EFFECTS OF GENDER ON UPPER BASIC SOCIAL STUDIES STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the Effects of Gender on Upper Basic Social Studies Students’ Academic Achievement in Educational Field Trips Learning Environment in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The design of the study was the non-equivalent pre-test post-test control group type of quasi experiment. The population of the study consisted of junior secondary school students in Zaria Education Zone, Kaduna State, Nigeria numbering 26,322. Also, 60 students consisting of 30 males and 30 females were purposively sampled from JSSII in the following schools which were tagged “experimental group”: Government Junior Secondary School, Aba and Government Junior Secondary School Muchiya, Sabon-Gari. The data collection instrument was Social Studies Achievement Test (SOSAT). The content and construct validity was ascertained by experts in Social Studies, language and test and measurement. The reliability coefficient index power of the instrument stood at 0.81 determined using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC). The data analysis tools were mean and standard deviation used in answering the question posed while t-test independent samples was used in testing the null hypothesis postulated at 0.05 alpha. The study found no significant difference between the mean academic achievement scores of male and female students taught Social Studies using educational field trip. In the light of the foregoing, the study recommended that the use of educational field trip instructional strategy should be adopted in co-educational system as the strategy has proven to be gender-friendly in enhancing upper basic students’ academic achievement in Social Studies teaching in Zaria Education Zone, Kaduna State, Nigeria.