Teaching Mathematics At Secondary Level Pdf

The purpose of this study is to discuss the teaching methods and their application in different branches of mathematics taught at secondary level in Pakistan. Teaching methods of mathematics include lecture, inductive, deductive, heuristic or discovery, analytic, synthetic, problem solving, laboratory and project methods. Teachers may adopt any method according to the specific unit of syllabus, available resources and number of students in a class. Different merits and demerits of teaching methods along with the relevance of each method to the appropriate branches of mathematics in Pakistani context are explained in this paper.

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Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS)

Vol. 35, No. 2 (2015), pp. 935-946

Application of Teaching Methods in Mathematics at

Secondary Level in Pakistan

Fawad Baig, Ph.D

Producer Programmes,

Pakistan Television (PTV), Lahore centre, Pakistan.

fawadbaig123@yahoo.com

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discuss the teaching methods and their

application in different branches of mathematics taught at secondary

level in Pakistan. Teaching methods of mathematics include lecture,

inductive, deductive, heuristic or discovery, analytic, synthetic,

problem solving, laboratory and project methods. Teachers may adopt

any method according to the specific unit of syllabus, available

resources and number of students in a class. Different merits and

demerits of teaching methods along with the relevance of each method

to the appropriate branches of mathematics in Pakistani context are

explained in this paper.

Keywords: Mathematics; Pedagogy; Teaching Methods; Secondary Level

I. Introduction

The word mathematics came from a Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma) which

means science or study. Mathematics is "the branch of human enquiry involving the

study of numbers, quantities, data, shape and space and their relationships, especially

their generalizations and abstractions and their application to situations in the real world"

(Clapham & Nicholson, 2009, p. 505). Mathematicians generalise new formulas or

methods based on similar patterns for different branches of mathematics (Devlin, 2004).

Before teaching mathematics, every teacher should be informed well about the

educational values of this subject. Proper teaching method should also be adopted

according to the situation, learning environment and educational background of the

students. It is very important to keep the motivational level of students high otherwise

they lose interest in mathematics (Butler & Wren, 1965). Students can be motivated by

highlighting the importance of this subject, for example, mathematics is quite essential to

learn other science related subjects. Moreover, students can avail good employment

opportunities in their future life because of diverse applicability of mathematics in many

fields (Rani, 2007). Teachers should be cleared about the following goals of teaching

mathematics (Cornelius, 1982; Sidhu, 1995).

i. To develop reasoning ability in thinking process of the students.

ii. To enable students to do different kinds of calculations related to the daily life

problems.

iii. To make them creative by developing analytical and discovering abilities in them.

iv. To enable them to learn other subjects of science or general science.

v. To prepare them for higher studies.

vi. To develop scientific approach in them to understand the realities of life on the

base of logic.

936 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 35, No. 2

vii. To enable them to find out the similar patterns in one particular activity or

phenomenon for generalising the results from them.

viii. To prepare them for all those fields of life in which mathematics is applicable.

II. Teaching Mathematics at Secondary Level in Pakistan

Curriculum of mathematics at secondary level including grade 9 and 10 in

Pakistan is developed and updated by the ministry of education. All provinces of the

country including Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have their own

separate textbook boards which publish textbooks following the national curriculum.

Textbooks for secondary and higher secondary level are taught in all government and

private schools in Pakistan except those which are following the British or American

educational systems. National curriculum for mathematics at secondary level (Ministry of

Education, 2002) has been divided into different small units in which the benchmarks are

clearly mentioned. These units are designed for different branches of mathematics like

number and operations, algebra, geometry, information handling and trigonometry etc.

Pakistan is a developing country where educational situation is not very much

encouraging. Lack of resources and funds are the biggest hurdles in educational reforms.

Situation in private schools is relatively good but their fee structure is very much high

and not affordable by everyone. Majority of the students are studying in the public

schools which are in very poor condition. Properly trained teachers are not available

everywhere. Strength of students is very much high in most of the schools so that

teachers cannot give attention to each student in a proper way. Pedagogy of mathematics

includes application of different teaching methods like lecture, inductive, deductive,

heuristic or discovery, analytic, synthetic, problem solving, laboratory and project

methods. Instructional methodology of every teacher should be adaptive according to

each unit of syllabus, available resources and strength of the students.

