Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of Activity-Based Teaching Method on Students‟ Achievement in Plane Geometry

Abstract

Failure rate in mathematics has become a topical issue in the larger society because of the importance of the subject to humanity. As a result, researchers and educationists are particularly interested in methods of teaching which improve students‟ performance in the subject. Using the concurrent embedded design mainly through achievement tests, focus group discussion, questionnaires and observation, this study was purported to explore the effectiveness of the activity-based teaching method on students‟ achievement in plane geometry. Eighty-four Senior High School (SHS) form two students from two intact classes in two different purposively selected Category A schools participated in this study with one class assigned as experimental group and the other the control group. Findings of this study revealed that the two teaching approaches both had positive effect on the achievement of students. The experimental group however outperformed their counterparts of the control group. Male students of the experimental group also outperformed and showed a more positive perception towards the activity-based approach of teaching and learning than their female counterparts. Responses of both sexes revealed that the activity-based approach used was interesting, helped in sharing ideas and facilitated easy understanding of the concepts of plane geometry. It was recommended that the activity-based approach should be used in teaching and learning in this domain of mathematics.