ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of guided discovery method (GDM) on academic achievement and interest of senior secondary school students in Foods and Nutrition. The effect of gender and location on the achievement and interest of SSS1 students taught using G.D.M was also investigated. Six research questions were generated and 6 null hypotheses formulated to guide the study. After a review of related literature, Quasi experimental design was adopted for the study. The study was carried out in Nsukka educational zone in Enugu state. The population of the study was 16350 SSI students in Nsukka education zone. The sample consisted of 132 Foods and Nutrition SSS1 students which were randomly composed. Questionnaire was used for data collection. Three experts validated the instruments. Kuder Richardson formula 21 and Cronbach Alpha formal methods were used to determine internal consistency of the instruments (FNAT and FNII). The reliability coefficient of .77 and .61 were obtained. The mean score was used to answer research questions and the research hypotheses tested using ANCOVA statistics at .05 level of significance. The major findings of the study were:

1. D.M. as a method of teaching was a significant factor oof students’ achievement in Foods and Nutrition. The group taught with G.D.M achieved higher than the group taught with lecture method.
2. Method had significant effect on students’ interest in Foods and Nutrition. The group taught with G.D.M showed high interest.
3. Location was a significant factor of students’ overall achievement in Foods and Nutrition when taught with G.D.M..