Effects of Using Ethnomathematics on Performance and Retention of Secondary School Students in Mathematics, Ekiti State

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of the Ethnomathematics teaching strategy on the academic performance and retention of Junior Secondary School students in Mathematics in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Adopting a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design, the study sampled 80 JSS II students from two public secondary schools selected through a multistage random sampling technique. The research instrument used was the Students’ Mathematics Test (SMT), consisting of bio-data and 30 objective questions drawn from the JSS II Mathematics syllabus. The reliability of the instrument, confirmed through the test-retest method, yielded a coefficient of 0.92 using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. The experiment was conducted in three phases: a one-week pre-treatment, a four-week treatment, and a one-week post-treatment period. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, standard deviation) for the research questions, and inferential statistics (t-test) at a 0.05 significance level for the hypotheses. Findings revealed that students taught using the Ethnomathematics strategy performed significantly better and developed a more positive attitude toward Mathematics compared to those taught with conventional methods. No significant difference was found between the control and experimental groups before treatment, confirming that observed improvements were due to the intervention. The study concluded that Ethnomathematics significantly enhances students’ understanding and disposition towards Mathematics. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Mathematics teachers incorporate Ethnomathematics into their teaching, stakeholders should organize regular training on innovative teaching methods, and curriculum planners and policymakers should include evidence-based strategies like Ethnomathematics in curriculum development and teacher education programs.