Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy and Learners’ Academic Outcomes in History and Government in Secondary Schools in the South Rift Region, Kenya

Traditional teacher-centered approaches to teaching History and Government often emphasize passive knowledge acquisition, memorisation and limited learner participation. Such approaches may constrain learners’ development of analytical, interpretive and higher-order thinking skills required for meaningful learning in History and Government. This study examined whether inquiry-based learning significantly influences learners’ academic outcomes compared with traditional teaching strategies in secondary schools in South Rift Region,, Kenya. The study was guided by Bruner’s theory of constructivism and anchored in the positivist paradigm. A pre-test–post-test non-equivalent quasi-experimental design was employed. The wider study targeted learners and History and Government teachers in public secondary schools in South Rift Region. For the inquiry-based learning comparison reported in this paper, 79 schools participated, comprising 44 schools in the inquiry-based learning group and 35 schools in the traditional teaching group. Data were collected using achievement tests administered as pre-tests and post-tests. Descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-test were used to examine changes in learners’ scores, while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare post-test outcomes between the inquiry-based and traditional teaching groups after controlling for pre-test scores. Learners exposed to inquiry-based learning obtained a higher post-test mean score (M = 57.93, SD = 7.82) than those taught using traditional methods (M = 55.17, SD = 9.81). Within the inquiry-based group, learners’ mean score increased from 55.66 in the pre-test to 57.93 in the post-test, representing a mean gain of 2.27 marks. The paired-samples t-test indicated that this improvement was statistically significant, t(43) = 4.720, p < .001. The ANCOVA further showed that, after controlling for pre-test scores, teaching method had a statistically significant effect on post-test academic outcomes, F(1, 76) = 3.969, p = .050, partial η² = .050. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected. The findings suggest that inquiry-based learning can contribute to improved academic outcomes in History and Government. The study recommends strengthened integration of inquiry-based learning, particularly through questioning, investigation, discussion, analysis of historical evidence and learner-centered activities, supported by teacher professional development and appropriate instructional resources.

Academic Outcomes, Constructivism, History and Government, Inquiry-Based Learning, Secondary Schools

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