Assessment of the Application of the Principles of Constructivism in Middle Basic Education Schools in Imo State – Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the application of the principles of constructivism theory in Middle Basic Education Class in Owerri Senatorial Zone of Imo State. The population of the study consist 491,507 pupils in the middle basic classes of the 500 Public Basic Education schools. The participants are made up of 492 pupils drawn from 0.5 percent of the entire population. The design of the study was an evaluation research which involved an instrument: Principles of Constructivism Application Rating Scale (PCARS). The instrument was validated by experts. Based on Crombach – α approach using a one trial administration of PCARS on 30 students, a reliability coefficient of 0.91 was obtained. Mean scores and standard deviation were used to answer research questions. The result revealed all five principles of constructivism are applied in the Middle Basic Education Classes in the area studied. The Nigerian Educational system incorporates all aspects of constructivism, especially in policy and curriculum design, the actual implementation in the classrooms is very commendable. Capacity building and training of teachers for the Middle Basic Education level toward increased application of constructivism principles should be seriously addressed by Governments.