Strategy That Suits Students’ Retention in Mathematics Curriculum Concepts: Assessment-Supported or Lecture Method

Abstract

This study explored the strategy that best suits students’ retention of mathematics curriculum concepts: assessment-supported instructional model (ASIM) or the lecture method. The method adopted for this research is the quasi-experimental non-randomized planned variation pretest, posttest, and control group design. In this method, three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested. The sample consisted of 200 Senior Secondary II mathematics scholars selected public schools were used. A simple random sampling technique was employed to determine the sample. The researcher developed the Mathematics Achievement Test on Indices and Logarithms (MATIL) which was used as the research instrument. The scores obtained were collated and analysed applying mean, standard deviation, t-test, and ANCOVA to answer the research questions and hypotheses. The findings of the research showed that there was a considerable variation in the average retention ratings between mathematics learners tutored using ASIM and those tutored with the lecture methods. While the mean score of students taught using ASIM was 56.28, the mean score of students taught using the lecture method was 47.55. There was also a considerable variation in the average retention ratings between male and female mathematics students tutored using ASIM. The mean retention gain for male students was 5.03 and that of the females was 6.42. There was no considerable interaction effect between instruction-(ASIM and Lecture) and sex on students’ retention in mathematics. It was recommended, amongst others, that teachers should expose the learners to ASIM to promote effective and active learning among them.