III. Lecture Method

In this method, knowledge is delivered through a speech. This is the oldest and

most important teaching method because it is always remained a part of all other

instructional methodologies. In this method, a teacher takes part as an active participant

and students are at the receiving end most of the time. That is why; it is a teacher centred

approach. This is also referred to as direct instruction, training model (Joyce, Weil, &

Shower, 1992), active teaching (Good, Grouws, & Ebmeier, 1983) and explicit

instruction (Rosenshine & Stevens, 1986). Lecture method is not only used for teaching

theoretical concepts but it is also helpful for giving training of complex skills and

procedures.

A. Merits and Demerits of Lecture Method

Lecture method has also some merits (Sidhu, 1995; Sellers, Roberts, Giovanetto,

Friedrich, & Hammargren, 2007) which are as follows.

i. This is the most convenient and easy method.

ii. This is the fastest way to deliver knowledge so when the syllabus is so heavy then

it becomes necessary.

iii. When strength of a class is very high then it becomes more important.

iv. This is so economical because there is no equipment involved in it and only one

teacher can teach so many students.

Fawad Baig 937

v. This is very helpful to introduce new concepts.

vi. This can be used to raise the interest level of the students while applying any other

teaching method.

vii. This method has also some demerits which are listed below (Singh, 2007; Sellers

et al., 2007).

viii. This is a teacher centred approach so students cannot play an active role.

ix. This method does not develop reasoning and thinking ability in the students.

x. Sometimes lectures become boring because there is no activity involved in it.

xi. In this method, teacher-student relationship is not developed in proper way.

xii. This method is relatively more useful in higher classes.

xiii. It becomes essential to enhance writing and communication skills by the teachers.

B. Application of Lecture Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

As no practical work is involved in this method, so it can only be used to clarify

the basic concepts of each unit given in the textbooks of mathematics. It is applicable to

teach all branches of mathematics including sets, logarithms, algebra, matrices, statistics,

geometry and trigonometry. Mathematical problems related to these branches cannot be

solved by this method but the procedures and methods to solve them can be explained in

a very good manner. The historical perspective of these branches and their relevance to

the real life can also be described by this method.

IV. Inductive Method

This method is also called scientific method in which we proceed from known to

unknown, from specific to general and from example to rule or formula. In this method

based on induction, students are presented some similar examples or problems related to

one particular domain. Then students try to establish a formula, rule, law or principal by

observing them. If a generalised result is true for those similar examples or problems then

it would also be true for all other such kind of examples (Sidhu, 1995).

A. Merits and Demerits of Inductive Method

This method has also some merits and demerits (Neubert & Binko, 1992; Sekhar,

2006). Its merits are as follows.

i. This method is useful to introduce a new mathematical concept along with a

formula or rule.

ii. Students who like the inductive approach can infer the more complicated rules or

formulas (Felder, 1993).

iii. This is a student centred approach because students play an active role in it.

iv. As the students may establish laws and principles by themselves so it gives them

confidence.

v. This method helps to motivate the students to think logically and make the

learning environment more interesting.

vi. This is based on reasoning and experimentation.

vii. This is quite suitable for primary and secondary level classes.

viii. Students easily remember the laws or principles which they prove by themselves.

This method has some demerits as well.

i. It is quite time consuming and laborious as well.

938 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 35, No. 2

ii. To establish a law or principle is not the complete process of learning. Students

have to practise a lot to understand the concept fully.

iii. Sometimes a formula or rule proved with the help of some similar examples does

not applicable in other similar cases.

iv. Only experienced teachers can use this method in a right way.

v. This method does not help in developing problem solving ability in the students.

B. Application of Inductive Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

Inductive method is used to establish laws, principals, formulas and methods

instead of solving mathematical problems. Therefore it can be used in all branches of

mathematics but establishing laws or formulas at the secondary level is only involved in

algebra, matrices and to some extent geometry.

V. Deductive Method

This method is totally different from inductive method. In this method, we proceed

from general to specific and from a rule to an example. Already constructed formulas,

rules, methods or principles are taught to the students and they apply them to solve the

problems (Sidhu, 1995). In this teaching approach, we can also prove a theorem with the

help of undefined terms, defined terms, axioms and postulates. Then with the help of that

theorem along with different rules and principles, we can derive other theorems as well

(Singh, 2007).

