Learning Models and Students' Academic Performance in Public Junior Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the influence of 4MAT, VARK, and Kolb’s experiential learning models on students’ academic performance in public junior secondary schools in Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA), Rivers State. The study was guided by three specific objectives and three corresponding research questions. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 790 teachers across 18 junior secondary schools in PHALGA. Cluster sampling was used to select 12 schools, followed by simple random sampling to select 20 teachers from each selected school, yielding a sample of 240 teachers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Teachers’ Perceptions of Learning Models and Students’ Academic Performance (TPLMSAP), designed on a four-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree (4), Agree (3), Disagree (2), and Strongly Disagree (1). The instrument was reviewed by experts in Educational Foundations and Measurement and Evaluation, and internal consistency was established using Cronbach’s alpha, yielding coefficients of 0.88, 0.74, and 0.81 across the three sections. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, with a criterion mean of 2.50; values of 2.50 and above were interpreted as Agree, while values below 2.50 were interpreted as Disagree. Findings showed that teachers generally perceived 4MAT, VARK, and Kolb’s experiential learning model positively in relation to students’ academic performance, with grand means of 3.36, 3.20, and 3.31, respectively. These findings represent teachers’ perceptions and do not constitute direct measures of students’ academic achievement. It was recommended that school administrators provide continuous professional development on varied instructional approaches and that teachers use flexible, multimodal instruction without assuming that learners have fixed learning styles.