547203
research-article2014
PED22310.1177/1757975914547203Original ArticleE. E. Nwagu et al.
Original Article The impact of a multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme on drug refusal skills of Nigerian pupils Evelyn N. Nwagu1, Chuks E. Ezedum1 and Eric K. N. Nwagu2
Abstract: The rising incidence of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria is a source of concern for health educators. This study was carried out on primary six pupils to determine the effect of a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) on pupils’ acquisition of drug refusal skills. A programme of drug education based on the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) was developed. An experimental group was taught using this programme while a control group was taught using the same programme but developed based on the Traditional Teaching Approach. Pupils taught with the MITA acquired more drug refusal skills than those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. Urban pupils taught with the MITA acquired more skills than rural pupils. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean refusal skills of male and female pupils taught with the MITA. (Global Health Promotion, 2015; 22(3): 35–44) Keywords: Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach, drug education, refusal skills, pupils
Introduction The use and abuse of drugs by young people is a global issue of concern (1–3). West Africa has been recognized as a region of particular concern in the global drug trend because of drug trafficking, which has also affected the extent of drug use in this region (1). Trafficking activities have probably contributed to a supply-driven increase in drug use, particularly in Nigeria where the prevalence rate is considered to be more than the global average (1). Furthermore, Nigeria has also been involved in the cultivation of such illegal drugs of abuse as cannabis (4) and more recently production of methamphetamine (1). These activities have contributed to increasing the availability of drugs and their abuse in Nigeria. Despite efforts made to control drug abuse through legislation (5,6) and law enforcement (4), youths in some parts of Nigeria have been observed to seek
alternatives to Indian hemp in lizard droppings (7). Other substances such as glue, thinner, and petroleum products are also abused (7,8). These products, which are readily available, also intoxicate, and those youths who are deprived access to the illegal substances turn to these substances as alternatives. Again the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council – NERDC (9), in order to halt and reverse the rising incidence of drug abuse in the country, revised the formal school curriculum for Physical and Health Education and included drug education from the early pre-primary education through the basic education. School drug education is also integrated into school subjects like social studies in Nigeria. Children receive the school drug education, yet the number of Nigerian youths abusing drugs has continued to increase and the age of first drug use continues to decrease (2,10,11). This unhealthy situation, despite substantial efforts
1. Department of Health and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. 2. Department of Social Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Correspondence to: Evelyn Nwagu, Department of Health and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria. Email: [email protected] (This manuscript was submitted on 29 January 2014. Following blind peer review, it was accepted for publication on 6 June 2014) Global Health Promotion 1757-9759; Vol 22(3): 35 –44; 547203 Copyright © The Author(s) 2014, Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1757975914547203 http://ghp.sagepub.com Downloaded from ped.sagepub.com at UNIV NEBRASKA LIBRARIES on November 2, 2015
36
E. N. Nwagu et al.
to the contrary, raises a question as to the effectiveness of the drug education given to learners in schools. Studies have shown that in Nigeria young people aged between 10 and 29 years are the most vulnerable group in drug abuse, while the prevalence of the drug problem is greater in the rural than urban areas (2). Many of the young people within the above age group are still in school (primary through secondary and higher education level). The World Health Organization (12) noted that ages 6–15 years are critical moments of opportunity for building skills and positive habits because during this period children are developing the ability to think abstractly, understand consequences, relate to their peers in new ways, and to solve problems as they experience more independence from parents. Therefore, empowering children through schoolbased drug education at this critical period is essential for drug abuse prevention. Studies on the instructional methods adopted by Nigerian teachers in drug education reveals that many Nigerian teachers adopt the Traditional Lecture Approach, particularly at the basic education level (13–16). However, this teaching approach has been shown to be ineffective in bringing about the desired effect in learners in drug education and other disciplines (17). The Traditional Lecture Approach does not consider several of the learners’ characteristics, and de-emphasizes active student involvement (15,18). Issues that are value laden such as the issue of drug use, however, require innovative methods of teaching other than the traditional methods (15). Current education programmes on drug use and prevention in Nigeria have been suspected not to be comprehensive, all-inclusive, and adequate (13,19). Studies conducted in Enugu state of Nigeria revealed deficiencies in the status of drug education at both primary and higher education in the country (13,20). One such study revealed that pupils are mostly taught using a lecture approach, which offers the learners few or no practical activities (13). These inadequacies probably explain the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria. There is therefore need for a better instructional approach in drug education. Skill based health education has been recognized as an important means of drug abuse prevention and health promotion in general among children and adolescents (21,22). The Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) is an educational