A. Merits and Demerits of Deductive Method

There are some merits and demerits of this method as well (Sekhar, 2006). Some

merits are listed below.

i. This method is very easy and short.

ii. To remember a formula or rule is not very difficult so this method is blessing for

those students who cannot remember complicated procedures (Brigham & Matins,

1999).

iii. Teachers can complete the syllabus easily by this method.

iv. This method helps to enhance the computational ability of the students.

v. It is helpful to teach those concepts in which derivation of rules or methods is not

involved.

vi. With the help of this method, we can prove different theorems using already

defined formulas or principles.

This method has the following demerits.

i. It becomes very difficult for students when they have to remember so many rules

and formulas.

ii. This method does not help in improving reasoning ability in the students.

iii. It is not effective at lower level classes.

iv. This method is not constructivist. If a student forgets a rule or principle then he or

she cannot reconstruct that easily (Sidhu, 1995).

v. This method does not encourage discovery learning.

vi. It cannot make students creative.

vii. Students may be doubtful about the reason of using one particular formula.

Fawad Baig 939

B. Application of Deductive Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

Deductive method is the highly used method in mathematics. It is used to solve

those problems in which complicated procedures are not involved and they can be solved

by applying different kinds of already established laws, methods, formulas and principles

directly. Such kind of problems can be found in all units of syllabus of mathematics at

secondary level including sets, logarithms, algebra, matrices, variation, statistics,

geometry and trigonometry.

VI. Heuristic Method

The word heuristic was drawn from a Greek word "heurisco" which means "I find

out". Heuristic method is based on child's psychology who always wants to discover

something by himself or herself. That is why it is also known as discovery method

(Bruner, 1960, 1962, 1966). Sometimes a teacher only focuses on delivering lectures

through speech in which students do not actively participate and get bored most of the

time. But in the heuristic method, students are encouraged to reach the solution by

constructing the knowledge themselves. Teacher only facilitates them by raising relevant

questions. That is why it is also called inquiry method (Suchman, 1962). As students

discover the solution under the guidance of a teacher so it is also known as guided

discovery method or programmed instruction. So many researches (Ashton, 1962; Wills,

1967; Wilson, 1967) have proved that heuristic or discovery method is more effective in

teaching mathematics than expository approach.

A. Merits and Demerits of Heuristic Method

This method has merits and demerits as well (Singh, 2007; Sidhu, 1995). Its merits

are as follows.

i. It is a student centred approach.

ii. It gives confidence to the students because they discover the solution by

themselves.

iii. It makes students creative.

iv. It develops reasoning and thinking abilities in the students.

v. It clears concepts in a better way.

vi. Continuously inquiring the students keeps them active and they do not get bored.

Demerits of this method are given below.

i. This method is quite time consuming.

ii. It is essential for all teachers to be properly skilled with this method otherwise it is

very difficult for them to apply this in the classroom.

iii. If any student has less aptitude towards discovery then it becomes very difficult for

him or her to learn something through this method.

iv. It is only applicable if strength of a class is low b ut it is usually not possible in

public schools of Pakistan.

v. If a teacher fails to give proper guidance to the students then they may get

discouraged.

vi. This method is not suitable for teaching all kinds of mathematical problems.

vii. Sometimes a teacher fails to ask proper questions during the discovery process so

that distracts students.

viii. With the help of this method, lengthy syllabus cannot be finished in time.

940 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 35, No. 2

B. Application of Heuristic Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

Heuristic method can be used to teach all branches of mathematics. It is helpful

when students are not master to solve problems related to one particular concept and they

need guidance. When students get master of different methods and formulas then they are

encouraged for deductive or problem solving methods to solve the same problems.

VII. Analytic Method

In this method, we analyse the problem first by breaking up the problem in small

segments and then move towards solution. It is also called descriptive method. It leads us

from the unknown part of the problem to something already known or given in the

problem statement. This method emphasises on why we are applying different kinds of

operations and what is the relationship between the required solution and other portions

of the problem (Rani, 2007; Singh, 2007).

A. Merits and Demerits of Analytic Method

Analytic method has also some merits and demerits (Sidhu, 1995; Sekhar, 2006).

Merits of this method are as follows.

i. This is a pure logical method so there is always less chance of doubts.

ii. Discovering the solution is an essential part of this method so it enhances logical

thinking and reasoning ability of the students (Agarwal, 1992).

iii. Students always play an active role in this method.

iv. Students do not need to memorise any set procedure to solve a problem.

v. It encourages scientific attitude.

