Effect Of Knowledge Of Mathematics On Achievement Of Students In Physics

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of the knowledge of Mathematics on Achievement of Physics students in secondary School in Lagos State. The study employed a pre-test, post-test control group quasi experimental research design, using school types and gender as moderator variables. A sample size of one hundred and ninety-four (J 94) Physics students were purposively selected from jive (5) senior secondary school (two Private, one Federal and two Public Senior Secondary School in Lagos State) from the population of 51 and 43 Senior secondary schools of Educational districts ii and iv in Lagos State respectively. Two validated research instruments Mathematics Knowledge Test (MKT) r = 0.74 and Physics Achievement Test (PAT) r = 0.84 were usedfor data collection. The study lastedfor jive (5) weeks,' in which both the experimental and control groups were pretested after which the experimental groups were exposed to Mathematics concepts relating to Physics concepts to be taught before exposing them to the Physics concepts, while the control groups were exposed to only the Physics concepts without prior exposure to Mathematics concepts simultaneously. Three (3) research questions guided the study and five hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data collected were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Pearson moment correlation and estimated means to determine the potential of each group. The study reveals that knowledge of Mathematics, gender and school type have significant effects on achievement of students in Physics, and there was a significant relationship between achievement in Mathematics and Physics. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that government should employ qualified and knowledgeable teachers to teach Physics and Mathematics in all the public (Federal and state) schools in Nigeria also, Physics teachers should embrace teaching strategies and techniques that will improve the mathematical skills of Physics students.