approach that has been acclaimed to be an effective teaching approach capable of making great contributions to education at all levels (18,23). This educational approach adopts several techniques and strategies for teaching all subjects at all levels of education (23,24). It allows learners to learn in their own way. The MITA encourages critical reasoning and creativity in learners through active learner involvement, hence the acquisition of skills necessary for resisting drug abuse Our search of literature for the applications of the MITA in education revealed that although several studies have been conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the MITA as an educational approach, most of these studies have been conducted in the areas of language art (23,25,26), students’ interests and motivation (27,28), biology (29), and mathematics education (30). Most of these studies were carried out outside Nigeria, mostly in the United States of America. For instance, in a study of high school students in a biology class in Northern Illinois, Erb (29) found that the MITA increases students’ responsibility for their own learning through an increase in academic output and a decrease in the incidence of inappropriate behaviours. The World Health Organization also adapted the theory of Multiple Intelligences in their programme on Skills for Health (12). The success of the formal education system has been shown to be associated with instructional practices (31). Instructional practices which do not consider the learners’ characteristics are bound to fail (32). The MITA is an educational approach which gives great consideration to individual differences among learners, and in this way differs from the Traditional Teaching Approach. The Traditional Teaching Approach is comprised more of lecture and exposition without considering the learners’ characteristics. In it, learners memorize facts without reflecting on the purpose or on their own learning strategies (17). The approach tends to neglect active student involvement (18). The formal school system needs a functional teaching approach to be able to challenge the sophisticated advertisement of alcohol and tobacco and help the growing child acquire the right knowledge, values and skills to resist drug abuse. The objective of this study was to develop a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) and determine its effectiveness in helping pupils acquire drug
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refusal skills. Specifically, the study sought to find the impact of the MITA-DEP on pupils’ mean drug refusal skill. Location is a factor capable of influencing the development and educational achievement of children (33). We therefore sought to determine the difference in the mean scores of the drug refusal skills of urban and rural based pupils taught drug education using the MITA-DEP. In order to ascertain if there are discrepancies in the findings of the studies on the influence of gender on academic and skill acquisition we determined the difference in the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. Three null hypotheses were formulated as follows: ‘there is no significant difference in the mean refusal skill scores of pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP and those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach’; ‘there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural based pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP’; and ‘there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP’.
Theoretical framework The study anchors on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. The theory draws from the complex of psychology, biology, neurology, sociology, anthropology and the arts and humanities (34) to establish that individuals have different intelligences, namely: the verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, interpersonal, visual–spatial, intrapersonal, bodily– kinaesthetic, musical, and naturalist intelligences (35,36). The theory implies that teachers wishing to implement the MITA should ask questions that will stimulate diverse intelligences in the learners. The teacher may not be able to bring in all the intelligences in each lesson, but once he or she is able to reach into as many intelligences as possible before the end of lessons, then the approach has served its purpose (37).
Methods Research design The quasi experimental framework using a nonequivalent pretest–posttest control group design was adopted for the study.
Participants Participants were 91 primary six pupils in government-owned primary schools in the state. In Nigeria, primary six marks the end of primary education. The pupils proceed to secondary education after passing through primary six. We chose the primary level of activity and purposively selected primary six pupils to empower them to resist drug use and abuse when they enter into secondary schools, based on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) model for prevention planning (34). This is because the pressure to use and abuse drugs is higher in secondary schools than in primary schools (12), and the primary school pupils are less likely to have started using drugs. The participants were selected from all the primary six pupils in Enugu state. Two rural and two urban primary schools were selected to participate in the study through a random sampling technique from the 112 and 116 schools that constituted the rural and urban schools in the state. From each of the four sampled schools, one intact class was selected through balloting without replacement. The two classes from the rural area were assigned to experimental and control groups while the two classes from the urban schools were also assigned to experimental and control groups. The pupils in these classes participated in the study. The School of Post Graduate Studies of the University of Nigeria Nsukka approved the study. Parents of participants gave written informed consents.
Research instruments A programme of instruction titled ‘Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme’ (MITA-DEP) was developed by the researchers to ascertain the impact of the MITA in the development of refusal skills among pupils. In order to develop the programme, the researchers identified and stated in behavioural terms the objectives of the programme, which were to help pupils identify proper life skills suitable for preventing alcohol abuse in specified situations, demonstrate proper life skills suitable for preventing alcohol abuse in specified situations, and develop IUHPE – Global Health Promotion Vol. 22, No. 3 2015
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E. N. Nwagu et al.
