The Effect of Quadratic Simulation - Games on Students’ Achievement and Anxiety Level in Quadratic Equations in Senior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State, Nigeria
[1]
Joseph M. Timayi, Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
[2]
Paul O. Jonah, Department of Primary Education Studies, Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi, Kano State, Nigeria.
This research examined the effect of Quadratic Simulation-games on students’ achievement and anxiety level in senior secondary school mathematics in Zaria Educational Zone of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study adopted the quasi- experimental and control group; involving pretest and posttest design. The population of the study comprised 80 students randomly sampled from two public secondary schools. The Quadratic Equation Achievement Test (QEAT) and the Quadratic Equation Anxiety Rating Scale Questionnaire (QEARQ) were used to collect data; these gave a 0.83 consistency with the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and a Cronbach Alpha of 0.81 respectively. The research hypotheses which was tested using the t-test was found to be significant at 0.05. The findings from the study revealed that Quadratic Simulation-games led to improved achievement and reduction in students’ anxiety in mathematics. The study concluded that teachers’ use of Quadratic Simulation-games in the teaching of quadratic equations would go a long way in sustaining and motivating students’ interest in learning mathematics. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Federal Government through the National Mathematical Centre should encourage the development of indigenous simulation - games for our secondary schools and teachers are to step out of the box by searching for, adopting and applying result oriented games useful for teaching and learning of mathematical concepts in a classroom situation.
Quadratic Simulation-games, Achievement, Anxiety, Quadratic Equations
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