THE EFFECT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING METHOD ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS
Keywords:
Cooperative Learning method, Achievement, Gender, Senior Secondary SchoolsAbstract
The study examined the effects of cooperative learning method on secondary school students’ academic achievement in mathematics in Edo State. The study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test non equivalent control group design method. senior secondary school students in Edo State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formed to guide the study. 288 (147 males, 141 females) Senior Secondary School Students were sampled from a population of 11,287 students. The sampled students consisted of 160 students in the treatment group and 128 students in the control group. The treatment group was taught mathematics using cooperative learning method while the control group was taught using the conventional method. The instrument used for the collection of data was Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The test contained 40 multiple choice questions. The instrument was validated by a team of experts. A reliability co-efficient of 0.76 was obtained for the instrument using KR- 20 formula. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA). The results revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean achievement score of secondary school students taught mathematics using cooperative learning method. The result also revealed a significant difference in the mean achievement score of male and female secondary school students taught mathematics using cooperative learning method in favour of male. The authors recommended, among others, that Mathematics Teachers should be encouraged to use cooperative learning method in teaching of mathematics to improve students’ academic achievement in the subject.
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