Effects of Mastery Learning and Demonstration Instructional Strategies on the Academic Achievement of Basic Technology Students in Delta State

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of mastery learning and demonstration instructional strategies on the academic achievement of Basic Technology students in Delta State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design involving 6480 (3040 male and 3440 female) students offering Basic Technology in the 1248 Public Secondary in Delta State. A sample of 316 JSS I-III Basic Technology students selected from six public mixed junior secondary schools in Delta State were used for the study. The Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTAT) developed and validated by the researcher was the main instrument for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was established using Kuder-Richardson formula 21 which yielded coefficient index as pretest of 0.79. Data were collected by administering the BTAT as pretest, posttest and post-posttest. The data obtained were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, Anova and ANCOVA. Results revealed that students taught using mastery learning and demonstration strategies performed significantly better than those taught using conventional methods. Furthermore, there was no significant gender difference in students’ achievement under both strategies. The study recommends that Basic Technology teachers adopt mastery and demonstration teaching approaches to enhance students’ achievement and practical competence.