools were co-educational schools located in both urban and rural areas of Ganye
Educational Zone of Adamawa State. Three schools comprised of 103 (61 Male and 42
Female) students formed the Experimental group taught Geography through the
Mastery Learning Strategy, while the other three schools with 104 (59 Male and 45
Female) students constituted the Control group exposed to learning of concepts in
Geography through the Conventional Teaching Method.
2.2 Research Instrument
The instrument used for data collection was Geography Achievement Test (GAT),
which consisted of 35 structured multiple choice questions and 5 essay items drawn
from West African Certificate Examination and National Examinational Council past
questions. It was based on SS II Geography curriculum on five content areas namely:
earthquake, vulcanicity, faulting and folding, weathering and mass movement. The
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
GAT was used as a pre-test to ascertain equivalent ability of students as well as a post
test after treatment to determine the effect of the intervention on academic achievement.
The instrument was given to two experts in Geography Education in secondary
schools and two Geography lecturers from the Department of Educational Foundation,
Adamawa State University, Mubi, for face and content validation. The validators were
specifically requested to check for the appropriateness of the items and content
coverage considering the grade level and the objectives of the study. Based on their
comments and suggestion, which included revising some of the items and dropping
some, the number of items was increased in the GAT from 30 to 45 items. The
corrections made by the validators were followed in selecting the items included in the
instrument.
To further strengthen the validity of the GAT, the 45 items were trial-tested on 89
students offering Geography from two intact classes (Class A: 41, Class B: 48) of coeducational secondary schools different from the selected schools used for the study.
Class A was used as the experimental and B control groups. The test-re-test method was
used to generate two sets of scores for the students. The data obtained were used to
determine the reliability, difficulty and discrimination indices of the items. For the
purpose of this work, objective items with difficulty indices below 0.30 were deleted for
being difficult and those above 0.75 were also deleted for being too simple (Anikweze,
2010). With respect to the discriminating powers or item efficiency, only items
(objective) with discriminatory indices ranging between 0.30 and 0.70 were accepted,
those outside this range were deleted for lacking the powers to discriminate between
the slow and fast learners. These further reduced the number of items from 45 to 40
items in the final draft of the GAT. In order to determine the reliability of the
instrument, the two sets of scores were subjected to correlation using the Pearson
product moment correlation coefficient statistic. The reliability coefficient was found to
be 0.78. This reliability index showed that the instrument was reliable and capable of
measuring the intended objectives of the study with consistency.
2.3 Procedure for Data Collection
The procedure for data collection was done in phases. In the first phase, the researcher
visited the sampled schools to seek for permission to engage the students and some
Geography teachers in the study. Two validated researcher-developed instructional
packages (one for the Mastery Learning Strategy and the other for Conventional
Teaching Method groups) were used for teaching the selected concepts to students in
the Experimental and Control groups. The subject teachers in the six selected schools
who were experienced graduate teachers with at least BSc. Degree in Geography
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EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Education were used as Research Assistants; after training for one week using the
instructional packages for the respective groups.
This was followed by the administration of the GAT as a pre-test to the students
in the experimental and control groups to ascertain the equivalence in ability of the
students in Geography. In the second phase, the treatments were introduced to the
experimental and control groups. Students in experimental group were taught using the
MLS, while the control group were taught using the Conventional lecture approach.
Five topics (earthquake, vulcanicity, faulting and folding, weathering and mass
movement) were taught concurrently in all the six schools using the appropriate
treatment in each school for a period of five weeks. Each class period lasted for 40
minute and in each of the schools, Geography was taught for at least thrice a week for
the six weeks that this study lasted. This was quite adequate considering the content
area investigated. The teaching was closely monitored and supervised by the researcher
after which a reshuffled version of GAT was re-administered as post test to both the
experimental and control groups. This was done on the sixth week. The pre-test and
post test of students were scored over 100 to generate quantitative data for further
statistical analysis.
2.4 Method of Data Analysis
The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, Independent
samples t-Test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Descriptive statistics of mean
was used to answer the research question. The t-Test was used to test hypothesis one
because of its superior power to detect differences between two means (Male and
Female students post test scores in the experimental group . Hypothesis two was tested
using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). ANCOVA was used where the post test
scores of the students were the dependent variables, treatment and gender the
independent variables while pre-test scores were the covariates. Significance level of
0.05 was used to test the null hypotheses.
