A MODIFIED ‘METHOD COMBINATION THERAPY’ AS INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY FOR TEACHING SECONDARY SCHOOL GEOMETRY AND EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND RETENTION IN MATHEMATICS

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of teachers’ use of a modified Method Combination Therapy whose components include multiple activities and the use of study questions as instructional strategy for teaching geometry, on secondary school students’ achievement and retention of learned concepts. Four research questions and four research hypotheses guided the study. The design was quasi-experimental with a population size of 3400 Senior Secondary One (SS1) students. The s ample size was 72 comprising 40 males and 32 females in intact classes. A researcher made Mathematics Performance Test (MPT) with reliability coefficient r =.87 was used for data collection using Kuder-Richardson 21 formula. Data was analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANOVA) and the hypotheses tested at p ≤ .05. Findings revealed that the modified Method Combination Therapy (MCT) adopted in the experiment significantly enhanced students’ achievement and retention of acquired knowledge of geometry over time. Consequently, it was recommended among others that teachers in schools could adopt the modified MCT for the teaching of geometry in schools.