Teachers’ Perceptions of Influence of Discussion and Inquiry-Based Teaching Techniques for Improving Upper Basic Social Studies Performance in Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This study investigated “Teachers’ Perception of the Influence of Teaching Techniques on Academic Performance of Students in Social Studies in Keffi, Nasarawa State”. The study has two research questions and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of all Upper Basic II Social Studies teachers in the study area, from which a sample of 39 respondents was drawn using purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured 20-item questionnaire on a four-point scale with a reliability index of .85. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, while one-sample t-test was employed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that teachers perceived that: Inquiry-Based Teaching promoted independent thinking, research skills, and practical application of knowledge and Discussion Teaching fostered collaborative learning, retention, and confidence in expressing ideas. All the Hypotheses tested confirmed that the influence of discussion and inquiry-based teaching techniques in improving upper basic Social Studies performance was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Based on these findings, teachers perceive both inquiry-based and discussion-based teaching techniques as effective for improving the performance of Upper Basic Social Studies students in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Based on the findings, the study recommends that: Social Studies teachers should incorporate inquiry-based activities such as questioning, investigation, problem-solving, and exploration into regular classroom instruction and Teachers should employ structured discussions, debates, brainstorming, and peer-learning activities to enhance students’ participation, communication, and critical-thinking skills.