Abstract

TOWARDS IMPROVING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOW AND HIGH ACHIEVERS IN MATHEMATICS USING ACTIVITY BASED APPROACH

Dr. Njide . F. Okeke and Okeke Chizaram. S

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Abstract The study on Towards Improving the Achievement of Low and High Achievers in mathematics Using Activity based Approach was carried out in Onitsha North Local Government Area Education Zone of Anambra State. A quasi experimental research design of the pretest, post-test non randomized control type was adopted. A research question and one null hypothesis guided the study. A sample of hundred (100) students were selected using purposive sampling technique from three thousand eight hundred (3,800) students of the sampled schools in co-educational schools. The reason for the choice of the Sampling technique is to enable the researchers make use of the co-educational schools existing in the area of study. Twenty-five(25) of the students were low achievers, while the remaining twenty-five (25) were high achievers for each group of 50. One group formed the experimental group, while the other group formed the control group. The experimental group were taught with activity based approach. Both groups were given pretest and post-test using Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). MAT was the instrument for data collection, which was validated by two experts in measurement and evaluation and one in Mathematics Education. Also the reliability index of the instrument was 0.82 which was established using split half method. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, and Analysis of co-variance, (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the findings indicated among others that both high and low achieving students taught mathematics using activity based approach were affected positively, and improved in their achievement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made, and among others is that Mathematics teachers should try to implement what is stated in the curriculum by adopting activity based approach in the teaching of Mathematics in schools. Keywords: Low Achievers; High Achievers; Activity Based Approach; Mathematics

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