Table 1. Sample of multiple intelligence activities in the multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme. S/N
Multiple intelligence
Multiple intelligence activity
1. 2.
Verbal–linguistic Logical–mathematical
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Musical Spatial Bodily–kinaesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalistic intelligence
Listening, asking and answering questions on the topics Use mathematical symbols to show magnitude of alcohol in alcoholic beverages; analysing drug behaviours Composing songs and singing on the content of the lessons Move round to study diagrams and pictures Touching and inspecting presented substances; drawing and writing Debate and discussions; role play on drug refusal skills Read stories on handouts individually Examine and identify drinks they feel are alcoholic
S/N: Serial Number.
counter arguments to tobacco advertisements. Samples of the multiple intelligences activities used for this study are shown in Table 1. The MITA-DEP provided the pupils with opportunities to learn through demonstrations, role plays, visual aids and storytelling, among others. The programme was divided into 11 lessons with each lesson lasting for a period of 30 minutes. The programme was designed to last for six weeks. Two lessons were taught every week. The programme covered contents topics on drug abuse, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. The MITA-DEP was used to provide information, education, alternatives and intervention in line with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) model for the prevention of drug abuse (38). The MITA-DEP was designed for the experimental group, while an alternative programme exactly the same in content as the MITADEP but developed with the Traditional Teaching Approach was designed for the control group. Prior to the treatment, the MITA-DEP was face validated by experts and further subjected to trial testing by the researchers. The MITA-DEP was used to teach 20 pupils in a primary school in the area of the study not sampled for the study. This was done to ensure that the programme was adequate for achieving the purpose of the study. The trial testing also helped to ensure that the programme was comprehensive and systematically structured such that no ambiguities arose in the stages and procedures during the actual implementation. The trial testing indicated that the programme was suitable for achieving the purpose of the study.
Instrument for data collection We developed an instrument named Drug Education Multiple Intelligences Assessment Menu (DEMIAM), designed to assess the pupils’ drug refusal skills. The instrument consists of questions and performance assessment tasks designed to appeal to the different intelligences. It consists of two sections: section A and section B. Section A of DEMIAM has five questions, and the pupils were expected to answer all the questions in this section. The pupils were asked in this section to: pick out substances that are drugs from nine substances presented to them; use the mathematical symbols < and > to show the magnitude of alcohol in various alcoholic drinks; mention or write what they will do when pressed by peers to smoke; mention, write or use a picture to show one reason why people use marijuana; and mention, write or demonstrate what they can do instead of smoking marijuana. Section B consists of 10 questions, all of which were performance tasks. The pupils were expected to perform any three activities in this section. The activities included: presenting a debate to oppose the statement ‘alcohol has a lot of social benefits’; using a story to explain the social consequences of alcohol abuse; presenting an oral or written argument against a specified tobacco advertisement; making an art work that demonstrates counter arguments to specified tobacco adverts; teaching someone about the effect of smoking on health; describing qualities they possess that will help them avoid drug abuse; drawing pictures of any two commonly abused substances; explaining how marijuana can be
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Table 2. Means and standard deviation scores of the pre and posttest score of pupils in the drug education multiple intelligences assessment menu. Variable
n
a) Teaching approach Experimental (MITA-DEP) Control (traditional approach) Difference in mean b) Location Urban Rural Difference in mean c) Gender Male Female Difference in mean
Pretest _ x
SD
Posttest _ x
45 46
Gain score SD
15.6000 17.0870 1.487
6.3725 4.9747 1.3978
26.8000 22.5870 4.213
7.2224 6.8494 0.4730
11.2000 5.5000 5.7000
56 35
19.2500 9.5882 9.6618
3.6881 5.1969
31.7500 18.6471 11.0029
3.7280 2.5481
12.5000 9.0589 3.4411
42 49
16.3810 14.9167 1.4643
6.7711 6.0643
27.8095 25.9167 1.8928
7.4741 7.0336
11.4285 11.0000 0.4285
MITA-DEP: Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme.
harmful to the life of an individual; writing a poem about the consequences of alcohol; and singing a song that explains the effects of marijuana. The DEMIAM was administered as a pretest for both the experimental and the control group. The experimental groups were then taught using the MITA-DEP, while the control groups were taught using the Traditional Teaching Approach. The intervention lasted for a period of six weeks. The DEMIAM was administered again as posttest at the end of the intervention.
