The prime objective of instruction at all grade of education is to facilitate learning and improve the learner. Teachers should utilise the right or appropriate instructional methods suitable for specific instructional goals and expedite the process and impart the required skills and knowledge. To impart skills and knowledge to learners in the conventional classroom in Nigerian schools, many instructors or teachers employ the traditional teacher-centred instructional methods comparative to student-centred instructional methods [1].

The past three decades, questions regarding which of the instructional method that is effective for social studies teaching have regularly been raised and has raised considerable concern and interest in the thematic field of education such as social studies [2]. Furthermore, studies on instructional methods continuously investigated or researched how the various instructional methods boost students learning and performance. Reasonably, students’ unsatisfactory performance is fundamentally related to teachers’ ineffective instructional method to boost the students’ learning outcomes [3,4]. Games instructional methods simplify learning through reality representation and practice in a repetitive motivating environment [5]. According to Goldsim [6], instructional games help recognise and comprehend factors that control the system and predict future behaviour. Instructional games are applicable in Social Studies classroom because they provide real-life conditions such as students’ involvement in a village market scenario where they trade in plantain, bush meat, fresh fish, pepper, native salt, garri, vegetables, cocoyam, maize, yam, fruits etc.

Studies on games instructional method effectiveness indicated that games instructional method enhanced students performance. Teaching is a practice that encompasses desirable changes and improves the learner’s performance. Thus, it entails the attainment of specific learning outcomes or objectives. For classroom instruction to be effective, Nwalado, Ogboru and Obro [7] maintained that teachers need to be abreast or acquainted with various innovative instructional methods such as games instructional method, that are students centred and recognised the need for an active social studies classroom. Therefore, incorporating games into instruction not only motivates learners but also fosters collaboration and critical thinking skills among students.

Research Questions

• Is there a significant effect of games method on social studies students’ academic performance?

• Is there a significant effect of students gender on social studies students’ academic performance?

Research Hypotheses 

• There is no significant effect of games method on social studies students’ academic performance

• There is no significant effect of students gender on social studies students’ academic performance.

The study was quasi-experimental. The design is spelt out below:

• Experimental Group = O1 X1 O2

• Control Group = O3 – O4 

The codes are explained as follows:

• O₁ = Pre-test measurement for Experimental Group

• X₁ = Treatment for Experimental Group

• O₂ = Post-test measurement for Experimental Group

• O₃ = Pre-test measurement for Control Group

• O₄ = Post-test measurement for Control Group

As stated above, the experimental group was subjected to treatment, while the control group did not experience any treatment. Consequently, post-test performance differences noticed were attributed to the effects of treatment. The study sample consisted of 80 (eighty) Upper Basic 8 Social Studies students. The researcher conducted the sample random sampling techniques to select the study participants and participating schools. The ballot method was utilised to assign schools to the experimental (Games Method) group and control (lecture Method) group. The schools used were far apart, and no school was exposed to multiple treatments. This is to prevent contamination and the spillover effect. Thus, none of the schools selected was taught any of the topics/units before experimentation. 

The schools chosen were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. To generate relevant and reliable data for this study, Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) served as the pre-test and post-test, which was primarily meant to establish students’ level of knowledge before and after the experiment. The SSAT contained twenty (20) optional questions selected from Delta State Education Ministry’s past examinations questions, with options and only one correct answer. Each question carried five marks making a hundred marks. The content taught was from the syllabus. Topics students were exposed to are: Growth and development, Transportation and Cultism.

To found the instrument’s reliability, thirty (30) students outside the selected sample were used applying the test-retest method. Pearson product correlation coefficient (r) was applied to calculate the reliability, and a value of 0.89 was obtained. The value means that the instrument yielded scores that were stable over time and, therefore, suitable for the present study

The experiment lasted six (6) weeks. The Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) was used as a pre-test and followed by teaching the topics as contained in the schools’ syllabus using the designated instructional treatments. Research assistants trained by the researcher instructed the experimental (Games Method) group and control (lecture Method) group. On completing instruction, the Social Studies Achievement Test (SSAT) was administered as a post-test. Data gathered from the Pretest and Posttest scores were analysed to find out the difference in performance. Descriptive statistic was used to provide answers to the research questions, and ANCOVA was utilised to test the hypotheses. All hypotheses were tested at of 0.05 to accept or reject the hypotheses. Table 1 shows male and female students involve in the study. 

Table 1: Analysis of gender of the sampled respondents

From the table, 38 of the respondents were boys, representing 47.5%, while 42 were girls representing 52.5%.

RQ 1

Is there a significant effect of games method on social studies students’ academic performance?

