EFFECT OF ACTIVITY-BASED LEARNING ON BASIC SCIENCE STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE SKILLS IN UPPER BASIC LEVEL IN MAKURDI, BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated the effect of Activity-Based Learning (ABL) on the cognitive abilities of Basic Science students at the Upper Basic level in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. A sample of 120 Upper Basic Science II students was purposively selected, consisting of 51 males and 69 females, who were pre-tested and divided into experimental and control groups. The students in the experimental group were instructed using the Activity-Based teaching method, and their performance was compared to that of the control group, who were taught the same concepts through traditional lecture methods. Pre-test and post-test results were analyzed to assess the equivalence of the groups and the academic performance of students in both the experimental and control groups. Two hypotheses were evaluated using t-test statistics at a significance level of 0.05, and the key findings were: Students who learned through Activity-Based methods (the Experimental group) performed significantly better than those taught through lectures. Additionally, no significant difference was found in academic performance between male and female students who experienced either the Activity-Based or lecture teaching methods. Based on these findings, several recommendations were proposed, one of which emphasizes that Basic Science teachers should implement Activity-Based instructional strategies in their teaching as it improves achievement among Upper Basic II students.