Enhancing Senior Secondary Students' Problem-Solving in Probability Using Polya's Heuristic Method

This study investigated the effect of Polya's heuristic approach on the teaching of probability to Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) students in Ibadan South East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. A randomized pre-test and post-test control group design was adopted. A total of 100 SS2 Mathematics students were randomly selected and assigned to two groups. Group A (control group) was taught using the conventional method, while Group B (experimental group) was taught using Polya’s heuristic method. The intervention lasted for two weeks. Two instruments were used for data collection: a Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) and a Diagnostic Test (DT), both developed by the researcher. Two hypotheses were tested. The results showed a significant difference in performance, with students taught using Polya’s method achieving a higher mean score of 15.00 compared to 12.00 for those taught using the conventional method. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Polya’s heuristic method be adopted for teaching probability in secondary schools. Keywords: Probability, Mathematics Education, Polya’s Heuristic Method, Secondary School, Achievement Test