Effects of Think-Pair-Share and Concept Mapping Strategies on Students' Interest and Academic Performance in Basic Science in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of Think-Pair-Share (TPS) and Concept Mapping (CM) instructional strategies on students' interest and academic performance in Basic Science in the Vandeikya Education Zone of Benue State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pretest-posttest comparative design was adopted. The population comprised 13,009 Upper Basic II students offering Basic Science in the zone. A sample of 215 students was drawn through a three-stage sampling procedure, comprising 109 students taught using TPS and 106 taught using CM, from two public co-educational secondary schools in two Local Government Areas. Data were collected using the Basic Science Interest Questionnaire (BSIQ, Cronbach's Alpha = 0.85) and the Basic Science Performance Test (BSPT, K-R21 = 0.79). Mean and standard deviation answered the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance, using pretest scores as covariates. Findings showed no statistically significant difference between the mean interest ratings of students taught using TPS and those taught using CM, F (1, 212) = 0.219, p = 0.640, and no statistically significant difference between their mean academic performance scores, F (1, 212) = 0.258, p = 0.612. The study concluded that TPS and CM are comparably effective in enhancing students' interest and performance in Basic Science. It was recommended that Basic Science teachers adopt either strategy interchangeably, depending on topic demands and available instructional time, rather than treating one as categorically superior to the other.