This study examined the performance of Social studies students in private and public junior secondary schools after using concept mapping techniques to teach them. The studies specifically investigated whether academic performance in private secondary school is better than performance in public secondary schools. It also examined the efficacy of concept mapping techniques on the teaching of Social Studies concepts. The design for the study was the pre-test – post-test – control group quasi experimental design Sample comprised 120 Junior secondary school class one Social Studies Students from two randomly selected schools in Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. The student were divided into three groups of A.B and C and presented with different learning packages. A pre-test on selected concepts was administered on the groups in the first week of contact with the students while the post-test was administered in the fourth week. The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics. Results show that there was no significant difference between the academic performance of Social Studies students in private and public secondary schools. However, there was a significant difference between the academic performances of students taught with Concept Mapping Techniques and those not taught with it. Group A had a favorable advantage over other groups used for the study. It was therefore recommended that the concept mapping techniques should be used to teach Social Studies concepts in secondary school.
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