Effects of Gender and School Location on Students’ Achievement in Mathematics Olympiad Among Junior Secondary School Students in Kaduna State

Authors

  • Bashirat Kikelomo Hamza Department of Mathematics, Federal University of Education, Zaria
  • Sani Saidu Department of Mathematics, Federal University of Education, Zaria
  • Ahmed Tijjani Rabiu Department of Mathematics, Federal University of Education, Zaria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63561/fnas-jmse.v7i1.1057

Keywords:

Gender, Location, Mathematics achievement and Olympiad

Abstract

This study tried to find gender difference in students’ achievement in Mathematics Olympiad among Junior Secondary School students in Kaduna State. It also attempted to find out if the location of Schools affects the students ‘achievement in the Olympiad. In order to achieve these, two research questions were asked and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted expo facto research design in which the result of the second round (State level) Mathematics Olympiad of Junior Secondary School of the year 2024 was used. Two hundred and twenty (220) JSS students participated in the first round (Zonal Level) of the Olympiad and were considered as the population of the study while  sixty five students (35 male and 30 female) qualified for the second round and their scores in the second round were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics in this study. The findings indicated that Male students achieve more than female students. However, the achievement of the participant from rural school is similar to that of the participants from urban schools as no significant difference was found.  The study recommends that parents and teachers should try to bridge the gap between the achievement of male and female students in Mathematics Olympiad.

References

Adeyemi, O., & Uche, N. (2019). Gender and mathematics achievement: Evidence from Nigerian secondary schools. Nigerian Journal of Education Studies, 12(3)45-59

Aliyu, M., & Ibrahim, U. (2022). Rural–urban differences and access to enrichment programmes: Implications for mathematics achievement in Nigeria. Journal of African Education Research,18(2) 66-74

D’Addio, A. C. (2024), Where does girls mathematics anxiety come from? Chief of thematic Research, world education blog2024. GEM Report

De-Lazada, M. F. & Taylor, P. J. (2022), Perspective on mathematics competition and their relationship with mathematics education. ZDM-mathematics education 54, 941-959

Educational Research & Development. (2025). Influence of school type and location on students’ academic achievement: Evidence from Anambra State. Educational Research & Development Journal, 20(2), 55–64.

Frontiers in Education. (2023). The influence of students’ problem-solving understanding on mathematics learning outcomes. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1–12.

Ibrahim, A. A., & Shuaibu, H. (2024). Effect of activity-based instruction on gender differences in mathematics achievement in Adamawa State, Nigeria. BW Academic Journal.

Joseph, M. (2021). STEM competitions and academic outcomes among secondary school students. Journal of Science Education, 15(3), 44–56.

National Mathematical Centre. (n.d.). Nigerian Mathematics & Science Olympiads. Abuja: NMC. https://www.nmcabuja.gov.ng

Odor, E. E. (2024). School location, gender and students’ performance in mathematics: Evidence from Cross River State, Nigeria. Journal of Educational Research & Development, 19(1), 88–96.

Okonkwo, P., & Yisa, S. (2020). Sociocultural determinants of gender differences in science and mathematics in Nigerian schools. Nigerian Journal of Education Studies, 15(1), 71–86.

Osila, K. (2022). A comparative analysis on gender and school location in mathematics: SS2 students’ performance. Faculty of Education Journal (IAUE).

Quest Journals. (2023). Gender difference in mathematics achievement among senior secondary school students in Ondo State, Nigeria. Quest Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 11(7), 25–31.

ResearchGate. (2024). Gender differences in mathematics interest and achievement in junior secondary schools in Niger State. https://www.researchgate.net

RSIS International. (2025). The relationship between gender, school location and students’ mathematics achievement in Lafia LGA of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(3), 115–123.

Salihu, M., & John, A. (2021). School environment and mathematics performance: A rural–urban comparison in Nigeria. African Journal of Educational Practice, 6(2), 102–114.

Solomon, O. I. (2021). Gender differences in mathematics achievement: A study of selected secondary schools in Delta State, Nigeria. MAN-Nigeria Journal of Education, 6(1), 45–58.

Stevens Institute of Technology. (2022). Sixth annual Stevens math olympiad: Connecting mathematics to the real world. Hoboken, NJ: Stevens Institute of Technology.

Sujatha, S., & Vinayakan, K. (2023). Assessing the impact of math competitions and challenges on student learning: A review. International Journal of Advanced Trends in Engineering and Technology, 8(2), 62–67.

Uloku, O. P., & Emuobor, P. O. (2023). Students’ mathematics achievement: Is location a factor? ATBU Journal of Science, Technology & Education, 11(1), 22–32.

UNESCO. (2022). Girls’ performance in mathematics now equal to boys (Global Education Monitoring Report). Paris: UNESCO

Vanguard News. (2021, March 15). TEDA dominates science at National Olympiad. Vanguard Nigeria. https://www.vanguardngr.com

Published

12/30/2025

How to Cite

Hamza, B. K., Saidu, S., & Rabiu, A. T. (2025). Effects of Gender and School Location on Students’ Achievement in Mathematics Olympiad Among Junior Secondary School Students in Kaduna State. Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences Journal of Mathematics, and Science Education, 7(1), 9–14. https://doi.org/10.63561/fnas-jmse.v7i1.1057

Similar Articles

<< < 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.