Experimental procedures Six classroom teachers with about the same experience and qualification were trained on how to execute the MITA-DEP. The training lasted for 21 hours, which spanned over a period of 10 days. At the end of the training, the best two of the teachers were selected to serve as research assistants. One of them was assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group for both the urban and rural schools. The two research assistants assisted in teaching the lessons and in administering the pre and posttests. We supervised the teaching and the administration of the tests to ensure that the lesson plans were strictly followed. In order to minimize the testing effect of the pretest, the pretest instrument was withdrawn from
the pupils immediately after the pretest and kept till after six weeks – the duration of the treatment, when the posttest was given. The pupils were not informed that the scale would be re-administered.
Method of data analysis Pupils’ performances in DEMIAM were scored. The highest possible score was 36 marks and the lowest possible score was 0. The data generated were coded and analysed using the computer software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Means scores, standard deviation scores and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were computed to achieve the aim of the study.
Results The means and standard deviations of the preand posttest score of pupils in DEMIAM were determined. The experimental group acquired more refusal skills than those taught with the traditional approach (Table 2a). We further carried out an analysis of the covariate to determine if the observed difference in the mean refusal skill scores of pupils taught with the two approaches was statistically significant. We first fitted a model with an interaction term. The pupils’ pretest scores were used as covariate in the analysis, while teaching approach IUHPE – Global Health Promotion Vol. 22, No. 3 2015
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Table 3. Effect of teaching approach on pupils’ refusal skill scores.
Teaching approach(A) Location(B) Gender (C) Covariate × A Covariate × B Covariate × C
Sum of squares
F
Sig.
Partial eta squared
609.248 1188.914 5.135 74.753 123.962 10.044
17.428 41.905 0.123 2.167 4.545 0.238
0.000 0.000 0.727 0.145 0.036 0.627
0.165 0.323 0.001 0.024 0.050 0.003
was used as the fixed factor and the posttest scores were the dependent variable. The significant value of the interaction was 0.145 with partial eta squared of 0.024. This shows that the interaction was not significant, accounting for only a negligible amount of variation. We therefore assumed homogeneity of the pretest scores of the pupils taught with the MITA-DEP and the Traditional Teaching Approach. The difference in the posttest standard deviation of 0.4730 was small (Table 2a) compared with the difference in posttest score of 4.213; we therefore assumed that the variances are homogenous across groups. The F value for teaching approach as shown in Table 3 was 17.428 with a significance value less than 0.05. This indicates that teaching approach has a significant impact on refusal skill acquisition. The null hypothesis of no significant difference in the means of the refusal skill scores of pupils taught drug education with the two approaches was rejected. We further evaluated the parameter estimates to determine the size of this effect. The value of 5.220 was obtained for the MITA-DEP, which indicates that, given two pupils with similar pretest scores in DEMIAM, one can expect that the posttest score of the pupil taught with the MITA-DEP will be 5.220 more than that of the pupil taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. The means and standard deviations of the pre- and posttest score of urban and rural pupils taught with the MITA-DEP were determined. The descriptive statistics (Table 2b) show a difference in the posttest mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural pupils. A model with an interaction term was fitted using the pupils’ pretest scores as covariate in the analysis, while school location was used as the fixed
factor and the posttest scores were the dependent variable. The significant value of the interaction term was 0.036 with partial eta squared of 0.050. This shows a significant interaction between the pretest score and school location. The significance of Levene’s test for urban and rural pupils was 0.328. This suggests equal variances. We went on to verify the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural based pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. The result in Table 3 also shows that school location as main effect has a calculated F value of 41.905. This was found significant at 0.000 level of significance. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected. We again evaluated the parameter estimates to determine the size of that impact. The value of 8.585 was obtained for the rural pupils. This shows that given two pupils with similar pretest scores in DEMIAM, you can expect that the posttest score of the urban pupil taught with the MITA-DEP will be 8.585 more than that of the rural pupil. The third objective of the study was to determine the difference in the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. The descriptive statistics (Table 2c) show a slight difference in the posttest mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught with the MITA-DEP. To test for homogeneity of the covariates we fitted an interaction model with gender as the fixed factor while the pretest scores were used as covariate and the posttest scores as the independent variable. The significant value of the interaction term was 0.627 with partial eta squares of 0.003. There was therefore no significant interaction between the covariate and gender. The significance of Levene’s test was 0.798. This again suggests equal variance.
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The calculated F value of 0.123 for the main effect of gender on refusal skills was significant at 0.727 level of significance (Table 3). There was not enough evidence for rejecting the null hypothesis at p
research-article2014
PED22310.1177/1757975914547203Original ArticleE. E. Nwagu et al.
