Effect of polya problem solving strategy on retention of secondary school students in Geometry in Kaduna State: Implication for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of Polya Problem Solving Strategy (PPSS) on secondary school students’ retention of geometric concepts in Kaduna State. The study also sought to investigate the influence of gender on the students’ retention in geometry. The design used was quasi-experimental, specifically, non-randomized control group design involving four intact classes. The sample for the study consisted of 222 senior secondary school students from  four different schools in Kaduna State. These students in their intact classes were assigned to the experimental group (PPSS) and Control group (conventional method) using balloting. An instrument titled Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) was constructed by the researcher and validated by experts whose reliability was computed and found to be 0.83 using Kuder Richardson Formula 20. A parallel test to the GAT was taken as the Geometry Retention Test (GRT). The GAT was administered to all the groups before the treatment as pretest. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks after which a post-test was administered using the GAT. Two weeks later, the Geometry Retention Test was administered to all the groups and obtained the GRT scores. Mean and standard deviations were computed to answer the research questions. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of Covariance and independent t-test statistic. The result indicated that Polya problem Solving Strategy had significant effect on students’ retention in Geometry. Also, there was significant difference between the male and female students in their retention of geometric concepts when taught using Polya Problem Solving Strategy as the females had higher retention of geometric concepts than their male counterparts. It was recommended among others that teacher training colleges, universities and other educational institutions should incorporate Polya Problem Solving Strategy into the curriculum, as this will ensure the development of its knowledge for the teachers on training.