Effect of ASEI-PDSI Teaching Approach on Junior Secondary School Students' Retention in Mathematics in Abuja, Nigeria

This study investigated the effects of ASEI-PDSI teaching approach on junior secondary school student's Retention in Mathematics. The study was guided by three objectives, three research questions and three null hypotheses. The study was carried out in Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and adopted the quasi-experimental research design. The population for the study was 2,445 students, comprising of 1,414 males and 1,031 females. Simple random sampling technique was adopted with a sample size of 157 students, consisting of 69 males and 88 females were involved in the study. Mathematics Retention Test (MRT) was the instrument used in collecting data for pre-test and post-test respectively. The reliability index of the instrument was found to be 0.90. The data were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer research questions and ANCOVA statistic was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05% level of significance. The results of the findings showed that students exposed to ASEI-PDSI teaching approach retained better in Mathematics than those exposed to the conventional method of instruction. Again, the findings indicated no significant difference in retention of male and female students when taught Mathematics using ASEI-PDSI teaching approach. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on the need to adopt the use of ASEI-PDSI teaching approach in teaching Mathematics in junior secondary schools. Secondly, Mathematics teachers should be advised and encouraged to attend in-service education and training (INSET) especially outside the country to gain wider experience on the application and effectiveness of ASEI-PDSI teaching approach in Mathematics since it has been found effective in enhancing students' academic retention. In conclusion, the result of this study provides empirical evidence that the use of ASEI-PDSI teaching approach enhanced students' Retention more than the use of conventional teaching method in Mathematics and therefore teachers should be encouraged to embrace the use ASEI-PDSI teaching approach in Mathematics classroom.