EFFECTS OF GENERATIVE LEARNING APPROACH ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION OF POLLUTION CONCEPTS IN BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of the Generative Learning Approach on students’ academic achievement and retention of pollution concepts in Basic Science and Technology in Plateau State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental non-randomized pretest–posttest non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The study involved 126 Junior Secondary School II students drawn from two public secondary schools in Pankshin Area Directorate of Education. One intact class served as the experimental group and was taught using the Generative Learning Approach, while the control group received instruction through the conventional teaching method. Data were collected using the Basic Science Achievement Test and the Basic Science Retention Test, both of which were validated by experts and yielded acceptable reliability coefficients. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students taught using the Generative Learning Approach achieved significantly higher post-test scores and demonstrated superior retention of pollution concepts compared to those taught using the conventional method. Gender differences in achievement and retention were minimal, indicating that the approach was effective for both male and female students. The study concludes that the Generative Learning Approach enhances meaningful understanding and long-term retention of environmental concepts and recommends its integration into Basic Science and Technology instruction to improve learning outcomes.