PhET manipulative instruction and students’ performance in quadratic graphs in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

In this study, PhET Manipulative Instruction (a form of virtual manipulative instruction) was explored in enhancing the performance of students in quadratic graphs in Uyo Metropolis in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. The population of the study consisted of all senior secondary I students across schools in the Uyo metropolis. One hundred and five (105) students were purposively selected as the sample for the study. Quadratic Graphs Performance Test was used as the instrument for data collection in the study. The validated instrument had a reliability coefficient of 0.81 obtained using the Kuder-
Richardson-21 formula. A quasi-experimental design with the assumption of non-equivalent control groups was adopted for the study. The two groups consisting of experimental and control were taught quadratic graphs using PhET Manipulative Instruction and Concrete Manipulative Instruction respectively. Mean, Standard Deviation, Percentage and Analysis of Covariance were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that students taught quadratic graphs using PhET Manipulative Instruction performed significantly higher than those taught using Concrete Manipulative Instruction. Gender, however, had a non-significant influence on the performance of students in the quadratic graph. Furthermore, the interaction of gender and manipulative instructions yielded a nonsignificant effect on the performance of students in the quadratic graph. It was therefore recommended that Virtual Manipulative Instructions such as PhET Manipulative Instructions, should be used to teach the concept of quadratic graphs in secondary schools.