Effects of Group and Individual Laboratory Activities on Academic Performance in Mathematics among Secondary School Students in Bauchi, Bauchi State Nigeria

Abstract

Improving students’ academic performance in Geometry of plane shapes, Geometric Ratio and Mensuration in Mathematics remain a major concern in secondary schools in Nigeria, particularly in Bauchi State, where persistent challenges has been reported. In response to this challenge, learner-centered instructional strategies such as laboratory activities have been increasingly advocated in mathematics teaching. This study investigated the effects of group and individual laboratory activities on secondary school students’ academic performance in Mathematics. The study was carried out in Bauchi Metropolis Bauchi State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A quasi-experimental design (pretest-posttest non randomized, non-equivalent control group) was used. The sample size of the study comprised of one hundred and eighty-three (183) SS2 Mathematics students drawn from the population of study. In composing the sample size, the researchers used purposive sampling technique to select two schools where Four intact class were used for this study. The instrument for data collection in this study was a Mathematics Performance Test (MPT). The MPT was validated and a reliability of 0.89 was established, using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistics at 0.05 alpha level of significant which indicates a good reliability. Data was collected from the field work and the research questions were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that students taught Mathematics using group laboratory activity performed better than those taught using individual laboratory activity. Male students had higher mean performance score than the female. In line with the findings of the study, recommendations made, which include among others that Mathematics teachers should use group laboratory activity in teaching Mathematics practical, Government should build more infrastructure such as laboratories and further research should explore long term effects of combined group and individual activities on effective outcomes like attitude and motivation.