THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING STRATEGIES ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF MALE AND FEMALE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The study examined the influence of learning strategies on Mathematics
achievement of male and female secondary school students in Edo South
Senatorial district. It aimed to investigate the influence of learning strategies
employed by male and female students on achievement as well as to determine
the difference in relationship between learning strategies and their achievement
in Mathematics. To carry out the study, three hypotheses were formulated and
tested at .05 α level. A correlation survey which was based on the framework of
ex-post facto was adopted. The population was made up of all secondary school
students in Edo South Senatorial district. A multi-stage sampling technique was
adopted and a sample size of 280 students was used. A standardized adopted four
point Likert’s scale was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument
was .89. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment
Correlation and the Fisher’s Z statistics. The findings revealed that the learning
strategies employed by male and female students significantly influence their
achievement in Mathematics and that learning strategies have no differential
influence on achievement in Mathematics for both male and female students. It
was therefore recommended amongst others that students should use more of
cognitive learning strategies in studying Mathematics as it contributes more to
achievement in Mathematics.