Gender as Determinant of Students Performance in Mathematics Periodic Tests and Terminal Examination in Federal Capital Territory Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of students’ gender on their performances in mathematics periodic tests and terminal examination. The aim was to determine the contributions of students’ gender to performance of students in mathematics periodic tests and terminal examination. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design in which the researcher does not have direct control on the independent variables, since the manifestation had already occurred. It involves the collection of existing data. The target population for the study consisted of Junior Secondary School II (JSS II) students in Abaji Area Council of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. 200 students were drawn from five (5) public schools through a multistage sampling technique. The researchers made personal contact with all the selected schools and collected the following items:

1. Copies of the three continuous assessments in mathematics of 2^nd term 2020/2021 academic session.
2. The copy of terminal examination mathematics results of 2^nd term2020/2021 academic session.
3. The sex of the selected students.

The result revealed that there was significant difference between the academic performance of male and female students in mathematics periodic Test 1 (t = 3.386, P < 0.05), Test 2 (t = 2.445, P < 0.05), Test 3 (t = 2.217, P < 0.05), Test 4 (t = 2.659, P < 0.05) and Terminal examination (t = 3.791, P < 0.05) at 0.05 level of significance. This was statistically significant at 0.05 level. The study established that students’ performance in mathematics periodic tests and terminal examination were affected by students’ gender. The study recommended that teachers should be gender sensitive and accommodating by taking into consideration individual differences in students’ rate of learning irrespective of gender.

Keywords: Gender, periodic tests, terminal examination, performance

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-27-12

Publication date:September 30^th 2021