Effect of Jigsaw Instructional Strategy on Students’ Achievement and Retention in Carpentry and Joinery in Technical Colleges in Bauchi State

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of jigsaw instructional strategy on students’ achievement and retention in Carpentry and Joinery in Technical Colleges in Bauchi State. The study was based on the Social Constructivism Theory, which emphasizes learning through social interaction and collaboration. Quasi-experimental research design involving pre-test, post test, and non-equivalent control groups design was adopted. This study was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. The population of the study consists all the 384 NTC III Carpentry and Joinery students in the 2025/2026 academic session in Technical Colleges in Bauchi State. A sample of 81 students of two Carpentry and Joinery intact classes were used. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting two out of the eight Technical Colleges in Bauchi State. Data were collected using Carpentry and Joinery Achievement Test (CJAT) and Carpentry and Joinery Retention Test (CJRT) which were adopted from standardized examination bodies (NABTEB & NECO). A reliability coefficient of 0.73 was obtained using Kuder- Richardson (KR-20). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and independent sample t-test was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that students taught using jigsaw strategy achieved significantly higher mean scores and demonstrated better retention than those taught using conventional method. The researcher recommended among others that teachers of Carpentry and Joinery in Technical Colleges adopt jigsaw to improve students’ academic achievement and retention.