THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GEOGEBRA SOFTWARE ON STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING IN LEARNING GEOMETRY IN NASSARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of GeoGebra software on students’ understanding in learning geometry in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State – Nigeria. Four research items were raised in objectives, research questions and hypotheses respectively. This study employed a quasi – experimental design. A pre-test posttest control group design. A random sampling method was used in selecting 57 students from a population of 1070 of SS2 students. The experimental group was taught using the GeoGebra software while the control group was taught using the conventional teaching method. The instrument used for the study was the Mathematics Achievement Test 1 and 2 (MAT1 & MAT2) which were administered at the beginning and at the end of the study. The reliability of the testing instruments were measured and found to be 0.723 and 0.689 respectively. The t- test was used to analyze the data obtained from the study. The results of the study revealed that students taught with GeoGebra software (experimental group) performed better than students taught with traditional teaching method. It was also discovered that within the experimental group, the male students performed slightly better than the female students. The software was also able to change significantly the perception of the students within the experimental group positively. At the end of the study, recommendations were made on how to improve the effectiveness of teaching using the software.