COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF CONSTRUCTVIST AND META LEARNING TEACHING METHODS ON STUDENTS ACHIVEMENT AND RETENTION IN BASIC ELETRICITY IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES

1.1Background to the Study

Education is acknowledged as a vital instrument for achieving national development. It is through education that ignorance is eliminated and skills for productivity acquired. Imogie (2014) affirmed that no nation can develop to its fullest without effective and efficient educational system. The value and functionality of any educational system lie in its ability to actualize the goals of education. Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), (2014) stated that one of the aims and objectives of education in Nigeria is to help the child acquire appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society. Such knowledge, skills and abilities are acquired through the training provided in the school.

The achievement of this objective rests squarely on the learner, the environment and the teaching method employed by the teacher. Teaching method is defined as a way by which the teacher presents materials to learners and engages them in the task of learning the curriculum content (Ogwo & Oranu, 2006). It involves the interaction of the teacher, learners and the subject matter. Teaching method is basically geared towards ensuring that learners learn well and understand the logics inherent in what is being taught, (Okeke in Oboh & Umeh, 2013).

O’Banon in Ugwu (2014) categorized teaching methods into two: the teacher- centered approach and the learner-centered approach. The teacher-centered approaches include all the teaching methods that see the teacher as possessor of knowledge. These methods include lecture/expository, demonstration, discussion. The learner-centered approaches include all the teaching methods that do not see the teachers as decision- makers and problem solvers but rather as the guide in the learning process. Such approaches provide the students the opportunity to participate in the learning, to influence the content, activities, materials and pace of learning. Learning in these approaches could be collaborative, cooperative and competitive. Teachers’ involvement include questioning, guiding, validating, monitoring, motivating, encouraging, suggesting, modeling and clarifying (McKenzie in Ugwu, 2014).