Effects of Forum Method on Senior Secondary School Students’ Interest in Geography Map Work in Plateau State, Central Nigeria

The study investigated effects of forum method of teaching on senior secondary school students’ interest in geography map work in Plateau State, Central Zone of Nigeria. The study answered four research questions and tested five hypotheses. Quasi-Experimental for non-equivalent groups design was employed for the study. The population constituted 22,190 SS II Geography students in the entire study area and a sample of 125 was used for the study. 65 of the students were in the experimental and 60 in the control groups. An adapted Geography Map Work Interest Inventory (GMWII) was used for data collection. The GMWII comprised of 15 items rated on the five-point Likert scale. The instrument was validated by three experts, which included one expert from Educational Psychology, one from Geography Education and one from Educational Test and Measurement. The reliability of the GMWII was computed using Cronback Alpha method and the reliability coefficient was 0.97. Data collected with the instrument was analyzed using mean score and standard deviation to answer the research questions, and Mann-Whitney U Test of independent samples, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the hypotheses. The finding revealed that Forum Method was effective in increasing the interest of students in geography map work and discriminated between males and females in favour of males. The treatment also discriminated between public and private school students in favour of private schools. The results provided a significant evidence of student’s improved interest in geography map work. Recommendations were made to government, policy makers, education stakeholders and teachers considering the findings of the study for policy and application of Forum Method.