COMPARISON OF GUIDED DISCOVERY METHOD AND LECTURE METHOD OF TEACHING FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
ABSTRACT
The major purpose of this study was to compare the effect of guided discovery method and lecture method of teaching financial accounting in secondary schools in Enugu North local government area. Six research questions were addressed and six null hypotheses were formulated respectively to guide the study. The population for the study consisted of 100 SSII accounting students drawn from two secondary schools – Iva-valley Community Secondary School and Coal Camp Secondary School Ogbete in Enugu State. Quasi experimental study was used for the study. Financial Accounting Achievement Test (FAAT) were used to generate data for the study. Two intact classes were involved in the study, one for experimental group and the other for control group. Students in experimental group were taught final accounts using guided discovery method while those in control group were taught using lecture method. Post test and pre-test were administered to both control and experimental groups. Two research assistants (one for control group and one for experimental group) were trained. Two sets of lesson plans (one for experimental and one for control groups) were also developed by the researcher to teach both the control and experimental groups for the period of six weeks. The instrument was face validated by three experts, two experts from Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and one from Measurement and Evaluation, Department of Science Education, University of Nigeria,r Nsukka. Trial testing was done using 20 SS II students of Girls Secondary School Uwani. Kuder-Richardson formular 20 was used to compare the internal consistency of the validated instrument and this yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Data were analysed using mean statistics for the research questions and ANCOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance respectively. Result of the study revealed that: Students exposed to lecture method performed well in their achievement test but those exposed to guided discovery learning achieve better in final account. Gender has significance effects on achievement of students using guided discovery learning method. The male students benefited more significantly than their female counterparts in the achievement test. In lecture method, gender has a significant effect on achievement of students. The male students benefited more significantly than their female counterparts in achievement test. Thus, male students achieve more in the achievement test than the female students. Based on the findings, it was concluded that guided discovery method of learning affected students’ achievement more positive than lecture method when used in teaching final accounts. Although male and female students in the experimental group had greater gain in achievement than those in control group, male students performed better than female students in the achievement test. It was recommended that accounting teachers should incorporate guided discovery method as one of the methods used in teaching and learning financial accounting.