Original Article The impact of a multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme on drug refusal skills of Nigerian pupils Evelyn N. Nwagu1, Chuks E. Ezedum1 and Eric K. N. Nwagu2
Abstract: The rising incidence of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria is a source of concern for health educators. This study was carried out on primary six pupils to determine the effect of a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) on pupils’ acquisition of drug refusal skills. A programme of drug education based on the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) was developed. An experimental group was taught using this programme while a control group was taught using the same programme but developed based on the Traditional Teaching Approach. Pupils taught with the MITA acquired more drug refusal skills than those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. Urban pupils taught with the MITA acquired more skills than rural pupils. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean refusal skills of male and female pupils taught with the MITA. (Global Health Promotion, 2015; 22(3): 35–44) Keywords: Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach, drug education, refusal skills, pupils
Introduction The use and abuse of drugs by young people is a global issue of concern (1–3). West Africa has been recognized as a region of particular concern in the global drug trend because of drug trafficking, which has also affected the extent of drug use in this region (1). Trafficking activities have probably contributed to a supply-driven increase in drug use, particularly in Nigeria where the prevalence rate is considered to be more than the global average (1). Furthermore, Nigeria has also been involved in the cultivation of such illegal drugs of abuse as cannabis (4) and more recently production of methamphetamine (1). These activities have contributed to increasing the availability of drugs and their abuse in Nigeria. Despite efforts made to control drug abuse through legislation (5,6) and law enforcement (4), youths in some parts of Nigeria have been observed to seek
alternatives to Indian hemp in lizard droppings (7). Other substances such as glue, thinner, and petroleum products are also abused (7,8). These products, which are readily available, also intoxicate, and those youths who are deprived access to the illegal substances turn to these substances as alternatives. Again the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council – NERDC (9), in order to halt and reverse the rising incidence of drug abuse in the country, revised the formal school curriculum for Physical and Health Education and included drug education from the early pre-primary education through the basic education. School drug education is also integrated into school subjects like social studies in Nigeria. Children receive the school drug education, yet the number of Nigerian youths abusing drugs has continued to increase and the age of first drug use continues to decrease (2,10,11). This unhealthy situation, despite substantial efforts
1. Department of Health and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. 2. Department of Social Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Correspondence to: Evelyn Nwagu, Department of Health and Physical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria. Email: [email protected] (This manuscript was submitted on 29 January 2014. Following blind peer review, it was accepted for publication on 6 June 2014) Global Health Promotion 1757-9759; Vol 22(3): 35 –44; 547203 Copyright © The Author(s) 2014, Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1757975914547203 http://ghp.sagepub.com Downloaded from ped.sagepub.com at UNIV NEBRASKA LIBRARIES on November 2, 2015
36
E. N. Nwagu et al.
to the contrary, raises a question as to the effectiveness of the drug education given to learners in schools. Studies have shown that in Nigeria young people aged between 10 and 29 years are the most vulnerable group in drug abuse, while the prevalence of the drug problem is greater in the rural than urban areas (2). Many of the young people within the above age group are still in school (primary through secondary and higher education level). The World Health Organization (12) noted that ages 6–15 years are critical moments of opportunity for building skills and positive habits because during this period children are developing the ability to think abstractly, understand consequences, relate to their peers in new ways, and to solve problems as they experience more independence from parents. Therefore, empowering children through schoolbased drug education at this critical period is essential for drug abuse prevention. Studies on the instructional methods adopted by Nigerian teachers in drug education reveals that many Nigerian teachers adopt the Traditional Lecture Approach, particularly at the basic education level (13–16). However, this teaching approach has been shown to be ineffective in bringing about the desired effect in learners in drug education and other disciplines (17). The Traditional Lecture Approach does not consider several of the learners’ characteristics, and de-emphasizes active student involvement (15,18). Issues that are value laden such as the issue of drug use, however, require innovative methods of teaching other than the traditional methods (15). Current education programmes on drug use and prevention in Nigeria have been suspected not to be comprehensive, all-inclusive, and adequate (13,19). Studies conducted in Enugu state of Nigeria revealed deficiencies in the status of drug education at both primary and higher education in the country (13,20). One such study revealed that pupils are mostly taught using a lecture approach, which offers the learners few or no practical activities (13). These inadequacies probably explain the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria. There is therefore need for a better instructional approach in drug education. Skill based health education has been recognized as an important means of drug abuse prevention and health promotion in general among children and adolescents (21,22). The Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) is an educational
