EFFECT OF INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGICALAPPROACH ON STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study explored the effects of Inclusive Pedagogical Approach (IPA) on upper
Basic Science and Technology students' achievement and retention in Niger state,
Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, control group
design. Target population for the study was the 2278 upper Basic Science and
Technology students of the 2024/2025 academic session in educational zone B, Niger
State. Multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of
261. Two research questions were asked and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of
significance. The instrument for data collection, Basic Science and Technology
Achievement Test (BSTAT) was developed, validated and a reliability index of 0.8
determined through split-half method. The experimental group was taught using
Inclusive Pedagogical Approach whereby lessons were tailored to individual
students' needs, while the control group was taught through Traditional Approach
(TA) utilizing curriculum prescription. Research questions were answered using
mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using analysis of
covariance. F-ratio of 161/ p-value of 0.0 and F=ratio of 12 and p-value of 0.0
IJCIISE, Vol. 2, No 1, 2026 respectively were obtained. Based on findings of the study, it was concluded that
inclusive pedagogies affect both immediate learning outcomes and long-term
retention positively and underscores the vital role of inclusivity in advancing quality
science education in Nigerian secondary schools. Three recommendations were
made, amongst which include: teachers should be trained and encouraged to
integrate inclusive strategies such as differentiated instruction and multimodal
resources in Basic Science and Technology lessons to improve academic
achievement and retention.