INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL TYPE AND GENDER ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN DAMATURU EDUCATION ZONE, YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of school type and gender on students’ performance in Mathematics in Damaturu Education Zone, Yobe State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised 1, 887 senior secondary two (SSII) students in eight public and private schools in Damaturu education  zone registered for 2021/2022 academic  session with 983 male  and 904 female students. The research used an ex-post- facto research survey design and through simple random sampling procedure, the sample size of 241 was drawn for the study.  The instrument used for data collection was Mathematics Performance Test (MPT) made up of 40-item multiple choice questions constructed by the researcher and validated by experts in the field of Mathematics education, Measurement and evaluation. The Reliability index of MPT was 0.85 computed using Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20) formula. Two research questions were stated to guide the study while two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. In terms of data analysis, data obtained were analyzed using means, standard deviations and Z-test statistics. Based on the findings, it was found that there is significant influence (difference) in the mean performance of students in public and those in private secondary schools in Mathematics Performance test, students in private schools performed better than those in public schools (p<0.05).  The result also revealed that there is significant influence (difference) in the mean performance of students in Mathematics test; female students performed better than male counterparts (p<0.05). The study recommended among others that government should raise the standard of public schools to the level of private schools where the students performed better in Mathematics than students in public schools by providing facilities and personnel. In co-educational schools, teachers should peer both male and female students in solving Mathematics problems or tasks in order to avoid gender differences in Mathematics achievement.