Psychological Safety Environment; Effects on Peer Tutoring Strategy on the Achievements of Junior Secondary School Students in Mathematics

Many mathematics teachers believe that there is no other method by which mathematics could be taught other than conventional method. Whereas, conventional method of teaching had become a threat to psychological safety environment students are supposed to enjoy. This study would therefore examine the psychological safety environment effects on peer tutoring strategy on the achievements of junior secondary school students in mathematics in Oyo metropolis. The study employed pre-test, post-test, control group quasi experimental design. The population consists of 1743 JSS students' in Oyo metropolis. 1537 students were randomly selected from secondary schools across the metropolis. The instruments used were Students Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (SMARS) (r=0.85) Mathematics Achievement Test for Students' (MATS) (KR 20 = 0.97), Mathematics Lesson Plan (MLP) and Mathematics Lesson Notes (MLN). Three hypotheses were postulated and tested. Data were analysed using ANCOVA. The results revealed significant main effect psychological safety environment on the treatment on students' achievement in mathematics (F(2, 23) = 12.94; p<0.05, partial ?2 = 0.65). There was no significant main effect psychological safety environment on gender on students' achievement in mathematics (F(1, 24) = .03; p>.05, partial ?2 = .002. ?2 = 0.03). It was concluded that psychological safety environment has no effect on treatment, gender and anxiety on students' academic achievement. It was suggested that psychological safety environment should be provided to enhance effective peer tutoring strategy in the teaching and learning of mathematics.