Comparative Effects of Group Instructional Methods on Technical College Automobile Mechanics Students’ Academic Achievement in Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study determined the effect of group instructional methods (collaborative and cooperative instructional methods) on technical college Automobile Mechanics students’ academic achievement. The study used the quasi-experimental research design; specifically the pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group experimental design. Multi stage sampling technique was used to arrive at the sample size of 264. Motor Vehicle Mechanics Achievement Test which was the instrument used, was validated and the tested reliability was 0.83. Data collected were analyzed using mean and ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that: students taught with cooperative instructional method performed better as they have higher achievement scores in Automobile Mechanics than students taught with collaborative method; gender had an effect in favour of males in the achievement test as male students had higher mean gain in the mean achievement scores in Automobile Mechanics. There was no significant interaction effect of treatments given to students and their gender with respect to their mean achievement scores in Automobile Mechanics. The findings imply that cooperative instructional method is a viable teaching method for improving students’ achievement in Automobile Mechanics. It is recommended that Automobile Mechanics teachers be encouraged, trained and equipped with necessary skills required to effectively use cooperative instructional method in teaching.