EFFECT OF E-LEARNING STRATEGY ON UPPER BASIC II STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION IN BASIC SCIENCE IN MAKURDI BENUE STATE.

This Study investigated the effect of E-learning strategy on upper Basic Il students' academic performance and retention in Makurdi, Benue State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental control group design employing pretest, postest and postpost test. A purposive sampling technique was used to draw 93 students in two intact classes from the population of 4,870 upper basic Il students in 25. The instrument for the data was Basic Science Performance Test (BSPT). Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer research questions while inferential statistics of Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance, Findings revealed that there was significant difference in the mean academic performance scores of Basic Science students taught using e-learning and those taught using conventional lecture method, also there was no significant difference in the mean retention scores of Basic Science students exposed to the two different groups. There was significant difference in the performance of male and female Basic Science students taught using e-learning. Base on the findings, it was recommended that the federal and state ministries of Education should recommend the use of e-learning to schools and also organize and sponsor teachers on workshops and seminars to equip them with digital skills on how to develop and implement the strategies among others.