EFFECTS OF MNEMONIC AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' LEARNING OUTCOMES IN MATHEMATICS IN IBADAN

Abstract

Mathematics is the bedrock of scientific, technological and national development. Despite the importance of Mathematics, poor performance of students in the subject still persists at the secondary school level. The problem has been attributed to several factors which include non-utilisation of instructional strategies that make use of student's prior knowledge and memory such as the Mnemonic and Prior knowledge-based instructional strategies. Studies have shown that these strategies enhanced students' learning outcomes in subjects like Arts and Social sciences, but there is paucity of research on their effects on Mathematics. Therefore, this study determined the effects of Mnemonic-based instructional strategy (MBIS) and Prior knowledge-based instructional strategy (PKBIS) on students' achievement in and attitude to Mathematics in senior secondary schools in Ibadan. The moderating effects of numerical ability and gender were also examined. The study adopted the pretest-posttest, control group, quasi experimental design with 3x2x3 factorial matrix. Two hundred and eighty-eight average students from two public senior secondary schools purposively selected from each of Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, and Ibadan South East local government areas. The participants were randomly assigned to MBIS, PKBIS and Modified lecture method (MLM). The treatments lasted for eight weeks. Instruments used were: Students' Mathematics Achievement Test (r =0.75), Students' Mathematics Attitudinal Scale (r=0.8), Numerical Ability Test (r=0.77). Three operational guides on mnemonic-based instructional strategy, prior knowledge-based instructional strategy and modified lecture method were also used. Seven null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 levels of significance. Data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance and Scheffe post hoc pair-wise comparison test. The treatments were significant on students' achievement in Mathematics (F (3, 284) = 8.96, ?2= 0.03). The MBIS treatment group had higher achievement mean score ( =16.91) than the PKBIS ( =13.07) and control group ( =12.10). There was significant main effect of treatments on students' attitude to Mathematics (F (3,284) =3.93), ?2 =0.03). The treatments in the control group had higher attitude mean score ( =71.39) than MBIS ( =69.01) and PKBIS ( =68.46) groups. Numerical ability had significant effect on students' achievement in Mathematics (F (3,284) =28.86, ?2=0.18), but was not significant on students' attitude to Mathematics. Gender had significant effect on students' achievement (F(2,269) = 26.55, ???????) in and attitude (F(2,269) = 4.29, ????????) to Mathematics. Males performed better than females in achievement test, however, female had better attitude. The two-way and three-way interaction effects were not significant. Mnemonic and Prior knowledge-based instructional strategies improved students' achievement in and attitude to Mathematics regardless of gender, however, the former was more effective. Therefore, teachers should create mnemonics that would link the old and new information in students' memory, assess their knowledge at the start of instruction to make teaching and learning of Mathematics meaningful. Hence, the two strategies should be regularly used for teaching Mathematics at the secondary school level.