Effects of Heuristic Problem-Solving strategies on students’ achievement and retention in Mathematics in Ogun State, Nigeria

Oluwadayo, Abiodun Taiwo

Abstract

The ability to solve problems is an important and integral part of learning Mathematics. Teaching students to use Heuristic Problem-Solving strategies can help them become expert problem solvers and assist them in transferring and applying their contextual knowledge to novel problems and situations. It is on this background that this study examines the effects of Heuristic Problem-Solving strategies on students’ achievement in and retention in Mathematics in Ogun State, Nigeria. The research used quantitative and quasi-experimental design. A total of eighty students from two public secondary classes participated in the study. Three hypotheses guided the study. Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) was used as an instrument to collect data. The reliability coefficient of MAT is 0.82. Data was analysed using independent t-test analysis. This finding revealed that the students that were exposed to Heuristic Problem Solving performed better than those in the conventional group. In conclusion, the results of the findings indicated that the Heuristic Problem-solving strategy enhances students’ achievement and retention of knowledge in Mathematics, hence teachers should be encouraged to integrate student-centered teaching methods into their teaching methods so that students’ misconceptions about Mathematics as a difficult subject in schools may be reduced. Keywords: achievement, heuristic problem-solving, retention, strategies

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