Comparative Effects of Mathematics Laboratory Resources on Interest and Achievement of Students in Mathematics

Abstract

The study assessed and compared the effect of teaching Mathematics using concrete materials and computer simulation as instructional resources in Mathematics laboratory on students’ interest and achievement in Mathematics. The study, which was guided by four research questions and four hypotheses, adopted quasi experimental research design. A sample of 84 SS2-students was selected from three privately owned secondary schools in Abia state using purposive sampling technique. Instruments for data collection were Mathematics interest inventory and Mathematics achievement test. Test retest using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Cronbach Alpha were used to establish reliability of the achievement test and internal consistency of items of the interest inventory respectively and coefficients of .85 and .92 were obtained. Mean and Standard Deviation was used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 5% level of significance. Result indicated that the use of Mathematics laboratory resources enhanced interest and achievement in Mathematics. Further analyses to compare the effect of concrete materials and computer simulation on interest and achievement in Mathematics showed that whereas the use of concrete materials enhanced achievement in Mathematics more, computer simulation proved more effective in improving interest in Mathematics. The researcher recommends that government should establish functional mathematics laboratories housing both concrete materials and computer simulation, as instructional materials for the teaching and learning of mathematics. Also, students and teachers should be trained on the modalities of using these resources and encouraged/supervised to ensure utilization during Mathematics instruction.