Gender Differences in Motivation and its Influence on Senior Secondary School Students' Achievement in Mathematics in Rivers State.

Abstract This study investigated gender differences in motivation and their influence on senior secondary school students' achievement in mathematics. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. A sample of one hundred sixty-seven (167) senior secondary school two (2) students, made up of 96 females and 71 males, from four (4) co-educational secondary schools in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria was used. An FB-Mathematics Achievement Test (FB-MAT) and a 4-point Likert scale Motivation Inventory (MI) with sections on self-efficacy and task value, were used as instruments for data collection. The data obtained were analyzed using t-tests and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC). Findings from the two instruments, the Motivation Inventory and FB-MAT found that male and female students performed at similar levels in mathematics; however, motivational factors in terms of self-efficacy and task value showed notable gender-based variations in favour of the male students. It recommends, among others, that both pre-service and in-service teachers be trained and retrained on how to recognize and address various forms of gender bias and stereotype reduction. Likewise, teachers should adopt inclusive classroom cultures that build self-efficacy in female students and emphasize learning goals for all.