Evaluation of the National Mathematics Curriculum’s Implementation in Secondary School

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Mathematics, the study of numbers, algebra, geometry, statistics, and calculus, is critical to contemporary civilization due to its significance in the advancement of science, technology, engineering, and economics. Mathematics has always been regarded as the mother of all knowledge and the queen of all sciences. It is required in virtually every sector, including science, technology, engineering, the arts, banking and finance, economics, fashion and design, and woodworking. Recognizing mathematics’ critical role in nation development, the Federal Republic of Nigeria made mathematics education mandatory at the senior secondary level (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014). Mathematics is one of the required topics taught at the primary and secondary levels of education in Nigeria.

The term curriculum has been defined in a variety of ways by various individuals. Tamer & Tamer (2013), on the other hand, provided a more limited definition of curriculum in accordance with Achuonye & Ajoku (2013). Tamer & Tamer (1975), as cited in Achuonye & Ajoku (2013), defined curriculum as the planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes that are formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experience under the auspices of the school, for the purpose of facilitating the learners’ continuous and willful growth in personal-social competence. The curriculum serves as the blueprint for an instructional guide, whereas the mathematics curriculum serves as the blueprint for an instructional guide in mathematics. The Mathematics curriculum is a booklet published by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) that contains a plan for Mathematics learning experiences. It includes objectives for teaching Mathematics, themes, sub-themes, topics, performance objectives, content, teacher and learner activities, and evaluation guide (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014).

The NERDC developed mathematics curricula for early childhood, primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary education. The senior secondary mathematics curriculum offers guidance for mathematics instruction at the post-basic education level and serves as a framework for assessing implementation. The Mathematics curriculum’s objective is to guarantee that Mathematics is taught and learned effectively. Curriculum evaluation is involved with the collecting and analysis of data in order to make educational program decisions (Achuonye & Ajoku, 2013). Curriculum evaluation is necessary to determine the extent to which the learning experiences developed and organized actually produce the desired results. This is because actual teaching procedures involve a large number of variables, including individual student differences, the learning environment in which learning occurs, and the teacher’s skill and personality characteristics, making it impossible to guarantee that the actual learning experiences provided are p (Achuonye & Ajoku, 2013).

Periodic review of the senior secondary mathematics curriculum is important to ensure that the intended learning experiences really direct the teacher toward reaching the desired learning objectives.

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Effective mathematics curriculum implementation at all levels of our educational system has been a significant problem. The implementation of the Mathematics curriculum, particularly at the senior school level, has encountered several roadblocks. There are issues with a very high disparity in student-teacher ratios, a lack of instructional materials and learning facilities such as the mathematics laboratory, a lack of positive student-teacher relationships, and poor instructional quality as a result of the use of ineffective instructional approaches (Tyler, 2012). As a result, students’ performance in the subject is almost definitely poor. Regrettably, despite Mathematics’ inherent importance in human everyday activities, empirical data indicates that pupils do poorly in the subject on both the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) (Ajimobi, 2018).

As a result, an evaluation of the execution of the senior secondary mathematics curriculum is necessary to establish what went wrong. The research will address the extent to which government and non-government groups are involved in the implementation of the mathematics curriculum in senior secondary schools.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the national mathematics curriculum’s implementation in secondary school. Specifically, this study seeks to:

i.          Evaluate the extent to which the aims and objectives of the national curriculum for secondary school mathematics contents have been achieved.

ii.        Examine the level of compliance of teachers with the recommended teaching methods as indicated in the mathematics curriculum.

iii.      Examine the extent to which the contents of the mathematics curriculum for secondary schools cover the aims and objectives of the curriculum.

iv.      Identify the problems militating against the implementation of national curriculum for secondary schools.

 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          To what extent has the aims and objectives of the national curriculum for secondary school mathematics contents been achieved?

ii.        To what level have teachers complied with the recommended teaching methods as indicated in the mathematics curriculum?

iii.      To what extent to has the contents of the mathematics curriculum for secondary schools covered the aims and objectives of the curriculum?

iv.      What are the problems militating against the implementation of national curriculum for secondary schools?

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is noteworthy because of the theoretical additions it will make to the current literature on the evaluation of secondary school mathematics curricula in Nigeria. The findings presented will serve as additional literature on how to improve biology teaching and learning in the senior secondary school curriculum. The significance of curriculum evaluation is critical in determining the effectiveness of a course of education. The literature generated by these evaluation studies contributes to the existing body of knowledge about procedures for improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools. Every educational program should be monitored on a regular basis to determine whether the program’s objectives have been met. When published, the findings of this study will be critical to the Ministry of Education, the Post Primary Schools Management Board, mathematics instructors, students, and parents, as well as future scholars in the field of mathematics teaching and education.

Education Ministry. The data may assist the State Ministry of Education (Quality assurance unit) to implement the Federal Ministry of Education’s laws governing the teaching and learning of mathematics in all public and private secondary schools in Nigeria.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education may utilize the data to arrange seminars. Workshops and conferences for principals and mathematics instructors to educate and train them on how to properly apply the national mathematics curriculum, which covers all elements of child development, and to ensure that it is adhered to at all times.

The findings of this study will also be beneficial to the Post Primary Schools Management Board because they may help them recognize the importance of taking serious measures to ensure that facilities/instructional materials are available and adequate for children attending secondary schools in both urban and rural areas. PPSMB may also find the knowledge gleaned from this study’s conclusions beneficial in ensuring the continued professional development of biology instructors. This may also benefit instructors by exposing them to current developments in mathematics education and child development.

Parents may also benefit from this study’s findings. This is because the high-quality education and care provided to their wards and children through biology teaching programs may also provide the family joy and happiness. Their children’s education and performance may also serve as a guarantee of a brighter tomorrow.

Finally, the findings may be beneficial to future researchers, particularly those interested in biology teaching and learning. The information might offer them with empirical data on the extent to which specified minimum criteria for mathematics education are being implemented in Nigeria, which could be beneficial for future study in related fields.

 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This general focus of this study is to evaluate the national mathematics curriculum’s implementation in secondary school. This study will further evaluate the extent to which the aims and objectives of the national curriculum for secondary school mathematics contents have been achieved, examine the level of compliance of teachers with the recommended teaching methods as indicated in the mathematics curriculum, examine the extent to which the contents of the mathematics curriculum for secondary schools cover the aims and objectives of the curriculum and identifying the problems militating against the implementation of national curriculum for secondary schools.

Teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State will form the population for the survey of this study.

 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This general focus of this study will be limited to evaluating the national mathematics curriculum’s implementation in secondary school. This study will further be limited to evaluating the extent to which the aims and objectives of the national curriculum for secondary school mathematics contents have been achieved, examine the level of compliance of teachers with the recommended teaching methods as indicated in the mathematics curriculum, examine the extent to which the contents of the mathematics curriculum for secondary schools cover the aims and objectives of the curriculum and identifying the problems militating against the implementation of national curriculum for secondary schools.

Teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State will form the population for the survey of this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Evaluation: Evaluation is a systematic determination of a subject’s merit, worth and significance, using criteria governed by a set of standards.

Mathematics: Mathematics is an area of knowledge, which includes the study of such topics as numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. There is no general consensus about its exact scope or epistemological status.

Curriculum: In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student’s experiences in terms of the educator’s or school’s instructional goals.