ABSTRACT

The study investigated the effect of simulation teaching method on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in English language in Abia state. Three specific objectives were developed to guide the study. Three research questions were answered for the study while five hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group using a 2x2x2 factorial design. The research was carried out in Abia state. The population for the study was 5,459 senior secondary two students in Abia state. The sample for this study was 70 senior secondary two students from two co-educational secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone. The instruments used for data collection were the English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) and Locus of Control Scale (LOCS) which were validated by three experts. The reliability coefficient for the study was established using test retest. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient statistic was used to compute the reliability coefficient of 0.77 for English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) and 0.73 for Locus of Control Scale (LOCS). Data for the study were collected through three phases of experimental procedure: pre-treatment phase, treatment phase and post-treatment phase. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that female students exposed to simulation method of teaching performed better than their male counterparts. The study also revealed that there is significant difference in achievement between students taught English language using simulation method and those taught using lecture method. The researcher recommended among others that English language teachers should be trained through seminars and workshops on innovative teaching strategies such as simulation. Teachers should be encouraged to incorporate this innovative teaching strategy in their classrooms.