by CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Science is based on practical activities. Scientific knowledge provides mental satisfaction. According to Harlen (2021) science is a major area of human mental and practical activities, which generates knowledge on the basis of important technological application as well as intellectual satisfaction, It is important for all level of education. Teaching of science in the elementary school offers many opportunities on the natural tendency of children to be active, experiencing and manipulating, objects collecting and constructing simple apparatus.
Singh and Nayak (2021) have described some common methods which are used in the teaching of science at elementary level i.e. lecture method, discussion method, project method, heuristic method, discovery, inquiry approach, problem solving, collaborative method and workbook. All these methods fulfil a specific requirement, which is based on psychological theories or technological facilities. One of the principles of education in Nigeria is to equip every citizen with such knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will enable him/her derive maximum benefits from his/her membership of society, have a fulfilling life and contribute towards the development and welfare of the community (FRN, 2014). Unfortunately academic achievement of Nigerian students in school subjects including Mathematics at secondary school level has remained poor over the years (Obika, 2025). This could be as a result of poor mastery of the subject matter which occurs as a result of poor method of teaching.
Retting and Canady (2022) reported that in schools where active learning methods prevail, the students demonstrated significantly higher achievement as measured by the National Assessment of educational progress. Hall (2023) stated that teachers in these schools offer students challenging, interesting activities and rich materials for learning that foster thinking, creativity and production. They make available a variety of pathways to learning that accommodate different intelligent and learning styles, they allow students to make choice and contribute to some of their learning experiences and they use methods and engage students in hands on learning. Their instruction focuses on reasoning and problem solving.
Ajaja (2023), stated lecture method is just one of several teaching methods, though in schools it’s usually considered the primary one. It is not surprising, either. The lecture method is convenient and usually makes the most sense, especially with larger classroom sizes. Is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theories and equations. A politician’s speech, a minister’s sermon, or even a businessman’s sales presentation may be similar in form to a lecture. Usually the lecturer will stand at the front of the room and recite information relevant to the lecture’s content. Though lectures are much criticised as a teaching method, universities have not yet found practical alternative teaching methods for the large majority of their courses. Critics point out that lecturing is mainly a one-way method of communication that does not involve significant audience participation. Therefore, lecturing is often contrasted to active learning. Lectures delivered by talented speakers can be highly stimulating; at the very least, lectures have survived in academia as a quick, cheap and efficient way of introducing large numbers of students to a particular field of study. The lecture method is just one of several teaching methods, though in schools it’s usually considered the primary one. It isn’t surprising, either. The lecture method is convenient and usually makes the most sense, especially with larger classroom sizes.
The effectiveness of traditional lecture is and has been under debate. Some advantages of lecture include: exposure to new material, greater teacher control in the classroom, engaging format, complement and clarify course material, and facilitates large-class communication. Also, permits dissemination of unpublished or not readily available material. There has been much debate as to whether or not lecture actually improves student learning in the classroom. Commonly cited disadvantages of lecture include: placing students in a passive (rather than active) role, encouraging one way communication, requiring significant out-of-class time for students to engage with the material, and requiring the speaker to possess effective speaking skills.
According to Payne and Whittaker (2024), one of the most important approaches for activating students in a learning process is the use of study groups and discussion opportunities. It seems that cooperative learning can provide such an opportunity better. The reason is that in this method, students work in small heterogeneous groups to achieve a common goal and try to maximize theirs and their partners’ learning level (Gokal, 2025). Cooperative learning is not the grouping of students based on equal skills; rather, the heterogeneity of the group in terms of race, language, culture, intelligence, and academic achievement increases the efficiency of the method (Cohen, 2023). Cooperative learning only improves students’ achievement when their teacher places them in small groups and states a clear goal for them, and this improvement is achieved when all group members master the educational content. In other words, if the possibility exists that one or more group members find an answer and share it with the others, or perform the intellectual part of the group assignment while others only observe, then in that case, cooperative learning has not been achieved (Slavin, 2024). Many researches have been conducted concerning the effect of cooperative learning and its comparison with other traditional teaching methods, few of which will be mentioned here. Winston (2023), in a study performed on fifth grade students of different cultures in the USA, concluded that cooperative learning has a positive effect on students attitude towards math and their academic achievement in this course. In a study, Nichols (2015) examined the effect of one cooperative teaching method on the motivation and academic achievement of 80 geometry class high school students. The results showed that the students in the cooperative learning group were more efficient compared to the students in the control group and had a goal-oriented learning. They also valued the geometry course more and had higher academic achievement. Bamberger (2015) showed that cooperative learning grows the cooperation ability of group members and results in students’ higher academic achievement.
Statement of the Problem
The high rate of failure in Mathematics in senior secondary schools shows that teaching and learning in these subject have been teacher centred instead of student-centred. Educators are seeking for alternative ways to teach Mathematics so as to change the situation. The problem is how can l of teaching improve students academic achievement in Mathematics in secondary schools.