This method has the following demerits.

i. This method is quite lengthy and time consuming (Agarwal, 1992).

ii. This is not suitable for all kinds of problems.

iii. Only skilled teachers can apply this method.

iv. This is not suitable if the syllabus is so lengthy.

B. Application of Analytic Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

Because of discovery approach, only such kind of problems can be taught with the

help of this method in which we have to prove something. At secondary level, such

problems can only be found in the units of algebra, geometry, ratio and proportion

(variation).

VIII. Synthetic Method

This method is completely opposite to the analytic method as we proceed from the

given or known elements in the problems to the desired solution or unknown. In this

method, we synthesise or put together separate elements or small portions given in the

problems to draw a series of conclusions until the unknown or desired result is found

(Sidhu, 1995). This method is quite simple and led by analytic method. Process of

analysis in analytic method clears the basics of any concept. On the other hand, synthetic

method is based on already learnt concepts. Therefore it is quite necessary to go through

the analytic method to become master of specific mathematical concepts then synthetic

method can be used to solve the problems more quickly. In this method, students are not

Fawad Baig 941

bound to give reason for each and every step while solving a mathematical problem. That

is why it cannot be preferred alone to derive mathematical proofs (Butler & Wren, 1965).

A. Merits and Demerits of Synthetic Method

This method has also some merits (Agarwal, 1992; Sekhar, 2006) as given below.

i. Synthetic method is short and brief.

ii. It is quick because of deductive reasoning.

iii. It sharpens the memory of students.

iv. Teachers can finish the lengthy course in time through it.

v. It provides opportunity to the students to practise mathematical formulas or

procedures.

Demerits of this method are as follows (Sidhu, 1995; Singh, 2007).

i. It is not student centred.

ii. It does not develop reasoning ability in the students.

iii. Students have to remember so many steps without reasoning.

iv. It does not employ heuristic approach.

v. If a student forgets any mathematical proof then it is very difficult to recall it step

by step.

vi. It does not clarify the concepts completely.

vii. It is neither psychological nor scientific in nature.

B. Application of Synthetic Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

Just like analytic method, this method can be used for such problems in which we

have to prove something. It is also useful to find out something unknown with the help of

given conditions in the problem statement. These problems can be found in the units of

algebra, ratio and proportion (variation) and geometry at secondary level.

IX. Problem Solving Method

Instructional methodologies should improve reasoning ability in the students. In

this way, they become capable to find out the solutions of different kinds of problems not

only during the studies but in their daily routine matters as well. Every child has the

curiosity to explore the things and this psychology of the children can be utilised in a

better way through problem solving method. It is the most important instructional

methodology for mathematics (Collier & Lerch, 1969). Bruner, Oliver, Greenfield (1966)

and Gagné (1970), the most famous psychologists, also gave the top priority to this

method.

In this method, students are given such problems which cannot be solved easily or

their solutions are not obvious. A student tries to reach the goals or solutions through the

set of events or procedures. Gagné (1970) calls these events or procedures as lower order

capabilities in which formulas, rules and concepts are used from which a student is

already familiar. According to him, what the student learns is called a higher order

principle which is the result of lower order capabilities.

942 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 35, No. 2

A. Merits and Demerits of Problem Solving Method

Problem solving method has also some merits and demerits. There are the

following merits of this method (Taplin, 1995; Singh, 2007).

i. This method is scientific in nature.

ii. It is student centred.

iii. It is helpful to enhance the reasoning ability of the students.

iv. Students are provided opportunity to apply their previous knowledge through

problem solving.

v. Students learn how to face totally new situation by solving different kinds of

questions.

vi. Teacher can assess the abilities of his or her students easily.

vii. This method improves logical thinking in the students which leads towards

creativity.

There are some demerits of this method as well (Sidhu, 1995; Singh, 2007).

i. This method is quite time consuming.

ii. This is usually not recommended for lower classes.

iii. Textbooks do not provide enough help to apply this method because such books

are usually written in a traditional way.

iv. Logical thinking is involved in this method therefore physical kind of activities are

totally neglected.

