Enhancing mathematics interest and retention through student teams achievement division (STAD): A quasi-experimental study in Nigerian secondary schools

Source abstract

Mathematics interest, achievement, and retention remain persistent challenges in secondary school education, particularly in developing contexts where instructional practices often rely on teacher-centred approaches. This study investigated the effectiveness of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) strategy, a cooperative learning approach, in enhancing students’ interest and retention in mathematics. This study adopted a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest–follow-up design. The sample comprised 93 Senior Secondary Two (SS II) students from two public schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Participants were divided into an experimental group taught using STAD and a control group taught with conventional methods. Data were collected using the Mathematics Performance Test (MPT) and the Student Mathematics Interest Scale (SMIS) (KR-21 = 0.83; α = 0.87) and analysed using ANCOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, and t-tests at the 0.05 level. Findings revealed a significant main effect of instructional strategy on mathematics interest, with students exposed to STAD demonstrating significantly higher interest scores than those taught using the conventional method (F=92.846; p<0.05; η² =.513). No significant gender differences were found in mathematics interest (F=.237; p=.628; η² =.003). Similarly, findings revealed a significant main effect of instructional strategy on mathematics retention, with students exposed to STAD demonstrating higher retention scores than those taught using the conventional method (F = 403.496, p < .05, η² = .816). No significant gender differences were found in mathematics retention (t = 0.389, p = .699). STAD effectively enhances mathematics interest and long-term retention regardless of gender, supporting its integration into secondary school mathematics instruction