Implementing Innovative Instructional Strategies: Practical Application in Nigerian Classroom

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue XI, November 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

Implementing Innovative Instructional Strategies: Practical Application in Nigerian Classroom

Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Dute Iwowari
Department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

Abstract: The study examined innovative instructional strategy and secondary school students’ performance in English Language in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Two objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The design for the study was quasi-experimental design using pretest and posttest design, with one experimental group taught using innovative instructional strategy and a control group taught using the traditional lecture method. The sample for the study comprised of one hundred and seven (107) SS2 students from two intact classes. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two senior secondary schools; and grouped into experimental and control groups. Two instruments – English Performance Test (EPT) and English Retention Test (ERT) with 25 subjective and essay questions drawn from the two topics (Spelling and Phonetics) with reliability indices of 0.82 and 0.72 respectively were developed and used for data collection. The data obtained were analyzed using mean statistics and standard deviation to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The result obtained revealed amongst others that students taught English Language using innovative instructional strategy performed better than students taught using the traditional lecture methods. Also, there is significant difference between the performance of students taught English Language using innovative instructional strategy and those taught using the traditional lecture method. The study recommended that teachers embrace a variety of teaching methods in the teaching of English Language like the peer instructional strategy as it will help students to perform better in English Language concepts.

Keywords: Innovative Instructional Strategy, Students Performance, English Language, Yenagoa.

I. INTRODUCTION

It is obvious that some students gain admission to higher institutions, sometimes to even study English Language with a very poor background and lack of in-depth knowledge of the subject. Such students have both grammatical and written errors ingrained in them and this becomes very pronounced in their written course works. It is very pathetic and quite palpable that a student who has been taught in English right from kindergarten cannot efficiently express his/her thoughts in writing. The decadence of this should spring up the necessity of determining and analyzing the causes and sources of the poor quality academic writing inherent in some Nigerian students because they are prospective graduates and part of the future work force who would need to give back to the society what they have acquired from secondary education

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