IMPACT OF PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY ON ATTITUDE AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN GEOMETRY AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KUMBOTSO ZONAL EDUCATION DIRECTORATE, KANO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the impact of a problem-solving strategy (PSS) on senior secondary

students’ attitudes toward geometry and their academic performance in the Kumbotso

Educational Zone, Kano State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group

design was employed, with four intact SS II classes randomly assigned to experimental (n = 145)

and control (n = 131) groups, drawn from a population of 9,882 students. The intervention

spanned five weeks. Two validated instruments were employed: the Mathematics Achievement

Test (MAT; KR-20 = .82) and the Geometric Attitudinal Scale (GAS; α = .86). The experimental

group was taught selected SS II geometry topics with a structured PSS (ACE-M), while the

control group received conventional instruction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics

and inferential tests at α = .05, including independent-samples and paired comparisons (t- or Z-

tests as appropriate) and ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. Results showed that students

exposed to PSS achieved significantly higher posttest scores in geometry and reported more

positive attitudes than peers taught conventionally. No statistically significant differences

emerged by gender or by school location (urban/rural), indicating the strategy’s equitable

effectiveness across subgroups. The findings suggest that adopting problem-solving approaches

can strengthen both cognitive and affective outcomes in secondary-school geometry.

Implications for curriculum planning, teacher professional development, and resource provision

are discussed.