TEXTUAL MATERIAL VARIABLES AS CORRELATE OF STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS

Abstract

Textbook is the learning aid closest to the students and the closest teaching aid to the teachers. It is one of the factors responsible for low or dwindling achievement of students in mathematics. With its paramount position in the classroom teaching-learning process, the few researchers on textbooks globally reported that textbook has been understudied. This is one of the few studies along the line of content analysis of mathematics textbooks. This study is a descriptive survey which considered the correlation of the textual material variables and its predictive capability on students’ achievement in mathematics. The study was carried out in the 6 states of south-west zone of Nigeria. Senior school students (n = 2,490) were selected on stratified random sampling technique along the senatorial districts of each state. Mathematics teachers (n = 117) were purposively selected in the same schools as respondents. Two instruments Recommended Mathematics Textbook Rating Scale (r = 0.79) and Mathematics Achievement Test (r = 0.71) were used to collect data from teachers and students respectively. Multiple regression was used for data analysis. The result reveals that the four independent variables (availability, relevance, suitability and adequacy of textbook features) had positive multiple correlation (R = 0.342) with students’ achievement in mathematics. The independent variables made significant contribution (F4, 116 = 3.704; p<0.05) to the tune of 8.5% of total variance on students’ achievement in mathematics. None of the variables could predict students’ achievement in mathematics because none of the variables independently made significant contribution to students’ achievement in mathematics. This indicates the mutual importance of these four variables and should be taken together to enhance mathematics achievement. Mathematics textbooks should cover the scope documented in the curriculum with relevant contents and standard of activities and tasks which caters for learners of various intellectual capabilities.