Study of the Effect of Mind Mapping on Comprehension in English Studies Among JSS Students in Ogun State

Mind mapping as a visual learning and note-taking strategy has demonstrated positive effects on comprehension and retention in various subject areas, and its application in English Studies for junior secondary school students in South West Nigeria merits empirical investigation. This study examined the effect of mind mapping instruction on comprehension outcomes among JSS2 English Studies students in Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode Local Government Areas, Ogun State, South West Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was adopted, with 75 students assigned to a mind mapping instruction group and 75 to a conventional instruction control group. Both groups studied the same comprehension passages and language structures for five weeks. Comprehension tests assessed literal, inferential, and evaluative understanding levels. Analysis using ANCOVA showed that the mind mapping group achieved significantly higher mean post-test scores (71.6) than the control group (60.4) after controlling for pre-test performance (F = 32.8, p < 0.001). Inferential comprehension showed the largest treatment effect. Female students in the mind mapping group showed greater improvement than males relative to baseline. The study concludes that mind mapping is an effective comprehension strategy for English Studies in Ogun State junior secondary schools and recommends its inclusion in English language pedagogy courses at Ogun State universities and colleges of education, alongside provision of mind mapping activity templates in English curriculum support materials. Keywords: mind mapping, English comprehension, junior secondary school, Ogun State, instructional strategy