EFFECT OF CONVENTIONAL NOTE-TAKING AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING NOTE-TAKING PATTERNS ON STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN GEOGRAPHY [ ]


In the recent time, it was observed that interest in geography was diminishing as indicated in the low enrolment by students in the senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE). The poor image of geography among students was attributed partly to the wide content and partly to the old fashioned approach to the teaching of the subject. Hence, this study sought to find the effect of note-taking patterns on students in interest in geography. A non equivalent quasi-experimental design was adopted by the research. Two hundred and twenty five students in three intact classes from each three secondary schools in Enugu South Local Government of Enugu State form the sample. The experiment was conducted during the students’ normal class periods and their regular teachers trained by the research taught the students under the supervision of the researcher. One intact class was randomly assigned experimental group one, another experimental group two and the third the control group. A research question and a hypothesis guided the study. Experimental group one was taught using knowledge mapping note-taking pattern the experimental group two was taught using conventional method note-taking pattern while the control group was taught without any defined pattern of taking note. Interest scale` on geography (ISOG) was used for data collection. Means and standard deviation were used for answering the research question while the hypothesis was tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results of the study revealed that students taught using knowledge mapping note-taking pattern showed more interest in studying geography more than the other two groups of the study. Some recommendations were therefore made on how to get both teachers in training and the serving teachers to get acquainted with this method of note-taking patter in teaching and learning geography in schools.