RELATIVE EFFECT OF BLENDED LEARNING ON PRIVATE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN ISLAMIC STUDIES IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Blended learning integrates face-to-face classroom instruction with technology-mediated learning to enhance students' academic achievement. However, Islamic Studies in many Nigerian secondary schools is still predominantly taught using conventional teaching methods, which have been associated with poor academic achievement. This study investigated the relative effect of blended learning on private secondary school students' achievement in Islamic Studies in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group design. A sample of 43 Senior Secondary School II students was purposively selected from two private secondary schools in Ilorin. Nineteen students constituted the experimental group, while twenty-four students formed the control group. Data were collected using the Islamic Religious Studies Performance Test (IRSPT). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while independent samples t-test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students taught using blended learning achieved significantly higher academic performance (Mean = 78.11, SD = 6.65) than those taught using the conventional teaching method (Mean = 64.42, SD = 13.46), with a significant difference between the two groups (t (43) = 4.05, p < 0.05). The study further revealed that there was no significant difference in the academic achievement of male and female students taught using blended learning (t(17) = 1.04, p > 0.05). Score level also had no significant effect on students' achievement (F(2,15) = 1.761, p > 0.05). The study concluded that blended learning is a more effective instructional strategy than the conventional teaching method for improving students' achievement in Islamic Studies. It recommended that Islamic Studies teachers should adopt blended learning in classroom instruction, while school administrators should provide adequate technological facilities and support for its effective implementation.