IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING INSTRUCTION ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ECONOMICS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study is a survey on the impact of cooperative learning instruction on academic 
achievement of secondary schools students in Economics in Anambra State. Four  
research questions and three null hypotheses tested at .05 level of significance guided the 
study. The study adopted the Quasi-experimental research design. In this quasi
experimental design pre-test and post test where administered to both experimental and 
control groups. It was carried out in Awka Education Zone of Anambra State. The 
population of the study comprised of all the SSS2 students in the 45 public secondary 
schools in Awka Education Zone. The sample of the study is 166 senior secondary school 
students (SSII) drawn from the population of the study. Stratified random sampling 
technique was used to select subjects for this study. Six intact classes were used for this 
study. Subjects for the cooperative learning instruction are 90 in  number.  This 
consists of 43 males and 47 females. The total number of subjects for lecture-based 
instruction are 76. This group consisted of 40 males and 36 females. This brings the 
sample size to one hundred and sixty-six (166), 83 males and 83 females. The 
instruments for data collection are two in number: the Economics Achievement Test 
(EAT) and senior secondary school (SSII) first term examination results of the 
students in Economics were collected and used to determine the present academic 
achievement of the students. The instrument was face, content and construct 
validated by three (3) experts, two (2) from the department of Educational 
Foundations Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Their contributions and corrections 
helped the researchers to produce a copy for the study. Application of the Kuder
Richardson's formula K-R20 yielded .76 for the Economics Achievement Test items 
for the reliability. Means and standard deviations were used to answer the research 
questions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. Results of the research showed that cooperative learning instruction has high impact in enhancing 
students’ achievement in Economics. Despite the fact that there was mean indication that 
the male students achieved higher than the female students in the Economics using 
cooperative learning instruction as an instructional approach, the ANCOVA revealed that 
cooperative learning instruction has high impact for male than female.  Based on the 
findings of this study, cooperative learning instruction of teaching was recommended to 
be adopted as one of the common approaches of teaching and learning of Economics  in 
schools. In schools where such communicative approach is being practiced, care should 
be taken to ensure proper application of the approach.