Dr Andrew Umo Abasi, Dr John Arikpo Okri & Paul Ingiona Adie
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of instructional manipulatives on JSS2 students’ academic performance and retention in mathematics in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group research design. Sample for the study consisted of 97 JSS2 students randomly drawn from two schools in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area. The instrument used for data collection was a Mathematics Performance Test (MAT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.87. The experimental group was taught the concept of 3-dimensional geometric shapes using instructional manipulatives while the control group, on the other hand, was taught same without using manipulatives. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. The three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that the experimental group performed and retained concepts taught significantly better than the control group. However, there was no significant mean difference in the performance of the experimental group based on gender. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that Mathematics teachers should endeavour to always utilize instructional manipulatives in teaching concepts in Mathematics in Junior Secondary Schools in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.