EFFECT OF ‘CINEMATHS’ ON JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN ALGEBRA IN PORT HARCOURT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, RIVERS STATE

The study investigated the effect of ‘Cinemaths’ on Junior Secondary School students’ performance in Algebra in Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA), Rivers State. Quasi-experimental design involving intact classes was adopted. The study examined the difference in performance of students taught Algebra using Cinemaths strategy and those taught using Lecture method; examined if gender variation had any significant moderating effect on the performance of students taught Algebra using Cinemaths strategy. Two (2) research questions were raised and answered and two (2) null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 significant level. Random sampling technique was adopted for the study; sample comprised of 87 students for the experimental group and 91 students for the control group in the sample schools. The instruments used for data collection were Pre-test and Post-test Algebraic Performance Test (APT) and their reliability coefficient were 0.74 and 0.88 respectively using Kuder – Richardson formula 20 (KR20). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 significant level. The result of the analysis showed that students taught Algebra using Cinemaths strategy performed significantly better than their counterparts taught using Lecture method, that gender had no significant effect on the performance of students taught Algebra using Cinemaths strategy. Integration of ICT like Cinemaths is recommended as it improves the performance in Algebra without gender bias.