Effects of Guided Inquiry Method on Secondary School Students’ Performance in Social Studies Curriculum in Anambra State, Nigeria

Aims: To examine the effects of the Guided Inquiry Method [GIM] on students’ performance in Social Studies in Anambra State relative to gender.
Study Design: The study used quasi experimental design.
Place and Duration of Study: Junior secondary schools in Anambra State of Nigeria, between September 2012 and November 2012.
Methodology: Sample comprised 163 students [81 males, 82 females] in four randomly drawn secondary schools. A 30-item Social Studies Achievement Test and Classroom Observation Rubric were used to collect pre-test and post-test data. Arithmetic mean, standard deviation, mean gain scores and qualitative analysis were used to answer research questions while t-test and the analysis of co-variance were used to test hypotheses.
Results: The achievement scores of students taught with Guided Inquiry method [N=82] in the pretest [ 40.56] increased in the posttest [ 56.90] indicating a mean gain of [ 16.34]. Students in the control group taught with Traditional Lecture Method [N=81] obtained a mean gain [ 4.37] between pretest [ 40.28] and posttest [ 44.65] in Social Studies. This indicates that students taught with Guided Inquiry Method performed significantly better and participated more in Social Studies lessons than those taught with the Traditional Lecture Method. There was no significant difference [P 0.05] between the mean scores of male and female students taught Social Studies with the Guided Inquiry method.
Conclusion: Guided Inquiry Method significantly improved students’ achievement and participation in Social Studies lessons more than the Traditional Lecture Method.