EFFECT OF JIGSAW INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND INTEREST IN QUADRATIC EQUATION IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Jigsaw instructional strategy on

students’ achievement and interest in quadratic equation. Four research questions and six null hypotheses were posed and formulated respectively to guide the study. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design, precisely nonequivalent control group design. A total of 156 SS2 mathematics students were used as sample for this study. A 30 multiple choice achievement test and quadratic equation interest scale were used to collect data for the study. Three experts validated the instrument. The instrument was trial tested and the reliability coefficient of 0.86 and 0.87 were obtained using Kuder-Richardson formula (KR-20) and Cronbach Alpha respectively. The Research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and the null hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).The results of the study revealed among others that Jigsaw instructional strategy improved students’ achievement and interest in quadratic equation than lecture  method.  Male  and  female  students’  achievements in  quadratic  equation  appear  to improve equally. However, female students’ interest score appears to be more improved in quadratic equations than their male counterpart. Also there was no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students’ mean achievement and interest in quadratic equation. The implications of the above findings were examined and it was recommended among other things that the mathematics educators, federal and state ministries of education, and secondary school education management board should organize seminars, workshop, conference, and in service training to inform and train teachers on the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Mathematics  is  the  study  of  the  science  of  numbers  and  space.  It  is  an indispensable tool for development of science and technology. No nation can develop scientifically  and  technologically without  proper  foundations  in  school  mathematics (Okafor, 2005). The usefulness of mathematics in everyday living cannot be overemphasized. According to Agwagah (2001) mathematics is a pivot on which other sciences  revolve  and  serves  as  a  means  of  sharpening  man’s  reasoning ability  and developing his personality. Its role is such that there is hardly any discipline or field of study that mathematics is not involved. It is due to its indispensability in nation building that it is made one of the core and compulsory subjects in primary, junior and senior secondary school levels of Nigerian education system (F.R.N, 2004). For instance, a country that is well rooted in mathematics is rational in thinking and the use of its resources for economic growth and development. Thus, mathematics is compulsory for all students even at school certificate level. The trend has shown that in order to secure admission into higher levels of education, a credit pass in mathematics is an advantage (Usman, 2002).

While the emphasis on the general importance of mathematics is widespread, it

must be appreciated that quadratic equation is one aspect of mathematics. Quadratic

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equation is an equation in which the highest power of the unknown is two. It involves algebraic processes and as a result of its wide application in abstract reasoning seems to be  extensively emphasized in  school  curriculum. Consequently, the  Chief  Examiner Report WAEC (2013) revealed that errors committed by students in quadratic equation have been responsible for mass failure of students in Senior School Certificate examination in mathematics in Nigeria. According to Chief Examiner Report WAEC (2011, 2012 and 2014), students’ always avoid or poorly attempt questions on quadratic equations. Also as a classroom teacher, experience had shown that whenever quadratic equations   become   the   day’s   topic,   many   students   hardly   participate   in   the lesson.Quadratic equation as a concept in mathematics is used in many areas of science and engineering such as object in motion, projectile, fermentation, painting, etc (Boume,

2007). Thus, there is the need to improve the achievement of students in quadratic equation both in internal and external examinations.However, in spite of the important of mathematics in the Nigerian education system, students’ achievement in mathematics in internal and external examinations is consistently reported to be low as over 50% of candidates that registered for mathematics in West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) failed to obtain a credit pass (WAEC, 2013 and 2014). Oluloye (2014) described the mass failure as a national disaster as this limits learners’ choice of careers.

In Nigeria, there is ample evidence of poor achievements of students in both standardized and teacher made tests (Ogwo, 2012 and Binabo, 2013). Specifically, 80%

of the students scored below 40 marks on standardized test and 75% scored below 50 marks on teacher made test administered by Ogwu in his achievement test instrument. Report from examination bodies such as West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) indicated students’ low performance in mathematics as contained in the chief examiners’ reports of (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and

2014). Specifically, 2012, 2013 and 2014 May/June WAEC results, 38.3%, 36.57% and

31.28% of the students respectively had credits in mathematics. The poor performance in mathematics has become a concern in mathematics education (Kajuru&Kauru, 2010). This poor achievement of students in mathematics could be as a result of the use of ineffective teaching method, chief Examiner Report WAEC(2013 and 2014).

