INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF COLLABORATIVE PRACTICUM, EXPERIMENTAL DEMONSTRATION, AND LECTURE METHODS ON RETENTION IN BASIC TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

The study investigated the effects of collaborative practicum, experimental demonstration, and lecture method on the retention of Edo State basic technology students. This study employed a 3x2 pretest, posttest, control group quasi-experimental design. The research sample consisted of 312 JSII basic technology students from six public mixed junior secondary schools in Edo State. The data collection instrument employed was the Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTAT). The validity of the BAT was confirmed by three experts. A Kuder-Richardson 21 test was employed to assess the reliability of the BTAT. The obtained reliability coefficient value was 0.80. Prior to and following treatment, the BTAT was administered as both a pretest and a posttest. Furthermore, as a delayed posttest, the BTAT was administered four weeks subsequent to the initial posttest. Next, the data were analysed using ANCOVA, calculations of mean, and standard deviation statistics. The study revealed that students who received instruction in basic technology through collaborative practicum, experimental demonstration, and lecture method had markedly distinct average retention scores. According to Scheffe's post-hoc test, the direction of significance proceeds from the collaborative practicum, followed by the experimental demonstration and lecture, respectively. According to the study's findings, collaborative practicum, experimental demonstration, and lecture techniques can all help students retain the fundamentals of technology better. However, collaborative practicum proved to be the most successful, closely followed by experimental demonstration. The study goes on to say that, when interaction is taken into account, the utilisation of collaborative practicum, experimental demonstration and lecture method did not affect students' retention of basic technologies in conjunction with their sex. In order to increase students' active participation and engagement during instruction, basic technology teachers are advised to implement collaborative practicums based on the study's findings. When teaching basic technology in junior secondary schools, educators should also use experimental demonstration as a backup strategy in case collaborative practicum isn't practical. This will help to make the concepts more understandable and less abstract