EFFECT OF CONSTRUCTIVE SIMULATION TEACHING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effect of teachers' use of constructive simulation on students' achievement and retention in Christian Religious Studies in secondary schools, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The study also considered the influence of gender on students' academic achievement and retention. The achievement and retention ability of students taught with constructive simulation were compared with that of students taught with conventional lecture method. The study was guided by six research questions, and six hypotheses. A quasi-experimental design, specifically, pre test post-test control group design involving four intact classes were employed. The population comprised of 2,170 JS3 CRS students of 12 State Government co-educational secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area. A sample of 174 JS3 students distributed in four intact classes, drawn by both purposive and simple random sampling techniques from four co-educational schools took part in the study. The students in intact classes were randomly assigned either to experimental groups (constructive simulation group) or control groups (conventional method group). Two intact classes in two different schools formed the experimental groups and the other two intact classes in two other schools as control groups. Both the experimental groups and the control groups were taught the same topics. The instrument for students' achievement test in Christian Religious Studies (SATCRS) was developed, validated and used for data collection. The instrument was trial-tested on a sample of 25 JS3 CRS students who were not part of the actual study. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Kudder Richardson formula for internal consistency and Pearson Product Movement Correlation Coefficient formula for stability. The reliability value of the instrument was 0.79 and 0.85 respectively. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions while the hypotheses were tested using analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that constructive simulation had significant effect on students' achievement and retention in Christian Religious Studies. Also, the effect of constructive simulation and gender combined on students' post-test achievement in Christian Religious Studies was significant, however gender and the method had no significant effect on students' retention in Christian Religious Studies. It implies from the findings of the study that there is need for CRS teachers to adopt the use of constructive simulation in teaching as it proved more effective in improving students' achievement and retention in Christian Religious Studies. It is recommended that government bodies, stakeholders in education, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and National Teachers' Institute (NTI) should organize and sponsor workshops, seminars, conferences or in-service training to train and encourage teachers on the use of constructive simulation as an innovative technique.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Christian Religious Studies is one of the non-vocational subjects offered at all levels of the Nigerian education system, valued not merely as an academic discipline but as a bedrock of moral living and a vital part of life itself, given its role in shaping character, values, and national development. Despite this significance, the subject, like many others taught predominantly through conventional lecture methods in Nigerian secondary schools, has continued to face concerns about student engagement, achievement, and long-term retention of content, concerns that have driven a broader movement within Nigerian educational research toward exploring innovative, learner-centred instructional strategies.

Simulation-based and other active learning strategies have received considerable recent research attention as alternatives to conventional lecture instruction across various Nigerian secondary school subjects. A 2024 study examining computer simulation and video media instructional packages in improving learning outcomes of Chemistry students found that simulation-based instruction significantly enhanced both performance and retention compared to traditional teaching methods, and further found that computer simulation instructional packages outperformed four-mode application techniques specifically in teaching challenging, abstract chemistry concepts (Fabeku & Enyeasi, 2024). This finding, that simulation-based strategies particularly benefit the retention of complex or abstract content, is directly relevant to religious studies instruction, which similarly requires students to internalize abstract moral, doctrinal, and historical concepts rather than simply memorize facts. Complementary evidence from a 7E instructional strategy study conducted among biology students in public secondary schools in Adamawa State found that structured, activity-based instructional strategies produced statistically significant improvements in both students' achievement and their retention scores when compared with conventional teaching approaches, reinforcing the pattern that active, structured pedagogical strategies benefit retention specifically, not merely immediate post-test achievement (Abdullahi, Asniza, & Muzirah, 2021).

Research focused specifically within Christian Religious Studies instruction in Nigeria provides further direct support for the present study's approach. A study examining the effect of the role-play method, itself a form of active, simulation-adjacent pedagogy, on student interest and academic achievement in Christian Religious Studies among senior secondary school students in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State found that students taught using role-play demonstrated significantly higher interest and achievement than those taught using conventional methods, providing subject-specific evidence that active, participatory teaching strategies meaningfully improve outcomes in CRS instruction specifically, rather than only in science subjects where such strategies have been more extensively studied (Nwube & Edigbo, 2023).

