It was found in table 3 that the pupils taught basic science with experiential teaching approach obtained higher mean score (57.7 S.D 14.04) than pupils taught with conventional teaching method (41.46 S.D 13.90). Table 6 confirmed that the difference is statistically significant at 95% probability level (F-cal = 482.98 and f-critical = 3.84)
This present study supports and sustains earlier findings of similar experimental studies in the use of experiential teaching approaches (Leavers: 2002; Mabie and Baker, 1996; Richardson, 1994; Olaoye and Omotayo, 2008; Ajiboye and Ajitoni, 2008), where the experiential teaching proved better than the conventional teaching method. The significant effect observed between the experiment and control groups in this study could be attributed to learners being practically and actively involved in the meaningful activities presented by the teacher, who only acted as facilitator of learning. The pupils found the activities interesting, revealing, involving, and full of fun, practical, homely, meaningfully organized and not haphazard and above all product oriented.
The children were fully involved. Involvement is important if children must learn effectively. An involved person narrows his attention to one limited activity at a particular time. Based on the above and in order, to promote learning, the educational context must be constructed in a way that brings children to the highest level of involvement. This is where deep level learning takes place (Laevers 2002). The satisfaction that goes along with involvement (participation), stems from one source: the exploratory drive. This is the urge by learners to get better grip on reality; the intrinsic interest in how things and people are; the urge to experience and figure out. This in turn leads to curiosity. Curiosity on the other hand is seen as exploratory attitude, defined by openness for and alertness for the wide variety of stimuli that form our surrounding makes a person accessible, lowers the threshold to getting into the state of arousal that brings a person into the most intense form of concentration and involvement (Laevers, 2002). But real involvement (participation) can only take place when the activities on offer match the capacity of the learners. Indeed, participation is highly rewarding in classroom interaction.
Teachers should encourage mutual participation among the pupils, setting up the materials and play a guided role in the course of learning among the pupils (Olaoye and Akinsola; 2007). This is because whatever pupils derive by themselves last longer in memory than what they are told. The finding of this study further justifies the claim by Ibe (2008) that the uses of guided and other innovative teaching methods that are based on hand-method, in school, help learners. It stimulates pupils thereby enhancing learning, since pupils tend to learn better when more of the senses are involved. The method is rewarding and is in contrast with the traditional conventional method of teaching which Friere (1993) described as “banking approach” to education. In the banking approach the teacher often seeks to deposit large amount of information into the pupils with the support of text books while the learners remain passive.
The traditional/conventional teaching approach which is completely opposed to experiential teaching approach leads to what Laevers (2002; 10) described as “Superficial learning”. This is learning that does not affect the basic competencies of the child and which has little transfer to real life. The finding is also in line with the findings of Grisoni (2002) who agreed that experiential teaching method promotes active learners and encourages self actualizing learners. This no doubt leads to increased performance by pupils. Furthermore, behavioral psychologist such as Skinner has emphasized the importance of learners’ active participation in the learning activity. This helps learners to understand the concept properly and could lead to his transfer of what was learnt to situation outside the immediate learning environment. This finding of the study confirms the claim by Shien and Bennis (1965) that in experiential teaching approach, the outcome includes; cognitive elements resulting in an increased awareness, emotional elements producing changed attitudes or feelings, behaviourial elements which involves changed interpersonal competencies.
To Laevers (2002) the educational outcomes of experiential teaching approach are: Emotional health, expression and communicative skills, curiosity and exploratory drive, imagination and creativity, the competence of self organization and understanding of the world of objects and people. These give rise to the development of learners who are self confident and mentally healthy, curious, and exploratory, expressive and communicative, imaginative and creative, full of initiative, well-organized, with articulated intuitions about the social and physical world, full of initiative and well organized and feeling-world and with a feeling of being connected to the universe and all its creatures. Although experiential teaching approach enhances achievement in basic science and other subjects, it is important to observe that teachers have continued to hesitate in its adoption as teaching approach in the classroom.
This is due to the perceived fear about teachers’ competence and resource constraints (Grisoni 2002). According to him, the major factors limiting the implementation of experiential teaching approach in school are the teachers’ lack of understanding of the strategy, the rigid duration of lesson periods and the pupils’ resistance in taking responsibility of their own learning. It is important to note that even though the conventional teaching method is easy to use and takes less time it has not produced the desired result, hence the need to replace it with innovative and result oriented teaching method such as experiential teaching approach. This is the only way to achieve the objectives of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme in Nigeria.