Can Metacognition Address Negative Attitudes Towards Mathematics in Secondary Education in Rivers State, Nigeria?
Keywords:
Metacognition, math, attitudes, studentsAbstract
The deteriorating attitude of Nigeria pupils towards Mathematics is alarming. Many studies have identified the issue of attitudes towards mathematics, but few have discussed the issue of how metacognitive instruction can affect and change the negative attitudes. The study employed quasi experimental design in order to investigate the effect of metacognitive teaching on the attitudes of mathematics learners in Rivers State. Ninety-one (n = 91) students (both male and female, aged 10-14 years, with M (9.14) and (SD = 1.24) were randomly selected from the public secondary schools in Rivers state. The students were divided into two groups and each group received pre-test and post-test. Results of an independent t-test of the pre-test and post-test data indicated that there was a significant change in the participants' attitudes towards mathematics at MD = 13.65 (95% CI, 8.91 to 16.17), t (89) = 6.328, p = .001, thus supporting the study's hypothesis that metacognition led to a meaningful improvement in attitude towards mathematics. The results in this study showed that metacognition is a successful strategy to build a positive attitude among students in learning mathematics. The study suggests that teachers should engage in continuous professional learning on the use of metacognitive strategies in the classroom.
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