Effect of Community of Inquiry on Polytechnic Undergraduates’ Performance in English Language: A Case Study of Delta State Polytechnic, Nigeria (Published)
The study investigated effect of Community of Inquiry (CoI) on polytechnic undergraduates’ performance and interest in English Language: A case study of Delta State Polytechnic. Three objectives of the study, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study consisted of all the National Diploma II students who are offering the course Use of English 2 (GNS 102.1) for the 2022/2023 academic session in School of Engineering which is one hundred and eighty (180) students. The sample size of this study consisted of one hundred and eighty (180) students using census sampling technique. The instrument for the study was English Language Performance Test (EPT). Mean, standard deviation and z-test were the statistical tools used for the study. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the effect on the students’ pre-test and post-test mean performance in English Language. There is a significant difference in the performance of students taught English Language using Community of Inquiry (CoI) and those taught with conventional method of teaching. Furthermore, there is a significant difference in the mean performance scores of male and female students when taught English Language using Community of Inquiry (CoI) instructional strategy. Based on these findings it was recommended that lecturers should adopt the use of Community of Inquiry instructional strategy in teaching English Language in the polytechnics for improved academic performance by students. Polytechnic lecturers should be trained on how to use the current and innovative teaching strategies in the field of education for self-efficiency in the profession. Also, that students’ gender should also be considered by lecturers since the study has revealed it as a factor that can predict performance among learners before adopting any teaching strategy for maximum academic productivity.
Keywords: Academic performance and English Language., Community of Inquiry, students’ interest