3. Results
The students that were engaged in the study have prior knowledge in Geography and
in topics related to those that were used in the study. Hence, a pre-test was
administered to the experimental and control groups at the commencement of the study
to determine the equivalence in their entry behaviour. The results of the analysis of pretest scores in the GAT for the experimental and the control groups taught Geography
were analyzed and the results presented in Table 1.
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Table 1: Summary of Mann-Whitney U test of Pre-test Results of Students in the
Mastery Learning Strategy and Conventional Method
Variable
Mastery Learning Strategy
Conventional Method
N
Mean Rank
Sum of Ranks
103
109.17
11245.00
104
98.88
U
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
4823.00
.216
10283.00
Not Significant, p > .05
Tables 1 shows that the difference in students pre-test scores in Geography at the start
of the study is not significant (U = 4823.00, p = 0.216). This implies that students in the
experimental and control groups had equivalent entry behaviour before treatment.
Research Question: “What is the academic achievement of Male and Female students taught
Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy and Conventional Method?” Descriptive
statistics of students mean achievement scores taught Geography using Mastery
Learning Strategy and Conventional Method by gender was used to answer this
question. The result shows that the Female students in Mastery Learning Strategy
group had the highest mean score in Geography (M = 37.83) compared to their Male
counterparts (M = 29.23). On the other hand, Male students academic achievement (M =
22.92) in Conventional Method group was slightly higher than the academic
achievement of their Female counterparts (M = 20.24) (Table 2).
Table 2: Summary of Descriptive Statistics of Students ‚cademic ‚chievement in
Mastery Learning Strategy and Conventional Teaching Method by Gender
Source
Mastery Learning Strategy
Conventional Method
Gender
N
Mean
Std. Dev.
Male
61
29.23
20.07
Female
42
37.83
16.53
Male
59
22.92
15.19
Female
45
20.24
12.29
Furthermore, the table suggests that Male and Female students exposed to Geography
using Mastery Learning Strategy obtained higher academic achievement scores than
their counterparts in the control group. This scenario can also be depicted graphically
(Fig 1).
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Figure 1: A Graphical illustration of Academic Achievement of Male and
Mean Score of Students by Gender
Female Students taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy and Conventional Method
40
35
30
25
20
Male
15
Female
10
5
0
Mastery Learning Strategy
Conventional Method
Teaching Strategies
Hypothesis One: The hypothesis sought to find out if a significant difference exists in
the academic achievement of Male and Female students taught Geography using
Mastery Learning Strategy.
This hypothesis was tested by comparing the mean scores of Male and Female
students taught using MLS. The independent samples t-test result is summarized in
Table 3.
Table 3: Summary of t-Test Analysis of Post Test Scores of Male and
Female Students taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy
Variable
N
Mean
SD
Male
61
29.23
20.07
Female
42
37.83
16.53
df
t
Sig. (2-tailed)
101
-2.299
.024*
*Significant; p < .05.
Table 3 shows the independent samples t-test results of male and female students in the
experimental group. The result indicates a statistical significant difference in the post
test scores of Male and Female students taught Geography by Mastery Learning
Strategy (t = -2.299, df = 101, p = 0.024). This implies that the achievement of Female
students in Geography improved significantly compared to their Male counterparts.
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Hypothesis Two: There is no significant interaction effect of Treatment and Gender on
students academic achievement in Geography.
This hypothesis was tested using ANCOVA. The post test scores of the students
were the dependent variables, treatment and gender the independent variables while
pre-test scores were the covariates.
Table 4: Summary of Analysis of Covariance of Interaction Effect of Treatment and
Gender on Students ‚chievements in Geography
Source
Type III Sum of Squares
df
Mean Square
F
Sig. (2-tailed)
8049.571a
2
4024.786
7.730
.001
134322.326
1
134322.326
257.983
.000
Pre-test
1269.790
1
1269.790
2.439
.120
Treatment*Gender
6671.896
1
6671.896
12.814
.000*
520.664
Corrected Model
Intercept
Error
106215.424
204
Total
541670.000
207
Corrected Total
114264.995
206
*Significant; p < .05.
Table 4 shows a significant interaction effect of treatment and gender on students
achievement in Geography
F
,
=
.8
,p= .
