EFFECT OF REQUISITE MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS’ KNOWLEDGE ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS IN OHAFIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ABIA STATE
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of requisite mathematics concepts on senior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Physics. The area of the study is Abia State, Nigeria. The study adopted quasi-experimental design of the pretest- posttest non randomized groups. The population of the study was 3250 Public Secondary School two SS2 Students’ in Abia State. The sample size was 50 (SS2) Physics students from two intact classes purposively selected from two Public Secondary Schools in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia state, Nigeria. The instruments for data collection were adapted Physics Achievement Test (PAT) with reliability coefficient of 0.82 and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) with reliability coefficient of 0.76. Three research questions Q1, Q2 and Q3 and three hypotheses Ho1, Ho2 and Ho3 guided the study. Means and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the t-test analysis and analysis of correlation coefficient of covariance (Yc) were used to test the research hypotheses at 0.05-level of significance. The results of the study revealed that there is no significant difference between the pretest achievement mean scores of the Experiment group (EG) and the Control group (CG). The results also showed that (EG) exposed to pre-treatment in requisite mathematics concepts before actual teaching in physics (EG) had higher post-test achievement mean score in Physics more than the (CG) taught Physics without pre-treatment in Mathematics. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed there was positive correlation-coefficient of covariance between the achievement mean scores in Mathematics and Physics. The Findings also showed that Ho1 with t1comp was not rejected since t1comp = 0.14 was not significant while Ho2 with t2comp = 6.49 was rejected since t2comp = 6.49 was significant. Furthermore, the Ho3 was rejected as the correlation coefficient of covariance Yc = 0.72 was high and significant. The study concluded that prior requisite mathematics concepts knowledge and problem solving skills enhanced positively students’ academic achievement in physics. In addition, the high positive correlation coefficient of covariance revealed that high achievement in Mathematics leads to high achievement in Physics. The study recommended that Physics teachers should adopt problem solving techniques in Physics teaching, always probe the level of students’ background knowledge in mathematics before actual teaching in Physics. Also, government and relevant agencies should ensure secondary school libraries are equipped with adequate and good general and further mathematics textbooks to make the books accessible to the students and include learning of further mathematics into the senior secondary science students’ curriculum to broaden their scope of mathematics knowledge and their cognitive skills needed for effective knowledge transfer and better academic achievement in Physics, technological innovation and socio-economic advancement of the society.
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