Flipped Classroom and Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in Geometry

This study sought to determine how senior secondary school students' geometry performance is affected by the flipped classroom model.  To direct the investigation, two research hypotheses were developed. The research used a quasi-experimental approach. Students in senior secondary school two (SHS2) in the Sagnarigu Municipality of Ghana's Northern Region made up the study's population, which was split evenly between male and female students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, and geographic locations. 72 students from two senior high schools in the municipality were chosen at random to participate in the study. The study's tool was the Geometry Performance exam (GPT), which consisted of 20 standardized multiple-choice exam items modified from earlier mathematics problems administered by the West Africa Examination Council. The control groups were instructed using the conventional technique whereas the experimental groups were given instruction utilizing the flipped classroom model. The four-week experiment was conducted. A P ≤ 0.05 level of significance was considered for the t-test to assess the research hypotheses. The findings showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in terms of accomplishment scores. Regarding the gender issue, the results showed that the flipped classroom model is effective because there was no appreciable difference in the performance of the experimental group's male and female students. It is advised that math educators should use the flipped classroom approach for teaching geometry and other concepts in the subject that are thought to be challenging. Keywords: Flipped classroom, Academic Performance, Gender, Geometry, Senior High School Students. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-22-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Cooperative Learning with Manipulatives and Students’ Performance in Mathematics Problem Solving

The use of manipulatives in teaching mathematics has been identified to have a significant improvement on students’ understanding of mathematical concepts as well as their interest in their studies and subsequently their performance. Studies have examined the impact of this method on students’ performance in mathematics in general little data is available on how cooperative learning with manipulatives learning affects learners’ performance in mathematics problem-solving skills. Hence this study was to assess the effect of cooperative learning (CPL) with manipulatives on students’ performance in mathematics problem-solving skills. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select eighty Junior High School students from a public school in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District in the Central Region of Ghana. Mathematics Non-Routine Achievement Test (MNRAT) and an interview guide were used to gather primary data from the participants. Descriptive statistics and an independent t-test at P≤ 0.05 level of significance were used to analyzed the data gathered from the field. The findings of the study indicated that students taught cooperatively with or without manipulatives outperformed students taught utilizing the lecture technique with or without manipulatives and no discernible differences were found between males and females in their performance (with and without the use of manipulatives).  The study therefore recommends that, the use of cooperative teaching and learning strategies integrated with manipulatives should be encouraged and adopted in schools by educational bodies, mathematics educators and teachers through workshops, seminars, in-service training and conferences on the importance and how to employ cooperative teaching and learning strategies with manipulatives to enhance Junior High School learners’ social and interactive participation, critical thinking, logical reasoning, effective communication and problem-solving skills in mathematics Keywords: Cooperative teaching and learning strategy, manipulatives, lecture method, mathematics problem-solving skills, students’ performance in mathematics DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-19-01 Publication date:July 31st 202

School Physical Resources and Senior High School Students’ Mathematics Performance in Sagnarigu Municipality of Northern Region, Ghana.

While factors that affect students’ academic performance have been well investigated, the extent to which school physical resources determine students’ performance in Mathematics, to the best knowledge of the researchers, has received less academic attention within the Sagnarigu Municipality and hence the need to delve into the area to determine whether there is a relation between school physical resources and students’ academic performance in mathematics. The study adopted a quantitative approach with a survey design involving 372 students and teachers who were selected through Simple Random sampling technique to participate. Questionnaire was used to gather primary data which was complemented by extensive literature review. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data that was collected from the field. An Ordinary Least Square regression model was used to test the predictive power of school infrastructure, school facilities and teaching and learning materials over students’ performance in mathematics after a correlation statistical test indicated that there were multi-collinearity issues. The analysis revealed that students’ performance in mathematics was closely associated with school infrastructure, school facilities and teaching and learning materials. It was, therefore, recommended that stakeholders in education should ensure that Senior High Schools in Sagnarigu Municipal are given the needed infrastructure, facilities and instructional materials so as to improve instructional quality and raise students’ performance in Mathematics. Keywords: School Physical resources, Teaching and Learning Materials, Infrastructure, Facilities, Performance DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-30-10 Publication date:October 31st 202

Teachers’ Geometry Vocabulary Competence and Students’ Academic Performance in Circle Theorem

Ghana's mathematics curriculum places less emphasis on geometry terminology and vocabulary instruction. Hence each instructor chooses his/her own strategy, some of which may be incorrect, because there are no explicit guidelines in the Ghanaian mathematics curriculum on how students should be introduced to mathematical language and vocabulary. A number of research findings however, have suggested that, mathematics vocabulary education has a big impact on how well students do in geometry in general; but little data is available on the impact of the teacher’s language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge on students’ performance in Circle Theorem, an area in which students continue to demonstrate inadequate understanding and poor academic performance as reported on several occasions by WAEC Chief Examiners. As a result, it became necessary to carry out further research in the current location to ascertain whether teacher’s language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge relates significantly to students’ performance in Circles Theorem. This study used a mixed-methods research approach and a sequential explanatory design with 210 students selected through the probability systematic sampling technique. A thorough literature study was conducted in addition to the primary data collection that involved the use of a Questionnaire, an Achievement Test, and an Interview guide.  The data that was gathered in the field was analysed using, regression tool, and deductive manual thematic analysis, which was used for only the qualitative data collected from the interviews. The study found a significant relationship between the independent variable teacher’s language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge and the dependent variable students’ academic performance in Circle’s Theorem. This implies that that students’ performance in circles theorem depends on the circle theorem language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge of the teacher.Therefore, it is recommended that the Ghana Education Service organise training conferences and workshops aimed at improving teachers’ teacher’s circle theorem language proficiency and vocabulary knowledge as well as include guidelines in the Mathematics Syllabus as to how students should be introduced to mathematics vocabulary and terminologies. Keywords: Teacher vocabulary Knowledge, language proficiency, Circle Theorem, Students’ Performance DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-19-02 Publication date:July 31st 202