Dr Iberedem Bassey Daniel, Nsikan Edet Dan & Victor Akpaiya Udom
Abstract
The study investigated the effects of Mathematics ability level on students’ achievement in chemistry quantitative problem-solving in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a true experimental pretest posttest research design. The study sample consisted of one hundred (100) SS2 Chemistry students in public co-educational secondary schools in the study area selected using simple random sampling technique. Two researchers-developed instruments, Mathematics Ability Test (MAT), designed to classify students into mathematics ability groups with reliability index of 0.88, and Achievement Test on Chemistry Quantitative Problems (ATCQP), designed to measure the students’ achievements with a reliability index of 0.85, were used in gathering data for the study. The data obtained were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that students taught using problem-solving instructional strategy had the best achievement, students of high mathematics ability achieved significantly better than students of average and low mathematics ability in decreasing order. Consequently, it was recommended, among others, that students’ confidence in their mathematical insight and abilities should be developed and maintained.