Teaching methods are ways used by teachers to create learning environment and to specify the activity in which the teacher and the learner will be involved during instructional delivery process. It is primarily a description of learning objective oriented activities and the flow of information between the teacher and the learner(s), O’Banon (2002) categorized teaching method into two approaches; student centered approach and teacher center-approach. Teacher – centered approaches are grounded in behaviourism and include all the teaching methods that see the teacher as possessor of knowledge. These methods include lecture/expository, demonstration, discussion, recitation etc. while student centered approaches are grounded in constructivism and includes all the instructional methods that underscores teachers as decision makers and problem solvers but  rather  as  a  guide  in  the  learning  process.  The  teacher’s  role  in  a  student-

centeredlearning environment is, at most, one of facilitator and guide. The students are in control of their own learning and the power and responsibility are the students concern. Learning may be independent, collaborative, cooperative and competitive. The utilization and processing of information is more important than the basic content. Learning take place in relative contexts and students are engaged in constructing their own knowledge (Theroux, 2001).

According to Akinsola (2004), the problem with respect to teaching approach is that  most  teachers  still  believe  that  the  most  effective  means  of  communicating knowledge is via the conventional “talk and chalk” approach. The “talk and chalk” as used in this context is the traditional way of imparting knowledge whereby students’participation is limited during teaching process. It is a teacher-centered approach of teaching. According to Achor, Imoko and Ajai (2010), conventional teaching approach has not been able to meet learners’ needs as mass failure of students in mathematics is a reoccurring decimal. The conventional teaching approach most often is found to favour the educationally advantaged children (gifted, high ability students) at the detriment of the educationally disadvantaged students Michael (2010). This approach might not be successful in promoting students’ interest in learning mathematics which may adversely affect their achievements, particularly in quadratic equation. Thus, there is the need to find out better teaching strategies that will make learning of mathematics particularly quadratic equation more meaningful and interesting so as to improve students’ achievements in mathematics.

In view of the above shortfalls of conventional approach in enhancing students’ achievement and interest in mathematics, there is the need to adopt innovative teaching strategy such as cooperative learning strategy which provides students with the opportunity to participate actively in the teaching and learning activities. Cooperative learning according to Ogbu (2008) is a teaching strategy in which small group of learners work together to accomplish shared goal. Kegan (2001) defined cooperativelearning as a successful teaching strategy in which small team (each with students of different level of ability); use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of subject. Therefore, it can be inferred that Cooperative learning strategy allows children to work collaboratively in small groups and also gives them the opportunity to verbalize what they know and consider each other’s viewpoints properly. Zheng (2006) explained that there are different types of cooperative learning strategy which include Jigsaw, constructive controvery, group investigation, think pair and share (TPS), team-game- tournament (TGT) and student team achievement division (STAD) etc. for the purpose of this study, Jigsaw instructional strategy will be explored so as to ascertain the effect on the students’ achievement and interest in quadratic equation in mathematic.

Aronson (2005) defined Jigsaw instructional strategy as a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into  groups and  breaks assignments into pieces that the  group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle. In this strategy of learning, students are made to cooperate with group members, work as a team in a mix-ability classification. According to Adam

(2013), Jigsaw is a teaching technique invented by social psychologist Elliot Aronson in

1971. Based on Adam’s work, Students of an average class sized (26 to 33 students) are divided into competency groups of four to six students to research. Individual members of each group then breaks off to work with the “experts” from other groups,  researching a part of the material being studied after which they return to their original group in the role of instructor for their sub-category. According to Bruce (2010), teams are formed heterogeneously based on prior achievement, race, sex, language, and background. The use  of  heterogeneous  group  of  students  of  mixed  ability  may  help  these  students especially those of low ability to develop language and social skills due to interaction with other students of different ability levels. More importantly, this  kind of  group interaction and cooperation enhances students’ achievement and interest in mathematics.

