Effect of Mathematics Practical Work Instructional Approach on Mathematics Performance and Retention of Secondary School Students

This study determined if the practical work instructional approach (PWIA) affects senior secondary school students’ academic performance and retention of mathematics. The population of the study was 2709 SSS III students in the public secondary schools in the Nsukka zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. The hypotheses were tested at p£ .05 level of significance. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted, through which 133 subjects were randomly sampled and used for the study. Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) instrument containing essay items and developed by the researcher was used for gathering data. The MAT was subjected to experts in Mathematics Education and Measurement and Evaluation areas for face validation and its reliability estimate was determined using the Spearman-Brown proficiency formula which yielded 0.85. The MAT was used for data collection. Data collected with the MAT were analyzed using mean and standard deviations (S.D) to answer the research questions while ANCOVA statistic was used to analyze the hypotheses (p£ .05). Results of the study revealed that the practical work instructional approach is effective in teaching and learning Mathematics. Gender was found not to be a significant factor of variance in mathematics performance when PWIA is used in mathematics instruction, among other issues found in the work. It was recommended to teachers to infuse PWIA in mathematics instruction for enhanced science/technology and entrepreneurship development and sustainability in Nigeria, among other issues.