approach that has been acclaimed to be an effective teaching approach capable of making great contributions to education at all levels (18,23). This educational approach adopts several techniques and strategies for teaching all subjects at all levels of education (23,24). It allows learners to learn in their own way. The MITA encourages critical reasoning and creativity in learners through active learner involvement, hence the acquisition of skills necessary for resisting drug abuse Our search of literature for the applications of the MITA in education revealed that although several studies have been conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the MITA as an educational approach, most of these studies have been conducted in the areas of language art (23,25,26), students’ interests and motivation (27,28), biology (29), and mathematics education (30). Most of these studies were carried out outside Nigeria, mostly in the United States of America. For instance, in a study of high school students in a biology class in Northern Illinois, Erb (29) found that the MITA increases students’ responsibility for their own learning through an increase in academic output and a decrease in the incidence of inappropriate behaviours. The World Health Organization also adapted the theory of Multiple Intelligences in their programme on Skills for Health (12). The success of the formal education system has been shown to be associated with instructional practices (31). Instructional practices which do not consider the learners’ characteristics are bound to fail (32). The MITA is an educational approach which gives great consideration to individual differences among learners, and in this way differs from the Traditional Teaching Approach. The Traditional Teaching Approach is comprised more of lecture and exposition without considering the learners’ characteristics. In it, learners memorize facts without reflecting on the purpose or on their own learning strategies (17). The approach tends to neglect active student involvement (18). The formal school system needs a functional teaching approach to be able to challenge the sophisticated advertisement of alcohol and tobacco and help the growing child acquire the right knowledge, values and skills to resist drug abuse. The objective of this study was to develop a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) and determine its effectiveness in helping pupils acquire drug
IUHPE – Global Health Promotion Vol. 22, No. 3 2015
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Original Article
refusal skills. Specifically, the study sought to find the impact of the MITA-DEP on pupils’ mean drug refusal skill. Location is a factor capable of influencing the development and educational achievement of children (33). We therefore sought to determine the difference in the mean scores of the drug refusal skills of urban and rural based pupils taught drug education using the MITA-DEP. In order to ascertain if there are discrepancies in the findings of the studies on the influence of gender on academic and skill acquisition we determined the difference in the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. Three null hypotheses were formulated as follows: ‘there is no significant difference in the mean refusal skill scores of pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP and those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach’; ‘there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural based pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP’; and ‘there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP’.
Theoretical framework The study anchors on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. The theory draws from the complex of psychology, biology, neurology, sociology, anthropology and the arts and humanities (34) to establish that individuals have different intelligences, namely: the verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, interpersonal, visual–spatial, intrapersonal, bodily– kinaesthetic, musical, and naturalist intelligences (35,36). The theory implies that teachers wishing to implement the MITA should ask questions that will stimulate diverse intelligences in the learners. The teacher may not be able to bring in all the intelligences in each lesson, but once he or she is able to reach into as many intelligences as possible before the end of lessons, then the approach has served its purpose (37).
Methods Research design The quasi experimental framework using a nonequivalent pretest–posttest control group design was adopted for the study.
Participants Participants were 91 primary six pupils in government-owned primary schools in the state. In Nigeria, primary six marks the end of primary education. The pupils proceed to secondary education after passing through primary six. We chose the primary level of activity and purposively selected primary six pupils to empower them to resist drug use and abuse when they enter into secondary schools, based on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) model for prevention planning (34). This is because the pressure to use and abuse drugs is higher in secondary schools than in primary schools (12), and the primary school pupils are less likely to have started using drugs. The participants were selected from all the primary six pupils in Enugu state. Two rural and two urban primary schools were selected to participate in the study through a random sampling technique from the 112 and 116 schools that constituted the rural and urban schools in the state. From each of the four sampled schools, one intact class was selected through balloting without replacement. The two classes from the rural area were assigned to experimental and control groups while the two classes from the urban schools were also assigned to experimental and control groups. The pupils in these classes participated in the study. The School of Post Graduate Studies of the University of Nigeria Nsukka approved the study. Parents of participants gave written informed consents.
Research instruments A programme of instruction titled ‘Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme’ (MITA-DEP) was developed by the researchers to ascertain the impact of the MITA in the development of refusal skills among pupils. In order to develop the programme, the researchers identified and stated in behavioural terms the objectives of the programme, which were to help pupils identify proper life skills suitable for preventing alcohol abuse in specified situations, demonstrate proper life skills suitable for preventing alcohol abuse in specified situations, and develop IUHPE – Global Health Promotion Vol. 22, No. 3 2015
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E. N. Nwagu et al.
