The Effect of Homework Assignment on Mathematics Achievement of Secondary School Students in South West Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of homework assignment on Mathematics achievement of Secondary School Students in South West Nigeria. The study was an experimental research design that employed the pretest and posttest control group. A sample of 600 students was selected from six Senior Secondary School 1 from Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti States through the stratified random sampling technique. The subjects and schools were randomly assigned to treatment. The two groups were taught the same concepts in Mathematics for a period of four weeks. Group A (Experimental) was given homework assignment daily while Group B (Control) was not exposed to homework assignment. The two groups were pre tested and post tested using a 30-item multiple choice mathematics achievement test. Two hypotheses were generated and the data collected were analyzed using t-test statistics at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the students’ achievement before treatment was given. It shows the homogeneity of the group. However, when post tested there was a significant difference between the achievement of students exposed to homework assignment and those not exposed to homework assignment. It was recommended that students should be given homework assignment daily and that teachers should be encouraged to supervise, mark, score, grade and correct students’ assignment.

Keywords: Homework assignment, Mathematics achievement test, Experimental group, pretest posttest control group.