EFFECTS OF PREDICT-EXPLAIN-OBSERVE-EXPLAIN AND VEE HEURISTIC STRATEGIES ON BASIC EDUCATION STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SCIENCE IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The effects of predict-explain-observe-explain (PEOE) and vee heuristic (VH) strategies on basic education students’ academic achievement in Basic Science in Anambra State, Nigeria was investigated. Two research questions and three hypotheses tested at a 0.05 level of significance guided the study. A pretest-posttest non-randomized, compare group quasi-experimental research design was adopted. A sample of 49 (12 males and 37 females) students, from a population of 2,508 (919 males and 1,589 females) upper basic eight students, offering Basic Science in Awka South Local Government Area, obtained using a multi-stage sampling procedure, was used for the study. The Basic Science Achievement Test (BSAT), with a Kuder-Richardson (KR-20) Formula coefficient of 0.70, was used to collect data on the students’ academic achievement in Basic Science. Three experts from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, validated the instrument. The data for this study were collected through pretest and posttest administration to the students prior to and after the instructional intervention. The intervention took six weeks, using the PEOE and VH strategies. The mean, standard deviation, and Analysis of Covariance were used to analyze the collected data. The findings of the study showed that the students experienced a significant gain in their academic achievement, in favour of the VH strategy. The findings also showed that the male and female students exposed to both strategies did not differ significantly in their mean achievement scores. The study concluded that the VH strategy significantly improved the students’ academic achievement in Basic Science more than the PEOE strategy. It was recommended, among other things, that Basic Science teachers should use the VH strategy more in Basic Science classes to teach basic education students since its visual structure helps them organize ideas and reduce cognitive overload, finally leading to their improved learning outcomes.