IMPACT OF INDIVIDUALIZED ALGEBRAIC BLOCKS STRATEGY ON STUDENTS ALGEBRA RETENTION: A CASE STUDY OF UPPER BASIC STUDENTS IN ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of individualized Algebraic blocks strategy on upper basic
students’ retention in algebra. The population comprised 32,474 upper basic students in public
upper basic schools in Abuja. Simple random sampling was used to select 158 students from
two different schools. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study which was made
up of one experimental group and a control group. Algebra Retention Test (ART) was the
instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by two mathematics educators
and one expert in measurement and evaluation for both face and content validation. Kuder
Richardson’s formula KR-21 was used to estimate the reliability of the instrument and the index of
ART was found to be 0.79. Mean and Standard deviation were used to answer research questions
while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05
level of significance. The study revealed that students taught algebra using individualized
algebraic blocks strategy retained more than students taught using lecture method. Female
students retained algebra concepts better than the male students in individualized algebraic
blocks strategy. It was recommended among others, that teachers should adopt individualized
algebraic blocks strategies in teaching algebra aspect of mathematics in upper basic schools to
enhance students’ retention in mathematics.