ABSTRACT

This study determined the Effects of Concept Mapping on Higher National Diploma (HND) Students’ Achievement and Retention in Marketing communication in Polytechnics in Benue and Kogi The states of Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. The study was carried out in Benue and Kogi States, Nigeria. The population for the study comprised 228 HND II students offering marketing in the four polytechnics in Benue and Kogi States of Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two polytechnics, which are Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, with 35 HND II marketing students, and Federal Polytechnic, Idah, with 30 HND II marketing students, making the total sample frame to be 65 HND II marketing students. The criteria for the purposive selection of the two polytechnics was based on polytechnics with approved marketing programme with marketing communication components, available qualified marketing lecturers with degrees, approved required facilities. The instrument for data collection was 80-items multiple choice Marketing Communication Achievement Test (MCAT). The instrument was subjected to face and content validation. The Validation was done by five experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Kuder Richardson 21 (K-R 21) formula which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.78. Before the commencement of the experiment, all students in both experimental and control groups were subjected to a pre-test in order to obtain the pre-test scores for the study. On completion of the experiment, post-test scores were collected while the post-post test scores were collected two weeks after the post-test. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the data collected and analyzed, and results interpreted, the study found that the concept mapping technique significantly increased students’ academic achievement and retention of learning in advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations/publicity (marketing communication). There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the mean achievement scores of students taught with concept mapping technique and those taught with conventional teaching method only. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others that: seminars, workshops and conferences should be organized by educational administrators and ministry of education where polytechnic lecturers will be trained on the use and application of concept mapping technique for effective teaching and learning.