B. Application of Problem Solving Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

This method is used to solve those complicated problems which cannot be solved

with the help of single law or formula. Usually word problems are solved with it. At

secondary level, such kind of problems can be found in the units of algebra,

trigonometry, ratio and proportion (variation).

X. Laboratory Method

Ma thematics is different from the subjects involving readings thus practical work

is its major part. Laboratory method has the capacity to deal with practical work in

mathematics. It is a method of "learning by doing". That is why, different kinds of tools

and equipments are used in it to perform practical work which includes drawing of

different shapes, taking measurements of geometrical figures and making of charts and

graphs. Students go through different experiments in laboratory or classroom and learn

by observing and calculating themselves. During this process, they get opportunity to

draw conclusions and generalise different laws and formulas. Therefore, this method can

be said an extended form of inductive method (Sidhu, 1995).

The role of a teacher in this method is to supervise the whole process and give

proper instructions to the students at each step. He or she should keep some points in

mind to make this method successful (Singh, 2007).

i. Necessary equipments related to the laboratory work should be arranged in

advance.

ii. Teacher should continuously observe the practical work of every student and guide

him or her accordingly.

Fawad Baig 943

iii. Every student should be encouraged throughout the practical work.

iv. All necessary concepts should be cleared before starting experimental work.

If number of the students is high and required equipment is not enough then

students can be divided into small groups.

A. Merits and Demerits of Laboratory Method

This method has also some merits and demerits (Sekhar, 2006). Merits of this

method are as follows.

i. It is student centred method.

ii. Students play an active role so they do not get bored.

iii. It is based on discovery approach.

iv. Knowledge gained through practical work is long lasting.

v. As students establish laws and formulas by themselves so they gain confidence.

vi. Practical utilisation of mathematics is realised by the students.

vii. When students work in the groups then their learning becomes fast because of

sharing information and ideas.

viii. The teacher-student relationship gets strengthened.

Laboratory method has the following demerits.

i. It is very lengthy process.

ii. It is restricted to those topics only in which practical work is involved.

iii. In Pakistan, it is very difficult for so many schools to spend a lot of money on

tools and equipments involved in this method.

iv. Teachers have to practise a lot before applying this method in the classroom or

laboratory.

v. Students cannot practise this method to establish laws or principles independently.

vi. It is more effective in lower level classes as compare to secondary level.

B. Application of Laboratory Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

This method is mostly used for practical geometry. At the secondary level, it can

also be used to establish or verify the laws and theorems in sets and trigonometry. These

laws and theorems are usually proved through inductive method but laboratory method

can be used at alternative basis to create interest among the students.

XI. Project Method

This method is also based on the philo sophy of "learning by doing". It was devised

by famous educationist Prof. Dr. William H. Kilpatrick who defined this method as

"whole- hearted purposeful activity" (Kilpatrick, 1918). In this method, students are

engaged in such kind of projects in which they get opportunity to apply their theoretical

knowledge and learn practically. In these projects, students work in natural environment

outside or within the boundary of school. During this process, they face different

mathematical kind of problems in real life and then try to solve them with previously

gained knowledge. Projects may be allocated at individual level but usually students are

divided in the small groups to accomplish them (Sidhu, 1995).

944 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 35, No. 2

Project method provides cooperative learning in which not only students share the

ideas and knowledge but they also get motivated to complete the tasks as soon as

possible. Famous educationist John Dewey (1916) emphasised on social interaction of the

learners for the first time then Herbert Thelen (1954, 1960) also gave importance to

cooperative learning in small groups.

A. Merits and Demerits of Project Method

There are some merits and demerits of this method (Sekhar, 2006). Its merits are

as follows.

i. It is totally student centred method.

ii. It helps students to correlate the mathematical knowledge with real life problems.

iii. It is a social activity that helps to promote friendly environment among students.

iv. Students share their ideas and experiences with each other.

v. It gives confidence to the students.

vi. Students learn so many other things during projects in real life scenarios.

vii. Students remain active and enjoy throughout the project.

Project method has the following demerits.

i. It is quite time consuming.

ii. It is costly because so many equipments are involved in it.

iii. Because of excessive practical work, students cannot give much attention to

practise the mathematical operations.

iv. Usually textbooks are not designed according to this method.

v. It is very difficult to complete the syllabus in time with the help of this method

especially when strength of a class is very high.