. This implies that students
gender is sensitive to the treatments administered; this was why interaction did
manifest.
4. Discussion
Gender has been advanced as one of the predictor variable that may be factored in
students
academic achievement. However, findings from substantial body of
literatures regarding gender and students
achievement are conflicting and
inconclusive. Mastery learning approach is effective as it insist on attainment of mastery
of unit objective before proceeding to the next topic. It increases student motivation by
providing peer support. Hence the prerequisite to a topic is mastered well before
studying the next topic. In this study, the pre-test scores of students in the experimental
and control groups taught Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy and
Conventional Method were compared. The results showed that students in the two
groups did not differ significantly in their pre-test scores at the onset of the treatment.
This is an indication of the students attaining equivalence in their background
knowledge of Geography before the study.
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Jacob Filgona, Linus K. Sababa
EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
Descriptive statistics of research question one suggests that Male and Female
students exposed to Geography using Mastery Learning Strategy obtained higher
academic achievement scores than their counterparts in the control group. This implies
that Mastery Learning Strategy was effective in improving students achievement in
Geography when compared with the Conventional Lecture Method. This finding tallies
with that of Wambugu and Changeiywo (2008) who found Mastery Learning Strategy
to be better in improving students achievement than the conventional method. Testing
hypothesis one revealed that female students exposed to learning Geography through
Mastery Learning Strategy performed better than their Male counterparts in the same
group. This finding is in concomitance with those of Nnamani and Oyibe, (2016),
Zember and Blume (2011), Dayioglu and Turut-asit (2004) which showed that girls
perform better than boys in schools. The finding however disagrees with those of
Suwopoleme et. al (2016), Udo and Udofia (2014), Oleabhiele (2011) who held that male
students perform better than female students in Geography or in any classroom
instructional activities. Furthermore, the finding is at variance with the studies of
Lamidi, et. al (2015), Wambugu and Changeiywo (2008), which showed no significant
influence of gender on students achievement taught with mastery learning approach.
In respect to hypothesis two, a significant interaction effect of treatment and
gender on students academic achievement in Geography was observed. This implies
that the treatments administered to the experimental and control groups using Mastery
Learning Strategy and Conventional Teaching Method to teach Geography was
sensitive to the students gender. The finding agrees with those of some authors who
reported a significant treatment-gender interaction effect on students achievement
(Obiageli, 2013, Ifeakor, 2005). However, it disagrees with the findings of others who
reported no significant treatment-gender interaction effect on students achievement
(Gambari, 2004, Ibe, 2004).
Findings of this study have demystified the perception held by Geographers that
Geography is a male dominated discipline (Gender Geography, 2010). The reason that
could be advanced for the better achievement of female students in the experimental
group could lie on the instructional strategy adopted. It gave the students (irrespective
of gender) the ample opportunities to learn and master every concept in Geography
unit by unit. Even though the girls were observed to interact more during lesson
delivery, the use of this strategy gave them the freedom to relate with their peers in and
outside the classroom, in an effort to unravel what appears difficult to them.
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EFFECT OF GENDER ON SENIOR SECOND‚RY SCHOOL STUDENTS ‚C‚DEMIC ‚CHIEVEMENT IN
GEOGRAPHY IN GANYE EDUCATIONAL ZONE, NIGERIA
5. Conclusion
The Mastery Learning Strategy has been shown to enhance students achievement in
Geography better than the conventional method. However, the strategy favoured
Female students in Geography more than their Male counterparts. Similarly, the
treatments administered to the two groups did interact significantly with gender to
influence students academic achievement in Geography. The implications of these
observations are that teaching strategies adopted by Geography teachers and students'
gender are significant predictors of students' achievement. Consequently, Geography
teachers should always diversify their teaching strategy and that gender factor should
not be overlooked in any teaching-learning situation. Hence, earnest efforts should
always be put in place to ensure gender-friendly classrooms.
6. Recommendations
The following recommendations were made:
1. All learners should be given equal opportunity and the same level of
encouragement irrespective of gender. Learners should be thoroughly and
deliberately motivated to engender higher level of achievement in Secondary
School Geography irrespective of gender.
2. There should be no differentiation in the way male and female are treated
academically. Equal treatment of male and female should be factored in
Geography instruction and school policy formulation.
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