Effect of Differentiated Instruction on Students’ Achievement in Geometry

Abstract

This study determined the effect of differentiated instruction on students’ achievement in geometry. Two research questions and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 alpha levels guided the study.  The study employed pre-test post-test quasi-experimental research design. The population of the study consisted of 1603 Senior Secondary two (SSII) students in Onitsha North Local Government of Anambra State and a sample of 224 SSII students were randomly selected from two co-education secondary schools from the population. Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) which contained 30 items was face and content validated by three experts. Reliability of the instrument was estimated at 0.78 using split-half reliability method.  Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation,   while the hypotheses were tested using z-test and t -test at 5% level of significance. The findings of the study showed that students that were taught geometry with differentiated instruction achieved better than those taught with conventional method. Both male and female students achieved high in geometry with the use of differentiated instruction. There is a statistically significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students taught geometry with differentiated instruction and those taught with conventional method. Again, there is no statistically significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught geometry with differentiated instruction. It was recommended among others that Mathematics teachers and educators should adopt the use of differentiated instruction while teaching and learning mathematics. Also curriculum developers should incorporate the use of differentiated instruction in the mathematics curriculum.