ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of immediate feedback on task persistence, self-efficacy and mathematics achievement of low achieving senior secondary school students in Owerri educational zone II of Imo State, Nigeria. The influence of gender on task persistence, self-efficacy and mathematics achievement was also explored. The interaction effect of immediate feedback and gender on task persistence, self-efficacy and mathematics achievement was examined. Nine research questions and nine null hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study was a quasi- experimental non equivalent pretest–posttest control group design involving one experimental group and one control group. The population of the study was made up of 2,314 low achieving SSII students. The sample size consisted of 145 identified low mathematics achieving students drawn from four intact classes in two schools. The two schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Three research instruments: Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT), Mathematics Task Persistence Rating Scale (MTPRS) and Mathematics Self Efficacy Scale (MSES) were used for the study. These instruments were validated by experts and used for data collection after the instruments were trial tested and found reliable using Kuder Richardson (KR20) and Crombach Alpha. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that instructing low achieving students using immediate feedback strategy has a significant effect on their mathematics task persistence, mathematics self efficacy and mathematics achievement. There is no significant difference in the mean mathematics achievement scores of male and female low achieving students exposed to immediate feedback strategy. The interaction effect of immediate feedback and gender on mathematics achievement of low achieving students was not statistically significant. Based on these findings, conclusions were drawn and the educational implications were also discussed. It was recommended that students should be exposed to immediate feedback during mathematics teaching and learning interactions, so that they will participate actively and achieve more. Immediate feedback strategy will enable low achieving students to learn, retain and recall concepts, ideas and principles. Immediate feedback should be incorporated into teacher education programmes to educate the prospective teachers on how to use the strategy.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Over the years, efforts have been made to enhance students’ mathematics achievement; yet students’ achievement in mathematics has continued to dwindle, especially in external examinations. Mathematics is one of the subjects that occupy the centre stage in the pursuit of a science course in the university. Mathematics is a core subject in the school curriculum that deserves a serious attention. Onuigbo and Eze (2010) opined that mathematics is so crucial that it is a prerequisite for admission into Nigerian universities. There is no doubt that, secondary students go to school with the aim of acquiring dependable knowledge and passing excellently in subjects that will enable them to study their dream courses in the higher institutions. Mathematics is such a subject that can help students to realize their dreams. Mathematics is a mental activity which facilitates abstractions, inductive and deductive reasoning. Mathematics is the backbone of all science subjects. It is the bedrock of intellectual development and the foundation of all the innovations and inventions individuals see in science and technology today. Hornby (2000) believes that mathematics is a science of number and shapes while Tobies, Renate, Helmut and Neunzert (2012) noted that mathematics is certainly not just a fixed body of knowledge, its growth is not only confined in inventing new numbers, but it also pervades every aspect of modern life.
Mathematics cuts across the following disciplines; physical sciences, engineering, medicine, management, education and social sciences because of its importance. That is to say that mathematics is all embracing. Mathematics is so recognized and appreciated globally, such that, it is studied from primary to tertiary levels of education. Many scholars believe that a strong foundation in mathematics enables students to acquire new and advanced skills that will equip them to participate actively in solving both educational and societal problems. In this study, mathematics is defined as an essential school subject, which helps students to develop the ability to think critically, creatively and ingeniously; and use the acquired knowledge to solve novel problems. It is disheartening that in spite of the importance of mathematics as elucidated above, some students in Imo State and Nigeria still achieve poorly in it.
There are evidences that students’ mathematics achievement has been poor in Nigeria in the recent times. Babalola (2006) found that students achieve poorly in numeracy and mathematics. Onuigbo and Eze (2011) observed that many students have persistent low mathematics achievement. Ajogbeje and Alonge (2012) reported a general poor mathematics achievement of Nigerian students in 2009 West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB).
In Imo State in particular, there was a public outcry in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively, that the students who sat for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Exam (WASSCE) recorded a low mathematics achievement. The above assertion is empirically evidenced by the following WASSCE results of students in Imo State. In 2012, out of the 24,533 students who registered mathematics in the WASSCE, only 10,230 representing 41.7% had credit pass and above in mathematics. In 2013, out of the 16,312 students who registered mathematics in the WASSCE only 6,231 representing 38.2 % had credit pass and above in mathematics. In 2014, out of the 19,576 students who registered mathematics in the WASSCE, only 6,276 representing 32.06 % had credit pass and above in mathematics. And, in 2015, out of the 20,042 students who registered mathematics in the WASSCE, only 7,480 representing 37.32 % had credit pass and above in mathematics (Ministry of Education Owerri, 2016). Imo state was in the front line of the Nigerian educational system, but of late, academic achievement is deteriorating in the state especially in mathematics. The statistical evidence above shows that between 2012 and 2015, more than 58 % of Imo state students who sat for the WASSCE had low mathematics achievement.
Achievement means accomplishment or realizing success in a task. Achievement is the competence of a person in relation to a domain of knowledge. It is the pattern of action and feelings connected to striving to achieve some internalized standard of (Uzoma, 2015). Achievement is the word preferred in the educational or psychometrics fields as the degree of competence required on the part of students to give correct responses to measurement tool (Salvador & Dasí, 2001). In summary, achievement is the realization of an individual’s dreams by successfully completing a given task. Achievement is the ability to overcome obstacles and actualize success, while mathematics achievement is the ability of a learner to attain success in a mathematics test.
Mathematics achievement is directly related to the score a student obtains in a mathematics test. The score may be low, average or high. If a student consistently obtains a score that is above average, the student can be referred to as a high mathematics achiever. But if a student’s mathematics score is continuously below average (50%), the student is labeled a low mathematics achiever. The contrast between high and low mathematics achieving students is clear in each school. Result of the study by the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, 1995), shows that mathematics high achievers constantly obtain an average percentage score of 70% and above in a mathematics test, while low mathematics achieving students score less than 50% in mathematics tests.
Low mathematics achieving students are not only anxious about mathematics, but also try to avoid it. Low mathematics achieving students are learners who seem to experience learning disabilities and low persistence on mathematics (Geary, 2012). Low mathematics achieving students always score lower than their peers in mathematics tests (Woodward & Broun, 2006). Ramírez (2004) postulated that low mathematics achieving students achieve below their class average. Kovas, Haworth, Dale, and Plomin, (2007), see low mathematics achieving students as learners who repeatedly perform poorly in mathematics tests. In this study, low mathematics achieving students are learners who always score below their class average in mathematics tests.
Some researchers attribute low mathematics achievement to low task engagement and poor instructional strategy. Johnson and Schmidt (2006) opined that, it is imperative to develop strategies that will meet the educational needs of low achieving students. It is therefore appropriate to develop a strategy that can build students’ tasks persistence and self-efficacy.
Task persistence is an individual’s capability to exhibit resilience and spontaneity in the face of troubles, obstacles and difficulties so as to achieve success. Task persistence could be seen as an important skill that relates to successful school outcomes, particularly when one is given a complex task that requires a sustained effort (DiCerbo, 2014). McCracken (2007) postulated that task persistence is all about maintaining an activity despite fluctuations of pain. Rozek (2012) was of the opinion that task persistence is the ability to stick with something in spite of
distractions, physical or emotional discomfort or lack of immediate answer. Similarly, Onuigbo and Eze (2011) opined that task persistence refers to a child’s tendency to stick with a task until it is completed. In this study, task persistence means standing firm and continuing with a task despite its difficulty level.
