USING GROUP WORK IN ENHANCING UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL STUDIES AMONG BASIC 8 PUPILS OF SANIEL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Description

This study investigated the use of group work as an instructional strategy to enhance the understanding of Social Studies among Basic Eight pupils of Saniel Junior High School in Tamale, Ghana. The study was motivated by pupils’ weak understanding of Social Studies concepts, limited classroom participation, low confidence in answering questions, and overreliance on rote memorization during lessons. The main objective was to examine how group work could improve pupils’ participation and understanding of Social Studies. The study employed an action research design involving a sample of forty-two pupils selected from a class population of sixty-four through random sampling. Data were collected through classroom observation, pre-test and post-test, while the intervention was implemented through structured group work activities over a four-week period. Source

The findings revealed that group work had a significant positive effect on pupils’ participation, confidence, interaction, and academic performance in Social Studies. Before the intervention, most pupils performed poorly, with 57.1% scoring between 0–4 in the pre-test, while only 19.1% scored between 7–10. After the intervention, performance improved considerably, with 64.3% of pupils scoring between 7–10 and only 14.3% scoring between 0–4. Classroom observation also showed that pupils became more active in discussions, more confident in answering questions, and more willing to share ideas with their peers.