Abstract:

The efficacy of deductive and inductive teaching approaches on students’ retention in Upper Basic Science and Technology were examined in this study. A sample of 200 students from eight selected secondary schools out of a population of 1,760 Upper Basic Education 8 and 9 students in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria was used for the study. The study adopted Non-equivalent quasi-experimental research design. Basic Science and Technology Students Retention Test (BSTSRT) was used for data collection, with the reliability value of 0.84 using Kuder-Richardson. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Mean and Standard Deviation scores were used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that there is significant difference in the mean retention scores between students taught Basic Science and Technology using inductive and deductive approaches; [F(1,151) =33.023, P<0.050]. It also found no significant interaction effect between deductive and inductive approaches and gender on the mean retention scores of students in Basic Science and Technology; [F(1,161) =.733, P>0.050]. It was recommended among others that inductive approach should be adopted while teaching Basic Science and Technology since it has been proved to be a suitable option in enhancing students’ retention ability regardless of their gender.

Keywords:

Inductive and Deductive approaches, Retention, Basic Science and Technology.