The Effect of Metacognitive Instructional Strategy on Mathematics Achievement and Retentive Among Secondary School Students in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of using metacognitive instructional strategy on Mathematical achievement and retention. The experimental group were trained and instructed to improve their metacognitive skills while the students in the control group received no treatment but taught by the traditional method in their normal lessons. The study adopted a quasi- experimental design with a target population of all secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state, Nigeria. The sample consisted of four secondary schools that were in grade A. Intact classes were used in order to avoid disruption of school activities. The experimental group consist of 158 students (75 male and 83 female) were trained and instructed to improve their metacognitive skills. The students in the control group (142 students of which 68 are male and 74 are female). All students involved in the study were pre, post and retentively tested with forty items of the Secondary Mathematics Achievement test (SMAT). The results indicated that students in the metacognitive treatment group significantly improved in both post and retentive tests. It was ecommended that mathematics teachers should encourage their students on the use of metacognitive instructional strategy in order to improve their performance in Mathematics.