DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2016.v04i06.003

Pages: 634-639

The need to improve students’ academic performance in financial accounting necessitated the study to determine the effects of problem-based teaching method (PBTM) on students’ academic performance and retention in technical colleges in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The design of the study was quasi-experimental design of pretest, posttest non-randomized control group. Population of the study was all the 168 National Business certificate (NBC) year II accounting students of state owned technical colleges. A sample of 138 was purposively selected from two intact groups. Instrument for data collection was Accounting Achievement Test (AAT) validated by three experts with a reliability coefficient of 0.83. Arithmetic mean was used to analyze data relating to research questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. Findings revealed that students taught financial accounting using PBTM performed better with higher post-test scores than those taught using lecture teaching method. Also there was no interaction effect of treatments and gender on students’ academic achievement and retention in financial accounting. Based on the findings, it was concluded that PBTM has the potential to improve students’ academic performance and retention in financial accounting. Consequently, it was recommended among others that teachers should use PBTM in teaching financial accounting in order to improve students’ academic performance and retention in the subject. Also, school administration should provide opportunities for in-service training for accounting teachers in order to equip them with competencies needed in the use of PBTM.