EFFECT OF CROSSWORD PUZZLE GAME ON SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE OF ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to investigate the effect of crossword puzzle game on Senior Secondary 1 Students’ achievement in English grammar in Nsukka Education Zone of  Enugu state. Seven research questions and seven null hypotheses guided the study. The study employed a pre-test posttest quasi-experimental design.  A sample of 153 SSI students drawn by simple random sampling techniques from four co-educational schools in Nsukka Education zone was used for the study. The four schools were assigned to treatment and control groups respectively. Four intact classes in each school (two as experimental and the other two as control groups) were randomly selected. The experimental groups were taught the topics-nouns, types of nouns, pronouns and types of pronouns using crossword puzzle game while the control groups were taught the same topics using teaching method of grammar instruction. One instrument pre-GAT and post GAT was developed, dully validated and the reliability established as –O-.98. The research questions were answered usring mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at (P < 0.05) using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) The result of the analysis showed that the students taught with crossword puzzle game performed better than those taught with the lecture method. On gender, male students performed slightly better than their female counterparts in English grammar.  Also, Students of high ability performed better than students of low ability level. On method and gender, the result did not suggest ordinal interaction effect between method/ gender on students’ achievement in English grammar. The result did not suggest ordinal interaction effect between method locations and there is ordinal interaction effect between crossword method and ability level of students in English grammar. Consequently; it was recommended that the use of games as an instructional method should be included in the curriculum of English language in teacher training institutions, workshops and seminars should be organized to train teachers in the use of crossword puzzle game in teaching English grammar. Also, curriculum planners and text book writers are encouraged to give games a strategic place in the planning and design of the curriculum and textbooks.