B. Application of Project Method in Mathematics at Secondary Level

This method is not used to teach one particular concept of mathematics. When

students get master of different areas of mathematics like algebra, geometry or

trigonometry with the help of other teaching methods then project method provides

opportunity to them to apply their already learnt knowledge in real life scenarios.

XII. Conclusion

This study described different teaching methods of mathematics at secondary level

in Pakistani context. These teaching methods include lecture, inductive, deductive,

heuristic, analytic, synthetic, problem solving, laboratory and project methods.

Lecture method can be used to explain basic concepts of all branches of

mathematics. Inductive method is helpful to establish laws and formulas related to

algebra, matrices and geometry. Already established laws and formulas can be applied

through deductive method to solve problems related to all branches of mathematics. If

students have not proper command to solve problems then heuristic or discovery method

can be applied in which inquiry approach is quite helpful to make students capable to

understand mathematical procedures. It is quite time consuming but it enhances reasoning

ability in the students. The mathematical problems in which students have to prove laws

or formulas can be taught with the help of analytic method. Such kinds of problems can

be found in the units of algebra, ratio and proportion (variation) and geometry. When

Fawad Baig 945

students become master to analyse the problems then they are in the position to

synthesise and reach the goal more quickly using already learnt concepts. The problems

in which something has to be proved can also be taught through synthetic method. This

method is short and brief as compared to analytic method.

There are also some lengthy problems which cannot be solved directly by applying

a single formula or a small procedure then problem solving method may be adopted.

Lengthy word problems can be found in the units of algebra, trigonometry, ratio and

proportion (variation). To prove laws and theorems related to sets and trigonometry

involves practical work. For this purpose, laboratory method can be used. Practical

geometry is totally dependent on this method. As for as project method is concerned that

provides opportunity to the students to relate their theoretical knowledge about

mathematics with their real life scenarios. Students get involved in different small

projects and they try to get solutions by applying laws and formulas of different branches

of mathematics.

A teacher should be familiar with all of these teaching methods because he or she

can get better results by applying appropriate method according to the nature of a

problem, available resources and number of students in a class.

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... Fawad Baig (2015) suggests that "a teacher should be familiar with all the teaching methods in Mathematics because he or she can get better results by applying appropriate method according to the nature of a problem, available resources and number of students in a class." Menderes Unal (2017) recommended a "blended teaching approach that balances teachers" personal strengths and interests with students" needs and curricular requirements". ...

... These include; interactive, innovative, integrative, inquiry based, collaborative, experiential, meta-cognitive and reflective. Baig (2015) pointed out varieties of teaching methodologies that are used in teaching mathematics across the world. Some of these methodologies are inductive, deductive, lecture, problem solving, and activity based. ...

Modern concept of education is based on students' centered learning approaches where collaborative instructional strategy is an emerging approach. It has been tested in different subjects and its effectiveness has been proved. Therefore, this experimental study investigated the effects of Collaborative Instructional Strategy (CIS) on mathematics achievement of fifth grade students. The experiment was conducted at a Government school in District Swat, Pakistan using pre-test post-test comparative group design on 64 students in two groups (control and experimental). Mathematics Attainments Test (MAT) was developed to measure students' academic achievement. Collaborative mathematics instructional lesson plans (CMIL) were also developed to teach mathematics. The collected data were analyzed though mean, standard deviation, pair sample t test and independent sample t test. The results of the experiment showed that Collaborative Instructional Strategy (CIS) has a significant positive effect on the academic achievement of Primary school students in the subject of mathematics. It was recommended that Collaborative Instructional Strategy (CIS) may be use to teach mathematics at primary level.

... A lecture method is a teacher-centered approach whereby the teacher takes part as an active participant and students are at the receiving end most of the time. Fawad (2015) asserted that the lecture method is not only used for teaching theoretical concepts but it is also helpful for giving training of complex skills and procedures. In this method the teacher gives out all the facts he wants the students to know and master, caring very little if at all whether or not, the students are actively participating and contributing to the success of the lesson (Akem, 2007). ...

