IMPACT OF FUTURES WHEEL AND CONCEPT MAPPING INSTRUCTIONAL  STRATEGIES ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SCIENCE IN VANDEIKYA  LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE

Paul Terkura Torkula; I. T Ochepa-Murtala; Sowamhen Precious Prince Okogun

doi:10.5281/zenodo.20178673

Authors

Paul Terkura Torkula Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria Author
I. T Ochepa-Murtala Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria Author
Sowamhen Precious Prince Okogun Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20178673

Keywords:

IMPACT, FUTURES WHEEL, CONCEPT MAPPING, INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES, BASIC SCIENCE

Abstract

This study investigated ‘Impact of Futures Wheel and Concept Mapping Instructional Strategies on
Students’ Achievement in Basic Science in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State. Two
research questions were raised and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The design
adopted for this study was a quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-test and post-test group design.
The population of the study comprised 952 SS2 students offering Basic Science made up of 538 males
and 414 females during the 2023/2024 academic session. Multistage sampling was used to draw 500
students for the study. The researchers constructed a Basic Science Achievement Test (BAT) for
data collection. Mean scores and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while
Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that there was a difference in the mean achievement scores of junior secondary students
taught Basic Science with Concept mapping and Futures wheel instructional strategies and that
there is the interaction impact of Concept mapping and Futures-wheel instructional strategies and
gender (male and female) on students’ achievement in junior secondary school Basic Science.
Specifically, students taught with the Futures Wheel strategy achieved a significantly higher posttest
mean score of 47.12 compared to 36.17 for those taught with Concept Mapping, a difference of
10.95 points. ANCOVA results confirmed a statistically significant difference between the two
strategies, F(1, 496) = .611, p = .488 for Strategy, while the interaction of methods and gender was
significant, F(1, 496) = 48.834, p < 0.05. Male students outperformed female students in both
strategy groups. The study recommends that school management and the Ministry of Education
should adopt the Futures Wheel strategy for teaching Basic Science, prioritise teacher professional
development in its application, and implement gender-inclusive instructional practices to bridge
achievement gaps.