COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF KOLB’S 4-STAGE CYCLE MODEL OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN VEGETABLE CROP PRODUCTION IN URBAN AND RURAL SCHOOL IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study deems it necessary to examine the school location as a factor that may be affecting students’ performance in vegetable crop production through experiential learning model of Kolb’s 4- stage cycle. The study made use of a pretest post-test, non-equivalent control group. It is a quasiexperimental research design. The study was carried out in Anambra State. The population of the study was 26,121 senior secondary school students from sixty-one (61) secondary schools in Awka education zone of post primary school service commission (PPSSC) Anambra State. The sample was 141 all SS1 students of the four sampled schools in Awka Education Zone purposely chosen, those with a single stream of SSI. Instruments for data collection was Vegetable crop production performance Test.(VCPPT).The VCPPT instrument was made up of 40 multiple choice test items developed from the SS1 Agricultural Science curriculum on two vegetable crops used (tomatoes and fluted pumpkin). The Instrument VCPPT was validated by three experts. Data collected were analyzed, using mean to answer the two research questions. That is the pre-test, post-test mean gain of each group- control and experiment before and after the treatment. The null hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that the use of Kolb’s 4-stage cycle model of E.L was effective and improved performance of students in rural school than those students in urban school. Significant difference exists between their mean performance scores. There was also an interaction effect of location and group performance of both experimental and control group with respect to their mean performance score in VCPPT. And the interaction effect was found to be significant. Sequel to the findings, the researcher recommended that acquisition of plots of land by schools for practical should be made compulsory to all schools and its implementation followed up by the board concerned; and the use of Kolb’s model be incorporated in Agricultural science curriculum, being an innovation, this calls for re-training of teachers on its use and application.