Comparative Effects of Three Instructional Methods on Mathematics Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students in Niger State

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to find out the effects of three instructional methods (Guided Discovery, Multimedia & Conventional methods) on mathematics achievement of secondary school students in Niger State. Three research questions and three corresponding hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The design adopted was quasi-experimental design. The sample of the study was 144 years two (SSII) students from three intact classes. Mathematics achievement test (MAT) was the instrument used for data collection. Test retest method of destemming releasing was adopted. A reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained for Mathematics achievement test, using Cronbach alpha. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA). The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study revealed that that guided discovery and multimedia methods were more effective than conventional method. No significant difference was however observed between mean achievement scores of students with respect to ability level. It was recommended among others that since guided discovery and multimedia methods were more effective, it should therefore be popularized and integrated in the teaching of mathematics in our secondary schools.