Brillo Journal

Critical Thinking Skills: Comparative Assessment of Further Mathematics and Non-Further Mathematics Students in Public and Private Schools

2024-06-17T12:15:04+00:00

Critical thinking skills, essential for daily progress and academic success, are rarely studied in relation to Further Mathematics. This study compared the critical thinking skills of further mathematics and non-further mathematics students in Alimosho, Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 310 participants, including 153 further mathematics and 157 non-further mathematics students, were purposively selected from public and private secondary schools. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire (r=0.82) and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequency, mean, standard deviation, and t-test at a 0.05 significance level. The results revealed a significant difference in critical thinking skills between further mathematics and non-further mathematics students in public secondary schools. Similarly, a significant difference was found in the critical thinking skills of public and private school students, regardless of whether they studied mathematics. No significant difference was observed in the critical thinking skills of students taking further mathematics compared to those who did not, across both types of institutions. The study recommended that mathematics teachers focus on fostering critical thinking skills beyond problem-solving in further mathematics to support students' overall development.

Utilizing Bland and Interactive PowerPoint during Mathematics Class: Physical Education Students’ Perceptions

2024-07-15T08:45:38+00:00

PowerPoint is a widely used presentation software capable of displaying multimedia elements such as images, videos, audio, and text through visually engaging and creative slide shows. This study explored the perceptions of Physical Education students regarding the use of bland and interactive PowerPoint during their Mathematics classes. Specifically, it aimed to determine whether students’ perceptions varied in terms of active participation, motivation, and learning when exposed to these two types of PowerPoint presentations. The study involved 36 first-year Bachelor of Physical Education students at a university in Pampanga, Philippines, comprising 22 females and 14 males. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, quantitative data were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed a significant difference in students' perceptions, with more students strongly agreeing that interactive PowerPoint (iPPT) significantly enhanced their active participation, motivation, and learning compared to bland PowerPoint (bPPT). It was concluded that the use of iPPT in teaching Mathematics provided greater support to students, particularly by fostering higher levels of engagement, motivation, and improved learning outcomes.

Relative Effectiveness of Teachers’ Questioning Strategies in Enhancing Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano-Nigeria

2024-07-17T16:37:09+00:00

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of teachers’ questioning strategies in enhancing students’ Mathematics achievement in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. The population for this study consisted of 8,785 JSS II students. A sample of 135 JSS II students from three intact classes was purposively selected. A simple random sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument used for the pretest and posttest was the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT), with a reliability coefficient of 0.78 calculated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation, to answer the research questions, and inferential statistics, including paired sample t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA), to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that divergent and convergent questioning strategies had a significant effect on enhancing students’ Mathematics achievement. Additionally, the study found a significant difference between the divergent, convergent, and conventional methods. The researcher recommended that divergent and convergent questioning strategies be included in the Mathematics curriculum for teacher education programs.