EFFECTS OF CONCEPT MAPPING INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ECONOMICS IN BWARI AREA COUNCIL, FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY

The study investigated the effects of concept mapping instructional strategy on the achievement of secondary school students in economics in Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory. The study was guided by 2 research: objectives, and corresponding research questions and hypotheses. The study adopted quasi-experimental research design. The population of the study was 9,137, SS 2 Economics students in Bwari Area Council FCT Abuja. Simple random sampling was used to select 90 students. Data was collected using a 25-item multiple choice Concept Mapping Economics Achievement Test (CMEAT). The reliability of the instrument was determined using Kuder-Richardson’s formula statistic which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.85. Data collected were analyzed using mean score and standard deviation to answer the research questions while ttest was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that students taught Economics using concept mapping instructional strategy had higher mean achievement scores than those taught using the lecture method. There was a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught Economics using concept mapping instructional strategy and lecture method. The academic achievement of male and female students taught Economics using concept mapping instructional strategy did not differ significantly. There was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught Economics using concept mapping instructional strategy. The study recommends that Economics teachers should integrate concept mapping instructional strategy into their lesson plans amongst several others