Table 1. Sample of multiple intelligence activities in the multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme. S/N
Multiple intelligence
Multiple intelligence activity
1. 2.
Verbal–linguistic Logical–mathematical
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Musical Spatial Bodily–kinaesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalistic intelligence
Listening, asking and answering questions on the topics Use mathematical symbols to show magnitude of alcohol in alcoholic beverages; analysing drug behaviours Composing songs and singing on the content of the lessons Move round to study diagrams and pictures Touching and inspecting presented substances; drawing and writing Debate and discussions; role play on drug refusal skills Read stories on handouts individually Examine and identify drinks they feel are alcoholic
S/N: Serial Number.
counter arguments to tobacco advertisements. Samples of the multiple intelligences activities used for this study are shown in Table 1. The MITA-DEP provided the pupils with opportunities to learn through demonstrations, role plays, visual aids and storytelling, among others. The programme was divided into 11 lessons with each lesson lasting for a period of 30 minutes. The programme was designed to last for six weeks. Two lessons were taught every week. The programme covered contents topics on drug abuse, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. The MITA-DEP was used to provide information, education, alternatives and intervention in line with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) model for the prevention of drug abuse (38). The MITA-DEP was designed for the experimental group, while an alternative programme exactly the same in content as the MITADEP but developed with the Traditional Teaching Approach was designed for the control group. Prior to the treatment, the MITA-DEP was face validated by experts and further subjected to trial testing by the researchers. The MITA-DEP was used to teach 20 pupils in a primary school in the area of the study not sampled for the study. This was done to ensure that the programme was adequate for achieving the purpose of the study. The trial testing also helped to ensure that the programme was comprehensive and systematically structured such that no ambiguities arose in the stages and procedures during the actual implementation. The trial testing indicated that the programme was suitable for achieving the purpose of the study.
Instrument for data collection We developed an instrument named Drug Education Multiple Intelligences Assessment Menu (DEMIAM), designed to assess the pupils’ drug refusal skills. The instrument consists of questions and performance assessment tasks designed to appeal to the different intelligences. It consists of two sections: section A and section B. Section A of DEMIAM has five questions, and the pupils were expected to answer all the questions in this section. The pupils were asked in this section to: pick out substances that are drugs from nine substances presented to them; use the mathematical symbols < and > to show the magnitude of alcohol in various alcoholic drinks; mention or write what they will do when pressed by peers to smoke; mention, write or use a picture to show one reason why people use marijuana; and mention, write or demonstrate what they can do instead of smoking marijuana. Section B consists of 10 questions, all of which were performance tasks. The pupils were expected to perform any three activities in this section. The activities included: presenting a debate to oppose the statement ‘alcohol has a lot of social benefits’; using a story to explain the social consequences of alcohol abuse; presenting an oral or written argument against a specified tobacco advertisement; making an art work that demonstrates counter arguments to specified tobacco adverts; teaching someone about the effect of smoking on health; describing qualities they possess that will help them avoid drug abuse; drawing pictures of any two commonly abused substances; explaining how marijuana can be
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Original Article
Table 2. Means and standard deviation scores of the pre and posttest score of pupils in the drug education multiple intelligences assessment menu. Variable
n
a) Teaching approach Experimental (MITA-DEP) Control (traditional approach) Difference in mean b) Location Urban Rural Difference in mean c) Gender Male Female Difference in mean
Pretest _ x
SD
Posttest _ x
45 46
Gain score SD
15.6000 17.0870 1.487
6.3725 4.9747 1.3978
26.8000 22.5870 4.213
7.2224 6.8494 0.4730
11.2000 5.5000 5.7000
56 35
19.2500 9.5882 9.6618
3.6881 5.1969
31.7500 18.6471 11.0029
3.7280 2.5481
12.5000 9.0589 3.4411
42 49
16.3810 14.9167 1.4643
6.7711 6.0643
27.8095 25.9167 1.8928
7.4741 7.0336
11.4285 11.0000 0.4285
MITA-DEP: Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme.
harmful to the life of an individual; writing a poem about the consequences of alcohol; and singing a song that explains the effects of marijuana. The DEMIAM was administered as a pretest for both the experimental and the control group. The experimental groups were then taught using the MITA-DEP, while the control groups were taught using the Traditional Teaching Approach. The intervention lasted for a period of six weeks. The DEMIAM was administered again as posttest at the end of the intervention.
