Among all approaches aimed at reducing poor mathematics achievement among the students, adoption of appropriate methods of teaching appears to be more rewarding. In this study, improvised instructional materials were used to ascertain students' geometry achievement at the upper basic education one. Two research questions were asked with associated two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. It adopted a quasi-experimental design of non-randomised pre-test post-test control group type. The research was carried out at Makurdi metropolis with a population of 1680 Universal Basic Education (UBE) students. From this, 139 students were sampled from four schools out of the 22 UBE schools. Instrument of the study was Geometry Achievement Test (GAT). Research questions asked were answered using descriptive statistic of mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses formulated were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of covariance. The study found that student's were taught with improvised instructional materials. Also that both male and female in the experimental group equally improved upon their geometry achievement over those of the control group. Recommendations such as encouraging mathematics teachers to use improvised instructional materials in their mathematics classroom were made among others. Relevant and adequate conclusions were also made.

AbstrakBercerita sering dianggap sebagai transfer pembelajaran yang kuno, khususnya bagi anak-anak. Penelitian ini mengadopsi desain penelitian survei sederhana untuk mengeksplorasi sejauh mana guru menggunakan cerita di kelas matematika tingkat pendidikan dasar di Nigeria. Penelitian ini dimulai dengan perumusan premis mengenai cerita tradisional yang semakin ditinggalkan oleh perubahan yang disebabkan karena penggunaan teknologi yang semakin pesat di suatu negara. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 38 guru matematika yang dipilih secara acak pada Sekolah Dasar Makurdi di Benue State, Nigeria. Analisis data diperoleh melalui Basic mathematics Storytelling Investigation (BMSI) yang mengungkapkan bahwa meskipun tingkat kesadaran bercerita yang tinggi sebagai pendekatan pengajaran di antara guru matematika, hanya sedikit 37% yang menggunakan cerita di kelas matematika mereka. Analisis tematik tambahan dari cerita yang dideskripsikan oleh guru menunjukkan bahwa cerita dapat digunakan untuk mengilustrasikan tujuan pembelajaran dan memotivasi peserta didik untuk aktif dalam pembelajaran. Hasil penelitian yang tidak sengaja diperoleh melalui metode kualitatif mengungkapkan bahwa pola khusus dari cerita yang diberikan oleh guru matematika cenderung jauh dari cerita rakyat lokal dan tradisi lisan. Selain itu, terdapat indikasi bahwa melalui ajakan secara sadar yang tepat, guru matematika SD tertarik untuk mengunakan cerita dalam praktik mengajar ke depan.Kata kunci: Bercerita, Pendidikan Dasar Nigeria, Cerita Rakyat, Etnomatematika, Budaya Abstract Storytelling has been severally regarded as the oldest method of instruction delivery, particularly for children. This study adopts a simple survey research design to explore the extent of storytelling usage by teachers in the mathematics classroom at the primary education level in Nigeria. The investigation was conducted on the premise that traditional folktales are heading down the path to extinction and are steadily being blown away in the wind of change being fanned by increasing technology penetration in the country. The participants of the study are 38 mathematics teachers drawn randomly from primary schools within Makurdi metropolis of Benue State, Nigeria. Analysis of data obtained through the Basic mathematics Storytelling Investigation (BMSI) revealed that despite the high level of awareness of storytelling as a teaching approach among mathematics teachers, only a meager 37% make use of stories in their mathematics classroom. Additional thematic analysis of stories described by the teachers showed that stories were used to illustrate learning points and motivate learners to action within the instructional context. An unintended outcome from the qualitative methods unveiled specific patterns of stories used by the mathematics teachers that are far from local folktales and oral traditions. There was also an indication that with an appropriate awareness campaign, primary mathematics teachers intend to use storytelling in their future teaching practice.

This study developed and assessed a web-based ethnomathematics instructional content repository for pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers in Benue State, Nigeria. The study adopted a developmental research design to systematically build and evaluate the educational intervention as a solution to complex problems in mathematics education practice. The development was achieved using WordPress Version 5.4, hosted online at https://villagemath.net on Linux OS server running with cPanel v80.p (Build 20), Apache Version 2.4.39, PHP Version 5.6.40 and MySQL Version 5.7.26. The study was guided by seven research questions posed around common web metrics, key performance indices, and quality assessment in terms of content, navigation, structure, appearance and uniqueness of the designed web tool. Five hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test. The sample for the study comprises 341 pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers drawn from a population of 2981 using purposive sampling. The main instrument of the study is the researcher-developed Web-based Ethnomathematics Instructional Content Repository Assessment Questionnaire -WEICRAQ (Cronbach Alpha Coefficient = 0.98, indicating a high level of internal consistency of the instrument). Additional data collection was handled using WP Statistics, Pingdom Tools, Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix and WebPage Test. The research questions were answered using charts, graphs, mean and standard deviation. Analysis of the results of the study yielded a positive pattern of common web metrics for the designed web tool, indicating that the platform appeals to a wide range of users, with key performance indicators such as speed index, page size, and last painted hero affirming that the platform is robust, elegantly designed and fast. The results also showed that pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers in Benue State, Nigeria unanimously rated the Web-based Ethnomathematics Instructional Content Repository high in terms of content, navigation, structure, appearance and uniqueness. The outcomes of this study has demonstrated that culture can indeed become an integral part of every aspect of instructional design, making it important to consider social and cultural peculiarities in planning and delivering mathematics instruction. The Web-based Ethnomathematics Instructional Content Repository has humanized Mathematics for users and provided a reservoir of resources for training students in conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning and productive disposition. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that Mathematics teachers should continue to use the Webbased Ethnomathematics Instructional Content Repository as a worthy companion tailored to their specific professional needs, and that students across all levels of education should seek deeper and more enriched learning experience by continuously leveraging on instructional resources available on the web tool to enhance t...

The study investigated the effect of Autonomous learning using matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) on

This study investigated Effect of Collaborative Instructional Strategy (CIS) on Students' Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Benue State, Nigeria. Its design was quasi-experimental. Its population was 6,400 Senior Secondary School two students of 301 government-approved coeducational schools in Benue State. Study sample was 216 students of 4 schools within the three Educational Zones of the state. Purposive sampling was used to select 4 out of 6 schools. Random sampling, by tossing a coin, was used to sample 2 schools for experimental group while the remaining 2 served as control group. 2 research questions and 2 hypotheses guided the study. Instrument for data collection was Chemistry Achievement Test. It was developed and validated by 3 experts; its reliability coefficient, Kuder-Richardson, K-R 21, was 0.85. Means were used to answer research questions while ANCOVA was used to test hypotheses. Students of CIS had significantly greater mean achievement score than those of Traditional Lecture Method (TLM) and there was no significant difference in mean achievement scores due to gender of CIS. Thus, CIS was more effective in enhancing students' achievement than TLM, and was gender friendly. It was recommended that trainings be organized on use of CIS for Secondary School Chemistry teachers.