Effect of Self Regulated Learning Strategy on Senior Secondary School Students’ Achievement in the Agricultural Science Concept

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of training in self-regulated learning strategy on students’ Agricultural Science Concept achievement. The influence of gender and interaction of gender and self regulated learning strategy on Agricultural Science Concept achievement were also explored. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design, involving one treatment and one control group. The total population was 1160 SS I1 students in the public secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State; while a total of 74 SS I1 students in two intact classes drawn from two public senior secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State made up the sample for the study. In each school, one intact class was randomly selected and the intact classes were also randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. One research instrument named Agricultural Science Concept Achievement Test (ASCAT) forms I and II and Self-regulated Learning Strategy Lesson plan and the conventional lesson plan were developed, validated and used by the researcher. The self-regulated learning strategy lesson plan was used for the experimental group while the control group received training using the conventional teaching method. The data obtained were analyzed using mean scores, standard deviation and 2 x 2 analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The major findings of the study were that intervention using self-regulated learning strategy significantly improved the Agricultural Science Concept achievement of senior secondary school students; gender was not a significant factor in the Agricultural Science Concept achievement scores of students exposed to self-regulated learning strategy. A major educational implication of the findings was that training in self-regulated learning strategy significantly improves the Agricultural Science Concept achievement of students. It was thus recommended that emphasis should also be given to training students on the use of self-regulated learning strategy without gender discrimination.