EFFECT OF IMPROVISED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ON SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS

Introduction

Mathematics has a quantitative and geometrical foundation.According to the many goals for which the subject is employed, this has led to a variety of approaches to its teaching and learning (Williams, 2007). In attempting to highlight the value of mathematics to people According to Bangbose (2011), it serves as a measurement device for calculations and numerical analysis in daily life. While Olatin and Aquiobe (2007) emphasized that all geometry objects or the methods of articulating a process that saves and disseminates human experiences through quantitative reasoning are included in mathematics educational materials.

Mathematics is one of the main courses for pupils in the senior secondary school level under the 6-3-3-4 educational system in Nigeria (NPE, 2004). All pupils must take it in order to pass the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).Anyone who wants to succeed in their academic career, whether it be in science or art, must have a solid understanding of mathematics. Due to the significance associated to the subject, teachers intentionally use effective teaching techniques, whether they are accompanied by or without instructional resources, to teach the subject.

Since most of the required resources are not readily available, their efforts are going unnoticed. What’s more, because there is not enough money set aside each year for education, funds are not available to purchase even some of these instructional materials. Improvisation was used instead of buying locally or making it when educational materials were needed.

The improvised version of a learning tool is improvisation. NTI (2005) defines it as the process of creating a completely new tool, instrument, or device, or altering an existing one for a specific purpose. When ready made materials are unavailable or when they are but may not be applicable to the learning objectives, improvisation is used. Akinmoyewe (2006) asserts that using improvised instructional materials when teaching mathematics makes the class engaging and worthwhile due to the inherent benefits that come with using such materials.Unplanned teaching methods encourage quick comprehension and provide first-hand learning opportunities that are difficult to forget.By encouraging individualization in instruction and self-study in mathematics, they give pupils the chance to pursue independent learning. Students’ academic achievements are their academic advancement as evidenced by their test results.Students need to actively participate in the teaching and learning process in order to learn well.According to Olatin and Aquiobe (2007), it is concerning that student performance has continued to decline year after year. They believe that if the scenario persists, it will have an impact on the nation’s technological and economic development. According to a study by Miciano (2005), the utilization of instructional materials significantly affects students’ math performance. The usage of teaching materials and instructional tape recorders improved students’ performance in Basic Education and English Language, respectively, according to studies by Ikwuka and Ezigbo (2015) and Adamu (2009). Researchers had been concerned about how gender may have affected pupils’ performance, but no clear pattern had appeared.Men and women perform differently in mathematics, according to a substantial body of data, and boys do better and employ more surface-level learning techniques than females. It also revealed that boys were more interested in Mathematics and fared better in the subject than girls did (Niem, 2000 & Osa, 2008), who had lower achievement and a larger disdain for the subject. While Akin (2006) noted that girls out performed boys in terms of results. Secondary school mathematics instructors frequently use a traditional, theoretical approach to their subject’s instruction.The tendency of using traditional and theoretical methods for teaching mathematics in secondary schools in the Oshimili South local government region appears to be widely adopted by these teachers. Some of them claimed that there were no educational resources available; others appeared to have no interest in using them; still others lacked the abilities and competence necessary for using instructional materials in the classroom. Olatin and Aquiobe (2007) noted that pupils performed poorly academically on the Senior Certificate Examination, indicating the need for mathematics teachers to use instructional resources to enhance teaching and learning of mathematics. These instructional tools, which teachers will utilize to influence the necessary knowledge and abilities, are sadly absent from the majority of the secondary schools in Oshimili South.These intriguing observations inspired the idea for this study, which sought to determine the impact of improvisational educational materials on senior secondary students’ academic ability in mathematics. The study specifically aimed to: