Pages: 25-34

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of the gender related factors affecting female students’ performance in mathematics in three female public senior secondary schools in Benin Metropolis. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the influence of career choice, domestic responsibilities, peer group and culture on performance in mathematics among some female public senior secondary school students. The correlational survey research design was used for the study. As a guide, four hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 alpha level of significance. A total of 93 students were selected from the three female public senior secondary schools with a population of 466 students in Benin metropolis through stratified random sampling technique. Two instruments were used, namely; a questionnaire and a mathematics objective test. The questionnaire contains items relating to the factors above and was validated by two colleagues in the Department of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Benson Idahosa University, Edo State. The questionnaire was tested for reliability using the test retest method and 0.80 coefficient of reliability was obtained. The test items were drawn from past examination questions of West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO). 50 objective test items were selected and adapted in line with the test blue print drawn from the scheme of work already covered by teachers at the time of this study. The items were administered to a pilot group from the population of study outside the sampled students and the test items were then validated using the method of item analysis. The difficulty indexes between 0.3 – 0.7 and discrimination indexes between 0.5 – 1.0, were used as benchmark and 20 items were finally selected.  Ninety three (93) copies of the questionnaire with the Mathematics test attached were administered to the respondents by the researchers and class teachers under examination conditions. The data were measured at the ordinal, nominal and interval levels and were analyzed with the Spearman rho and biserial correlation statistics. The findings of the study showed that: the caring for babies or the aged persons was significant (N = 93, rb = -0.212, p ≤ 0.042) and the number of chores the students do in the house was significant (N = 93, rs = -0.321, p = ≤ 0.041). The rest gender related factors were not significant.  Thus the coefficient of determination of the larger coefficient, 10.3% of the observed variation in the female students’ performance in the mathematics test is explained by domestic responsibility. By extension it means that 89.7% of the observed variation in the female students’ performances in the mathematics test is attributable to non gender related factors. Based on the findings, the researchers therefore recommended that while all stakeholders in education sector, workout remedial programme in Mathematics for students in female public secondary schools to compensate for the lost in studying hours due to the time spent on house chores; the main focus however should be on the motivational and infrastructural factors for the learning of mathematics‎‎‎‎.