Instructional Aids and Gender Differences in Mathematics Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Cross River State: Implications for Teaching Mathematics

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of instructional aids with respect to their gender on primary school pupils’ achievement in Mathematics. The study adopted the quasi-experimental factorial research design. A random sample of 600 pupils from public and private schools in Cross River State, Nigeria were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique for the study. A 20-item multiple choice Mathematics Achievement Test with a split half reliability index of 0.67 was the instrument used to gather data. The data collected were subjected to the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the pretest scores as the covariate. The results of the analyses showed that both the main and the interactive effects of instructional aids and gender significantly influence pupils’ achievement in Mathematics. Female pupils in the treatment group achieved significantly higher than their male counterparts in the control groups.

Keywords: Gender, Instructional aids, mathematics, primary school