Influence of Geographical Location on the Achievement of Senior Secondary Students in Calculus Using Guided Discovery Learning Strategy in Jam’a Local Government of Kaduna State.

Abstract

This study examined the influence of geographical location on the achievement of senior secondary students in calculus using guided discovery learning strategy in Jema’a Local Government of Kaduna state, Nigeria. It specifically examined it’s in on: students’ achievement in Urban and Rural senior secondary, on gender and its potency in improving the learner’s achievement in mathematics using guided discovery learning strategy. A quasi-experimental design was used due to the fact that intact classes were assigned to both schools. The sample drawn was 160 senior secondary school two (SSS2) students from two (2) public schools. Both schools were taught using the guided discovery strategy. PRE and POST-TEST results on Calculus Achievement Test (CAT) were collected after the conduct of the test, and analysis were made using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The Reliability of 0.68 index was gotten for the instrument. The descriptive statistics (mean) results were used in answering the three (3) research questions while inferential statistics (ANCOVA) results were used in testing the three(3) corresponding hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. From the result obtained, null hypothesis(1) was retained, indicating that there was no significant influence of geographical location using guided discovery learning strategy on students’ achievement in calculus. However, null hypothesis two (2) was rejected indicating that there was a significant influence of gender in favor of male on the achievement of students in calculus. By the findings of this study, it implies that guided discovery learning strategy has the potency of improving the achievement of students in calculus without any bias to school location. It was therefore recommended that teachers should make the teaching and learning of mathematics interactive and activity- based approach, and encourages female gender to participate more in learning activities during mathematics classes in order to scale over inferiority complex. However, Ministries of education at both federal and state levels should periodically asides regular workshops for teachers’ development and make it a platform of assessing and reviewing the impact of teaching strategies.