CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

 Mathematics is an essential subject, which is why it is mandatory in both elementary and high school. Mathematics is one of the most powerful and flexible mental tools that human intellect has developed throughout the millennia for its own use (Usman, 2002). The topic has continued to play an important part in any country's national development (Usman, 2002). Because mathematics deals with quantitative functions and connections, as well as difficulties pertaining to scope and forms, it is critical that the teaching and learning process be as clear as possible to minimize misunderstanding and lack of comprehension. As a result, it is said to be a language of order and creativity (Usman, 2002). Engineering, applied and social science, agricultural science, medicine, and other fields of science may all be regarded as having mathematics as their backbone. Mathematics is a fundamental instrument in the development of any science-based knowledge, including graphic design, industry, technology, astronomy, and solid analytical thinking in contemporary society (Sola, 2007)

The development of students' interest in science and technology is one of the goals of scientific education. Any nation's growth nowadays is dependent on its technical and scientific success. Teachers are supposed to devise methods for persuading their pupils to develop good attitudes about mathematics and science (Ojo, 2007).

Algebra, trigonometry, menstruation, numbers and numeration, statistics, set theory, and other subjects are covered in secondary school mathematics. Algebra is a discipline of mathematics that studies the qualities of operations as well as the structures on which they are defined (Rusell, 2003). Algebra, according to Rusell (2003), is the branch of mathematics that deals with letters and numbers. These letters, when paired with the numbers, cause pupils a great deal of confusion, especially when the letters change values or one letter replaces another at random intervals. As a result, some pupils begin to question whether they are studying mathematics or English.

The Question Teaching Approach is a teaching style or method in which the student seeks to uncover and develop solutions to identified issues via a process of attentive searching, often with little help from the instructor (Callahan, 1995). Question teaching technique is also a word used in scientific education that refers to a process of questioning, seeking knowledge or information, or learning about phenomena, and it entails analyzing data and drawing conclusions (Ojo, 2007). Students learn not only the topic but also self-direction, responsibility, and social communication in the scenario (Sola, 2007). It also allows kids to absorb and adapt to new knowledge (Rusell, 2003) . Question, according to  Ojo (2007), is a means for individuals to learn while they are alone.

 (Hart, 2005) divided question teaching methods into three categories: structured question, guided question, and open question.Which form of investigation is the most effective is a point of contention. The widespread view is that when taught properly, any kind of question (structured, guided, or open) may be beneficial to student. The most teacher-centered of the three forms of question is structured question.

Strutured question: The most teacher-centered of the three forms of question is structured question.  In science classes, this style of question is typically seen in the form of laboratory tasks. For the question activity, the instructor gives reasonably defined processes, and students do the investigations. Structured questioning is the most conventional technique of investigation (Hart, 2007).

Open question is on the other end of the spectrum. This form of question  is student-centered and involves the least amount of instructor interaction. Students often collaborate in groups and plan out all aspects of their research. In scientific schools, this is the purest kind of question (Cheval, 2005).

Guided question: Teaching that is guided, lies in the center of the spectrum (Cheval, 2005). When students are required to create tools or design a method that leads to a desired conclusion, this technique is often employed. A science instructor, for example, offers his seventh-grade middle school students  equipment to make a rocket but no instructions on how to construct the rocket. The kids must create the rocket using their own knowledge and imagination in order for it to launch successfully, travel a given distance, and land without disassembling. The instructor supplies the challenge and resources, and the students design the rocket using their own scientific approach or by utilizing the materials provided by the teacher.

Similarly, lecture method is used primarily to introduce students to a new subject but it is also a valuable method for summarizing ideas, showing relationship between theory and practice and re-emphasizing main points (Sola, 2007). Lecture-demonstration method is a teaching technique that combines oral presentation with doing to communicate process, concepts ideas and facts, observation. It is particularly effective in teaching a skill that can be observed (Garba, 1996).

The lecture method, according to Garba (1996), is a traditional/conventional style of knowledge transmission that is characterized by a one-way flow of information from the instructor, who is always active, to the learners, who are always passive. The usual approach, according to him, includes the following characteristics:

(i) Students are completely passive listeners who assimilate information/facts that are presented to them.

(ii) Students must keep records of their own notes.

(iii) The main actions, such as talking, illustration, or presenting of the film or other assistance, are performed by teachers or lecturers.

The advantages of the traditional technique are as follows:

(i) Students who achieve a basic comprehension of a subject are given knowledge, facts, or information.

(ii) It is less costly than other techniques of enquiry. The traditional technique, on the other hand, has its own drawbacks, which include the following:

(iii) Students engage in passive learning, which renders them weak and uninterested.

(iv) There is no quick assessment of what has been learnt.

(v) A soft-spoken teacher/instructor may produce a communication breakdown since certain pupils may become disinterested in his presentation.

In this study, the question teaching technique was chosen because of its scientific character and inclusion of all scientific processes (Callahan, 1995).

1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 

Numerous factors contributed to students' low academic performance in mathematics at the junior and secondary school levels in internal and external tests year after year (Hart, 2007). This problem of mass failure might be related to abstract symbolism of the subjects, in addition to secondary school students' nonchalant attitude toward mathematics. The researcher also notices that students struggle with employing numbers in their work (Garba, 1996). As a result, a mathematics teacher should learn to implement tactics and activities that will ignite and maintain students' interest in mathematics (Hart, 2007).

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are :

i. To determine the effects of question teaching method and traditional/conventional teaching method on the performance of students taught algebra in senior secondary schools in Ogun State.

ii.  Finding out the advantages of question teaching method on the performance of students in algebra in Ogun State.

iii. To establish  the benefits of question teaching method on the performance of male and female students taught algebra in Ogun State.

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