Some  studies  carried  out  by  researchers  using  Jigsaw  instructional  strategy indicate that students achieve higher in the subjects areas where such studies were carried out. For instance, Oghene (2007) found out that students achieved higher in Biology when taught using Jigsaw instructional strategy. Ede (2009) also found out in a study that students achieved better  in  Physics when  taught using Jigsaw instructional strategy. Similarly, Ogwo (2012) found out in study that Jigsaw instructional strategy has no significant effect on students’ achievements in Chemistry. Binabo (2013) also found out that students achieve better in Geometry when taught using Jigsaw instructional strategy. Therefore  the  effectiveness of  the  use  of  jigsaw  instructional  strategy  is  yet  to  be

concluded. Thus, there is need to find out if Jigsaw instructional strategy could have effect on students’ achievements in quadratic equations in mathematics.

Achievement is the outcome of education — the extent to which a student, teacher or  institution  has  been  able  to  realise  their  educational  goals  (Ezeudu,  2006). Achievement may be defined as the act of successful performance. Achievement implies something that somebody has done successfully especially using his/her own efforts and skills. Achievement is an act of achieving a result gained by efforts, the quality and quantity of student’s work. Academic achievement is a measure of knowledge gained through education process usually indicated by test scores, grade  point average and degree (Bitrus, 2014). Academic achievement means how a student performs in school (Madu, 2004). Some schools define this as a certain grade point average (GPA), or ranking in class. According to Nwagba (2013), academic achievement can be defined as performance of students in schools. Academic achievement could be getting high grades and a high GPA level. Achievement means learning outcome which has to do with the knowledge  attained  in  school  activities  as  a  result  of  learning.  Students’  poor achievement in mathematics could affect their interest in the subject.

Interest, according to Agbo (2002) increases students’ success in the learning tasks. Interest is an important variable in learning because when one becomes interested in an activity; one is likely to be more deeply involved in the activity (Imoko&Agwagah,

2006).  Interest is  a  subjective feeling of  concentration or  curiosity over  something. Adedeji (2007) stated that interest is activity which tends to increase the likelihood that

individuals formulate goals relating to that activity and invest more time and effort to achieve them.

The issue of gender differences in students’ achievements in quadratic equation has been a source of worry to mathematics educators and researchers. Gender refers to the many socially and actually constructed characteristics, qualities, behaviours and roles which different societies ascribe to females and males (Nnamani&Audu, 2005). Some studies on gender and achievement have indicated that boys perform better than girls in mathematics related tasks. Ezeugo and Agwagah(2002) revealed that male achieve significantly better than their female counterparts in mathematics. On the contrary, Umeh (2011) found out in a study on influence of cognitive and gender on student achievement and interest in Mathematics in Ogoja education zone that female students perform better than their male counterparts in mathematics.   Etukudo and Etim (2007) discovered in their study interactive BASIC programme package in teaching graphs of quadratic expressions as an instructional strategy that there was no significant gender difference in mathematics achievement of male and female students.

An issue of contention in Nigeria today is the issue of gender in our society including the educational system. In recent times educators have expressed diverse views about gender and achievement especially in mathematics. While some are of the view that  males  do  better  than  females,  others  disagree  with  this  view,  arguing  that achievement is a factor dependent on several factors such as socio – economic background, teaching method among others.It is evident from the above that there are

contradictory findings on the influence of gender on students’ achievement in mathematics. Hence, the need to carry out this study which seeks to find out the effect of Jigsaw instructional strategy on students’ achievement and interest in quadratic equation in Nsukka education zone of Enugu State.

Statement of the Problem

There is consistent poor achievement of students in Mathematics at senior secondary school level. This poor achievement of students in Mathematics is suspected to be related and attributed to constant use of traditional teaching method (talk and chalk method) in  teaching and  learning mathematics. Mathematics as  a  science subject is practically oriented,hence; there is the need to use innovative strategies such as Jigsaw instructional strategy that guarantees students’ active participation in teaching and learning encounter. Previous research reports show that the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy enhances students’ achievement in subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and even Geometric Construction in mathematics. Thus, it is not known if the use of Jigsaw instructional strategy could help students to improve their achievements in quadratic equations in mathematics. This gap is what the present study intends to fill.

It is against this background that the problem of this study put in question form is; would  the  use  of  jigsaw  instructional  strategy  enhance  students’  achievements and interest in quadratic equations than the lecture method in mathematics?