Chinelo Blessing Oribhabor

Mathematics is a compulsory subject in Nigerian secondary schools, and the subject plays an important role in the scientific and technological growth and development of the nation. A shortfall in the knowledge of the students in Mathematics means that the goal may not be realized, hence the need to improve teaching methods for solving the problem of poor performance in the subject. This study evaluated the effect of the activity-based teaching method on the students' achievement in secondary school Mathematics. The design of the study was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest research design using intact classes. Finding revealed that there was a significant difference in the Mathematics performance between the posttest mean scores of the students who were exposed to activity-based teaching methods (experimental) and those that were taught with lecture method (control) groups after controlling for the effect of the pre-test on Mathematics scores. The paper recommends among others that secondary school Mathematics teachers should be trained and retrained to update their knowledge in the use of activity-based teaching for making the teaching and learning of Mathematics more interesting and rewarding.

Chinelo Blessing Oribhabor

Recommended citation: Oribhabor, C. B. (2020). Evaluating the effect of activity-based method of teaching mathematics on Nigerian secondary school students' achievement in mathematics. Abstract Mathematics is a compulsory subject in Nigerian secondary schools, and the subject plays an important role in the scientific and technological growth and development of the nation. A shortfall in the knowledge of the students in Mathematics means that the goal may not be realized, hence the need to improve teaching methods for solving the problem of poor performance in the subject. This study evaluated the effect of the activity-based teaching method on the students' achievement in secondary school Mathematics. The design of the study was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest research design using intact classes. A sample of 96 students from two senior secondary schools in Calabar metropolis, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria was used in the study. The instrument for data collection was a 20-item Essay Mathematics Test (MT) developed by the researcher to measure students' achievement in Mathematics. The reliability coefficient for the instrument using the Cronbach coefficient alpha was 0.86. Mean and the standard deviation was used to answer the research question while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to explore the effect of the teaching method at a 0.05 level of significance. Finding revealed that there was a significant difference in the Mathematics performance between the posttest mean scores of the students who were exposed to activity-based teaching methods (experimental) and those that were taught with lecture method (control) groups after controlling for the effect of the pre-test on Mathematics scores. The result indicated that students taught using the activity method performed 78 better than those taught using the lecture method. This study implies that students will benefit greatly from teaching outcomes in schools if the activity method is used as a pedagogical approach in Mathematics instructional delivery. The paper recommends among others that secondary school Mathematics teachers should be trained and retrained to update their knowledge in the use of activity-based teaching for making the teaching and learning of Mathematics more interesting and rewarding.

... Most of the schools in South Africa use a traditional method, which is also known as a lecture method. In this method, a teacher becomes an active participant and learners become inactive participants (Baig, 2015). In other words, learners become information receiver while a teacher becomes information deliver. ...

... Nowadays, one of the challenges in teaching-learning process is knowing the most effective teaching approach and strategies that are also in line with the learning styles of the students. Recent researches indicate the following teaching strategies are common and effective in teaching mathematics: cooperative learning (Javed, Saif & Kundi, 2013), lecture type, deductive approach (Baig, 2015), inductive approach (Atta, Ayaz & Nawaz, 2015;Padmavathy & Mareesh, 2013), demonstrative approach (Ramadhan & Surya, 2017), repetitive exercises (Warthen, 2017), and integrative approach (Panicker, 2014). ...

Jose M. Cardino
Ruth A. Ortega-Dela Cruz

This study was conducted to analyse the influence of learning styles and teaching strategies on academic performance in mathematics. Surveys were conducted to 277 randomly selected grade 9 students and five purposively sample mathematics teachers. Findings reveal that most of the student-respondents have a combination of dependent, collaborative and independent learning styles. Multiple regression analysis indicates that among the learning styles, only the independent style has a significant influence on the academic performance of grade 9 students. Four teaching strategies including cooperative learning, deductive approach, inductive approach, and integrative approach, were found to have a significant influence on academic performance. By understanding the learning styles of students, teachers will be guided in designing different strategies to help students enhance learning for their improved performance in mathematics.

University mathematics may be presented in a formal way that causes many students to cope by memorising what they perceive as a fixed body of knowledge rather than learning to think for themselves. This research studies the effects on students'attitudes of a course which encourages co-operative problem-solving coupled with reflection on the thinking activities involved. A pre-and post-test revealed that attitudes changed significantly during the course. Half the students stated beforehand that university mathematics did not make sense. A majority of these declared negative attitudes to mathematics as abstract facts and procedures to be memorised, reporting anxiety, fear of new problems and lack of confidence. After the course all measures investigated improved, confirming that appropriate problem-solving can alter students'perception of mathematics as an active thinking process.