Experimental procedures Six classroom teachers with about the same experience and qualification were trained on how to execute the MITA-DEP. The training lasted for 21 hours, which spanned over a period of 10 days. At the end of the training, the best two of the teachers were selected to serve as research assistants. One of them was assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group for both the urban and rural schools. The two research assistants assisted in teaching the lessons and in administering the pre and posttests. We supervised the teaching and the administration of the tests to ensure that the lesson plans were strictly followed. In order to minimize the testing effect of the pretest, the pretest instrument was withdrawn from
the pupils immediately after the pretest and kept till after six weeks – the duration of the treatment, when the posttest was given. The pupils were not informed that the scale would be re-administered.
Method of data analysis Pupils’ performances in DEMIAM were scored. The highest possible score was 36 marks and the lowest possible score was 0. The data generated were coded and analysed using the computer software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Means scores, standard deviation scores and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were computed to achieve the aim of the study.
Results The means and standard deviations of the preand posttest score of pupils in DEMIAM were determined. The experimental group acquired more refusal skills than those taught with the traditional approach (Table 2a). We further carried out an analysis of the covariate to determine if the observed difference in the mean refusal skill scores of pupils taught with the two approaches was statistically significant. We first fitted a model with an interaction term. The pupils’ pretest scores were used as covariate in the analysis, while teaching approach IUHPE – Global Health Promotion Vol. 22, No. 3 2015
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E. N. Nwagu et al.
Table 3. Effect of teaching approach on pupils’ refusal skill scores.
Teaching approach(A) Location(B) Gender (C) Covariate × A Covariate × B Covariate × C
Sum of squares
F
Sig.
Partial eta squared
609.248 1188.914 5.135 74.753 123.962 10.044
17.428 41.905 0.123 2.167 4.545 0.238
0.000 0.000 0.727 0.145 0.036 0.627
0.165 0.323 0.001 0.024 0.050 0.003
was used as the fixed factor and the posttest scores were the dependent variable. The significant value of the interaction was 0.145 with partial eta squared of 0.024. This shows that the interaction was not significant, accounting for only a negligible amount of variation. We therefore assumed homogeneity of the pretest scores of the pupils taught with the MITA-DEP and the Traditional Teaching Approach. The difference in the posttest standard deviation of 0.4730 was small (Table 2a) compared with the difference in posttest score of 4.213; we therefore assumed that the variances are homogenous across groups. The F value for teaching approach as shown in Table 3 was 17.428 with a significance value less than 0.05. This indicates that teaching approach has a significant impact on refusal skill acquisition. The null hypothesis of no significant difference in the means of the refusal skill scores of pupils taught drug education with the two approaches was rejected. We further evaluated the parameter estimates to determine the size of this effect. The value of 5.220 was obtained for the MITA-DEP, which indicates that, given two pupils with similar pretest scores in DEMIAM, one can expect that the posttest score of the pupil taught with the MITA-DEP will be 5.220 more than that of the pupil taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. The means and standard deviations of the pre- and posttest score of urban and rural pupils taught with the MITA-DEP were determined. The descriptive statistics (Table 2b) show a difference in the posttest mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural pupils. A model with an interaction term was fitted using the pupils’ pretest scores as covariate in the analysis, while school location was used as the fixed
factor and the posttest scores were the dependent variable. The significant value of the interaction term was 0.036 with partial eta squared of 0.050. This shows a significant interaction between the pretest score and school location. The significance of Levene’s test for urban and rural pupils was 0.328. This suggests equal variances. We went on to verify the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the mean refusal skill scores of the urban and rural based pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. The result in Table 3 also shows that school location as main effect has a calculated F value of 41.905. This was found significant at 0.000 level of significance. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected. We again evaluated the parameter estimates to determine the size of that impact. The value of 8.585 was obtained for the rural pupils. This shows that given two pupils with similar pretest scores in DEMIAM, you can expect that the posttest score of the urban pupil taught with the MITA-DEP will be 8.585 more than that of the rural pupil. The third objective of the study was to determine the difference in the mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught drug education with the MITA-DEP. The descriptive statistics (Table 2c) show a slight difference in the posttest mean refusal skill scores of male and female pupils taught with the MITA-DEP. To test for homogeneity of the covariates we fitted an interaction model with gender as the fixed factor while the pretest scores were used as covariate and the posttest scores as the independent variable. The significant value of the interaction term was 0.627 with partial eta squares of 0.003. There was therefore no significant interaction between the covariate and gender. The significance of Levene’s test was 0.798. This again suggests equal variance.
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The calculated F value of 0.123 for the main effect of gender on refusal skills was significant at 0.727 level of significance (Table 3). There was not enough evidence for rejecting the null hypothesis at p
