PRE-READING DISCUSSIONS AS A STRATEGY FOR ENHANCING SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN PROSE LITERATURE IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Nigeria, ID LLCE2016-249;      This study determined the effect of pre-reading discussion on students’ achievement in prose literature. The moderating effect of gender was also examined. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The pretest-postest control group quasi-experimental design was adopted using a 2x2 factorial matrix. The participants in the study were 208 Senior Secondary two students from four purposively Selected Senior Secondary schools in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State. The Instruments used in the Study were: Teachers’ Instructional Guide on Pre-reading Discussion Strategies, Teachers’ Instructional Guide on Modified Conventional Method, Prose Literature-in-English Achievement Test, and Evaluation Checklist for Assessing Trained Research Assistants. Data Obtained were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA).The results showed that there was significant main effect of treatment on students’ achievement in African Prose Literature (F (1,206) = 221.713; P<.05); in Non-African Prose Literature (F (1,206) = 108.156; P<.05) and in African and Non-African Prose Literature combined (F (1,206) = 292.055; p<.05) There was  significant main effect of gender on students’ achievement in African prose literature (F (1,206) = 9.061; p<.05); in African and Non-African prose literature (F (1,206) = 10.161; p<0.05)  but not in Non-African Prose Literature (F (1,206) = 1.537; p>.05). The interaction effects of treatment and gender on students’ achievement in African Prose Literature ,Non-African Prose Literature and African and Non-African Prose Literature combined  were not significant .It is recommended that pre-reading discussion strategy should be adopted in the teaching of prose literature for better results.

Key words: Pre-reading Discussion Strategies, Gender, Achievement and Prose Literature.