EFFECTS OF BRAINSTORMING AND CONCEPT MAPPING INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ON JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SOCIAL STUDIES ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN NASARAWA STATE

The study used quasi—experimental research design involving the non-randomized pretest, posttest, post posttest control group design. The target population comprised 17,550 (9752 male and 7798 female) JS 11 students from secondary schools in Nasarawa State for the 2016/2017 academic session. A sample of 195 (111 male and 84 female), JS II students from three public secondary schools in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State was used for the study. Data were collected using Social Studies Achievement Test (SOSAT). The logical consensus of the experts gave 0.88 index of rational validity for the SOSAT and the reliability coefficient of 0.85 was obtained for SOSAT using Kuder Richardson formula (KR21). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.5 % level of significance. Results revealed that students taught Social studies using brainstorming and concept mapping strategies achieved higher than those taught using the lecture (convectional) method. Similarly, students taught using the two instructional strategies retained more of what they learnt when compared to the conventional method. It was concluded that brainstorming and concept mapping were more effective in enhancing students ’ achievement and retention in Social studies than conventional instructional method. The study recommended that Nasarawa State Ministry of Education Science and Technology should formulate policies that would mandate JS Social studies teachers to use brainstorming and concept mapping instructional strategies to enhance students * academic achievement and retention in Social studies.