Improving Students’ Performance in Plane Geometry Through Geoboard Instruction Across Ability Levels

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of geoboard instruction in improving students’ performance in plane geometry across different ability levels. The study was motivated by the persistent poor performance of students in mathematics, particularly in geometry, and the need for innovative instructional strategies capable of enhancing learning outcomes among learners with varying abilities. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The population was from all Lagos State Public Junior Secondary Schools. The participants consisted of Junior Secondary School students (JS 1) categorised into high, average, and low ability levels, with samples of 157 students (83 males and 74 females) chosen from two schools using a multistage sampling technique. The Plane Geometry Achievement Test (PGAT) used for data collection in this study was validated using face and content validity. The test-retest approach yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.79.  There were three research questions raised and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANCOVA) were used to analyse the research questions and test the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level, respectively. The experimental group was exposed to the geoboard instructional strategy while the control group was taught using conventional methods. Findings revealed that geoboard instruction significantly improved students’ performance in plane geometry across all ability levels. The pretest F-value of [F(1,144)=1.91; p>0.05] support the assertion that there is no significant difference between the performance of students in Geoboard classroom and those in the conventional classroom before treatment while the posttest F-value of [F(1,144)=39.92; p<0.05] shows a significant difference between the performance of students in both group in favour of the treatment group while the ability level F-value of [F(2,144)=0.39; p>0.05] shows that there is no significant difference between the performance across the ability levels.  The study concluded that geoboard instruction is an effective strategy for improving mathematics achievement irrespective of ability level. It was recommended that mathematics teachers integrate geoboard instructional materials into classroom practice to enhance meaningful learning.