Table 2 shows that at the pre-test, the mean scores of students exposed to games method was 66.86, which was higher than the Pre-test grand mean of 55.55, while the control method or group Pre-test mean scores was 44.24 lower than the grand mean of 55.55. However, at the post-test, games method had mean scores of 78.90, which was higher than the grand mean of 65.40 and mean gain of 12.04 better than the grand mean gain of 9.85; while the control method/group had an overall mean score of 51.89 that was lesser than the grand mean of 65.40 as well as a mean gain of 7.65 which was lower than the grand mean gain of 9.85. 

Table 2: Descriptive Statistics of Pre-test and Post-Test of Instructional Methods on Students’ Academic Performance.

Thus, the result indicates that students exposed to games method attained a better score than the control group. In effect, games instructional method proved to be a better instructional method in comparison to the lecture or control method in boosting students’ performance. 

Hypothesis 1

There is no significant effect of games method on students’ performance.

Table 3 shows a significant effect of games' method on students' academic performance (F (1,80) = 923.241, p = 0.001). Since p=0.001 is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis states of no significant effect of games methods on students’ performance is rejected. 

Table 3: Summary of ANCOVA on Students’ Achievement Scores by Method.

Thus, there is a significant effect of games method on the performance of students.

RQ 2: Is there a significant effect of students gender on academic performance?

Table 4 shows that male students had a mean of 54.73 in the Pre-test, a Post-test mean score of 65.21, and a mean gain of 10.48. The female students had a Pre-test mean score of 55.67, and a Post-test mean of 63.83, making a mean gain of 8.12. Therefore, the result revealed that at Post-test, female students improved in games method with mean scores of 78.14, more remarkable than the grand mean scores 64,52 and a mean gain score of 11.33 better than the grand mean gain of 9.30. 

Table 4: Descriptive Statistics of Mean Scores by Gender.

The result also indicates male students with mean scores of 52.80 and mean gain of 8.96, which is lower than the grand mean scores and grand mean gain of 64.52 and 9.30, respectively, when compared with their female counterpart, performed better in comparison to the female students with mean scores of 49.52 and mean gain of 5.00 that is also lower than grand mean scores and grand mean gain of 64.52 and 9.30 in the lecture/control group.

Hypothesis 2

There is no significant effect of students gender on academic performance.

Table 5 shows that the effect of gender on students academic performance when exposed to three groups was not statistically significant (F (1,77) = 1.121, p = 0.225). Since p=0.225 is greater than 0.05, the hypothesis, which states a no significant effect of students gender on the performance of students’ is accepted. Students gender do not affect their performance. 

Table 5: ANCOVA of Effect of Students’ Performance Score by Gender when Exposed to Three Groups. 

This connotes that students based on their gender did not perform differently academically. Therefore, the hypothesis was accepted.

The result of hypothesis one indicates a significant effect of games method on students’ performance academically. This proved that games method improve the students learning or performance. This means the experimental group improved in their performance than the control group. This is in agreement with the works of Raymond and Ogunbameru [8], Nwalado, Ogboru and Obro [7], Klisch, Wang and Epstein [9], Mutuah [10], Vlachopoulos and Makri [5] and Ogheneakoke et al. [2] who in their studies reported that innovative methods enhanced students performance. Effective instructional method encourage and motivate students to accomplish the task and require classroom learning outcomes. The result of hypothesis two shows no significant effect of students gender on social studies students’ academic performance. This denotes that students gender do not affect students academic performance. In other words, games instructional method is gender-friendly. This finding is in support of that of Sanusi [11], Umar [12], Iwuanyanwu [13], Al-Zaytoonah [14], Fatokun, Egya and Uzoechi [15] and Ogheneakoke et al. [2], who reported no significant effect of students gender on their academic performance. The result of this study implies that that games method tends to promote homogeneity of performance between the male and female.

The findings demonstrated that games method improve social studies students academic performance. This means that games method improved the performance of students. If games method is utilised in Social Studies classroom, students will possibly improve their academic learning or performance. More so, gender-oriented factors such as role stereotyping, masculine images, and the female socialisation process do not influence students’ performance. 

Recommendations 

• Teachers selection of instructional methods they have exclusive knowledge through predisposition should be discarded to improve students’ performance. 

• Teachers should build a learning atmosphere favourable to learning to boost students’ learning skills and experiences. 

• Teachers should increase their knowledge and learn more of the various instructional methods such as games instructional method keep students active and motivated in the classroom.

• Educational stakeholders, planners, and evaluators should supervise and co-ordinate school activities to discourage gender stereotype. 

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