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of Jigsaw instructional strategy on students’ achievements and interest in quadratic equation. Specifically, the study intends to determine the:

i)         Mean achievement scores of students taught quadratic equation using Jigsaw instructional strategy and lecture method.

ii)        Mean  interest  scores  of  students  taught  quadratic  equation  using  Jigsaw instructional strategy and lecture method.

iii)      Mean achievement scores of male and female students in quadratic equation. iv)      Mean interest scores of male and female students in quadratic equation.

v)       Interaction effects of teaching method and gender on students’ mean achievements scores in quadratic equation.

vi)      Interactioneffects of teaching method and gender on students’ mean interest scores in quadratic equation.

Significance of the Study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study is anchored on constructivist theory of learning. Constructivist theory of learning holds the view that students are active in the learning process that presents them the opportunity to think critically, and construct meaning from the learning activities. Jigsaw instructional

strategy is an  innovative teaching approach that enables students to  think critically,

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work/solve problem in groups, and construct meaning from the learning content delivered in the classroom through group interaction and collaborative work. Thus, the findings of this study will help to support or reject the constructivist theory particularly through determining the effect of Jigsaw instructional strategy on students’ achievement and interest in quadratic equation.

The findings of the study in practical terms will be significant to the students, mathematics teachers  and  curriculum planners. The  study will  be  significant to  the students in the sense that it will provide the students with the opportunity to work cooperatively. Through this cooperative work, the lower ability students will learn from the higher ability students. Furthermore, the students through this study will acquire skills that will help them solve quadratic equation problems in groups which by implication will enhance their achievements and interest in quadratic equation. The findings will provide mathematics teachers with an alternative approach of teaching quadratic equation for easier understanding and effective application by students. It will provide insight on how to apply Jigsaw instructional strategy in the teaching of quadratic equation, thus, serving as energizer for more research work on Jigsaw instructional strategy in teaching other difficult concepts of the mathematics curriculum. This study will provide useful information for teachers training institutions when publication on the work is made. Also as  additional activity  oriented teaching approach, institutions can  then  develop new programmes of instruction based on Jigsaw instructional strategy of teaching. Therefore, such  programmes  of  instruction  (instruction  based,  for  instance,  on  the  Jigsaw

instructional strategy) can be passed-on to teachers through seminars and workshop who then pass the knowledge to the students.

On the part of the curriculum planners, this study will help them plan programmes that will enable students to develop and strengthen their achievements and interest in quadratic equation. This can be done by including Jigsaw instructional strategy as part of the teaching strategies for teaching and learning mathematics in secondary schools.

Scope of the Study

The study will be  limited to senior secondary two (SS2) students in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State,which made up of Nsukka L.G.A, Igbo Etiti L.G. A and UzoUwani L.G.A. The choice of SS2 students is because the students by age can work cooperatively during teaching and learning process. The content scope of this study is on quadratic equation. The choice of this topic is because the students see it as an abstract and a difficult mathematics concept. The following quadratic equation topics will be covered; factorization of perfect square, formulation of quadratic equations by sum and product of the roots, solution of quadratic equation by completing the square methods, and quadratic curve and the gradient of a curve at a point.

Research Questions

The study following research questions guided the study.

1)  What are the mean achievement scores of students taught quadratic equation using

Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method?

2)  What are the mean interest scores of students taught quadratic equation using

Jigsaw instructional strategy and those taught with lecture method?

3)  What are the mean achievement scores of male and female students in quadratic equation?

4)  What  are  the  mean  interest scores of  male  and  female  students  in  quadratic equation?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide and was tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01:  There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of the students taught  quadratic  equation  using  Jigsaw  instructional  strategy  and  those  taught  with lecture method.

H02:  There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of the students taught quadratic equation  using Jigsaw instructional strategy and  those taught with  lecture method.

H03:   There is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students in quadratic equation.

H04:  There is no significant difference in the mean interest scores of male and female students in quadratic equation.

H05:There  is  no  significant  interaction  effect  of  method  and  gender  on  students’

achievement in quadratic equation.H06: There is no significant interaction effect of method and gender on students’ interest in quadratic equation.

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