Taken together, this literature establishes both a general pattern, that simulation and other active learning strategies improve student achievement and retention across a range of Nigerian secondary school subjects, and subject-specific evidence that active, participatory teaching approaches similarly benefit Christian Religious Studies instruction. It is against this established research background that the present study investigates the effect of constructive simulation, an instructional strategy in which students actively construct understanding through structured, simulated experiences, on students' achievement and retention in Christian Religious Studies among Junior Secondary School students in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, while also examining the moderating role of gender.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite the moral and developmental significance attributed to Christian Religious Studies within the Nigerian secondary school curriculum, the subject continues to be taught predominantly through conventional lecture methods in many schools, an approach whose limitations for promoting deep, lasting learning have been increasingly documented across other Nigerian secondary school subjects (Fabeku & Enyeasi, 2024; Abdullahi, Asniza, & Muzirah, 2021). While emerging subject-specific evidence from Ebonyi State suggests that active teaching strategies such as role-play can improve CRS achievement and interest (Nwube & Edigbo, 2023), there remains limited experimental evidence specifically examining constructive simulation as an instructional strategy for Christian Religious Studies, particularly within Anambra State, and specifically regarding its effect on both immediate achievement and longer-term retention, as distinct outcomes that do not always respond identically to a given teaching method. There is also limited clarity on whether the effectiveness of such strategies is consistent across male and female students, or whether gender interacts with teaching method to produce different outcomes. It is this gap that the present study seeks to address.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to ascertain the effect of teachers' use of constructive simulation on students' achievement and retention in Christian Religious Studies (CRS). Specifically the study was set out to:

1. Determine the mean achievement scores of students taught Christian Religious Studies with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method, as measured by CRS achievement test.
2. Determine the achievement scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation.
3. Determine the interaction effect of method and gender on students' achievement in CRS.
4. Determine the retention scores of students taught CRS with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method.
5. Determine the retention scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation.
6. Determine the interaction effect of method and gender on students' retention in CRS.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What are the mean achievement scores of students taught Christian Religious Studies with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method?
2. What are the achievement scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation?
3. What is the interaction effect of method and gender on students' achievement in CRS?
4. What are the retention scores of students taught CRS with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method?
5. What are the retention scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation?
6. What is the interaction effect of method and gender on students' retention in CRS?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Ho1: There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught CRS with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method.

Ho2: There is no significant difference in the achievement scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation.

Ho3: There is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students' achievement in CRS.

Ho4: There is no significant difference in the retention scores of students taught CRS with constructive simulation and those taught with conventional lecture method.

Ho5: There is no significant difference in the retention scores of male and female students exposed to constructive simulation.

Ho6: There is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students' retention in CRS.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will benefit Christian Religious Studies teachers by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of constructive simulation as an instructional strategy, encouraging its adoption over purely conventional lecture methods. It will benefit students, by potentially improving both their achievement and long-term retention of CRS content. It will benefit curriculum planners and bodies such as the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), by informing the design of teacher training programmes around innovative instructional strategies. It will benefit teacher training institutions and the National Teachers' Institute (NTI), in designing in-service training around constructive simulation. Finally, the study will serve as a reference for future researchers examining instructional strategies in religious and moral education in Nigeria.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study is limited to examining the effect of constructive simulation teaching strategy on the achievement and retention of JS3 Christian Religious Studies students in state government co-educational secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, including the moderating influence of gender.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The quasi-experimental design, while appropriate given the use of intact classes, does not offer the same degree of control over extraneous variables as a fully randomized experimental design. The study was limited to JS3 students in co-educational schools within Awka South Local Government Area, which may limit generalizability to other grade levels, school types, or geographic areas. Time constraints limited the duration over which retention could be measured following the intervention.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Constructive Simulation: An instructional strategy in which students actively construct understanding of a concept through structured, simulated experiences or scenarios, rather than passive reception of information.

Conventional Lecture Method: A traditional

teaching approach in which the teacher primarily delivers content verbally while students take a largely passive role.

Academic Achievement: The measurable extent to which a student has acquired knowledge or skill in a subject, typically assessed through a test or examination.

Retention: The ability of a student to recall and retain learned information over time, typically measured through a delayed post-test.

Gender: The classification of students as male or female, examined here as a possible moderating variable in the effectiveness of teaching strategies.

REFERENCES

Abdullahi, S., Asniza, I. N., & Muzirah, M. (2021). Effect of 7E instructional strategy on the achievement and retention of students in biology in public secondary schools in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 18(4), 748–764. https://doi.org/10.36681/tused.2021.101

Fabeku, O. E., & Enyeasi, S. C. (2024). Computer simulation and video media instructional packages in improving learning outcomes of Chemistry students in Ife Central Local Government Area. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-024-00109-5

Nwube, N. S., & Edigbo, M. N. (2023). The effect of role-play method on the student interest and academic achievement in Christian Religious Studies in senior secondary school in Ikwo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. Journal of Educational Research, Ikwo, 8(2).