Social Studies Performance Of Pupils With Intellectual Disability: The Effect Of Demonstration Method And Storytelling

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of demonstration and storytelling methods on the performance of pupils with intellectual disability in social studies. Moderating effects of gender and learning styles were also examined. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. The sample for the study consisted of thirty (30) pupils with intellectual disability purposively selected from three intact classes, and who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and a control group. Findings indicated that the experimental group (demonstration method) outperformed other groups (x̅ =8.30; std dev. =2.058, N = 10) followed by the storytelling group (x̅ =6.40; std dev. =3.098, N = 10) and control group (x̅ =1.60; std dev. =2.797, N = 10). This implies that demonstration, as a treatment, had the highest mean scores. This was indicative that demonstration strategy had a significant positive effect
on the performance of pupils with intellectual disability in social studies. It is recommended that social studies teachers maximize the use of demonstration methods while teaching Social Studies concepts.