Effects of Van Hiele’s Phase-based Teaching Strategy and Gender on Retention of Achievement in Geometry among Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of Van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy on retention of achievement among pre-service mathematics teachers in Niger State, Nigeria. It also examined the influence of gender and interaction effects of teaching method and gender on retention of achievement. The study adopts a two-by-two (2X2) pretest posttest quasi experimental factorial design. 149 pre-service mathematics teachers from two colleges of education in Niger State were purposively selected for the study. Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) was used for data collection. The reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained using Cronbach alpha. GAT was administered to pre-service mathematics teachers as pretest, posttest and retention test. The pre-service mathematics teachers’ retention test scores were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that the pre-service mathematics teachers’ taught geometry using van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy retained significantly what was taught better in retention test than their counterparts taught geometry using conventional teaching strategy. However, there was no significant difference reported in the retention test performance scores based on gender and interaction effect. It was however suggested that since the treatment (van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy) were found to be effective in enhancing pre-service teachers’ retention of achievement, it should therefore be use by lecturers in teaching not only geometry but mathematics in general. This study investigated the effects of Van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy on retention of achievement among pre-service mathematics teachers in Niger State, Nigeria. It also examined the influence of gender and interaction effects of teaching method and gender on retention of achievement. The study adopts a two-by-two (2X2) pretest posttest quasi experimental factorial design. 149 pre-service mathematics teachers from two colleges of education in Niger State were purposively selected for the study. Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) was used for data collection. The reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained using Cronbach alpha. GAT was administered to pre-service mathematics teachers as pretest, posttest and retention test. The pre-service mathematics teachers’ retention test scores were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that the pre-service mathematics teachers’ taught geometry using van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy retained significantly what was taught better in retention test than their counterparts taught geometry using conventional teaching strategy. However, there was no significant difference reported in the retention test performance scores based on gender and interaction effect. It was however suggested that since the treatment (van Hiele’s phase-based teaching strategy) were found to be effective in enhancing pre-service teachers’ retention of achievement, it should therefore be use by lecturers in teaching not only geometry but mathematics in general.