Effect of Problem-Based Learning Strategy on Senior Secondary School One Students’ Achievement and Retention in Mathematics in Apa Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria

The focus of this study was to examine the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on Senior Secondary School One students’ achievement and retention in Mathematics in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria, using a pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design. Two research questions guided the study, and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. A sample of 150 students was selected using a multi-stage sampling technique, with intact classes from Senior Secondary School One participating. The experimental group was taught using the PBL approach, while the control group received instruction through the Traditional Method (TM). Data were collected using a Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) with a reliability index of 0.78 and a Mathematics Retention Test (MRT), which was similar in content but different in structure from the MAT. Mean and standard deviation were employed to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that PBL had a significant effect on students’ achievement and retention in Mathematics. The study concluded that the use of PBL would greatly benefit education stakeholders by improving the quality of Mathematics teaching and learning, as well as enhancing students’ ability to apply knowledge to real-world problem solving. It was therefore recommended that Mathematics teachers integrate PBL strategies into classroom instruction to foster improved achievement and retention, and that training workshops be organized to equip teachers with the necessary skills for effective PBL implementation.