EFFECT OF GUIDED DISCOVERY METHOD ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN LOWER BASIC SCHOOLS IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KOGI STATE

The study investigated the effect of Discovery Methods on Mathematics students’ academic performance in secondary school in Ankpa local government area of Kogi State. Two research questions and hypotheses were formulated for the study. Relevant literatures were reviewed. The design for the study is the quasi-experimental research design. A quasi-experimental research design is a type of evaluation which aims at determining whether a programme or intervention has the intended effect on a study’s participants. The population of the study is all the Senior Secondary School Students in Ankpa Local Government Area in Kogi State with the population of 25,350. Random sampling technique was adopted for the study to draw 120 students. The instrument for data collection was Mathematics Performance Test (PPT). The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation of the test scores while the hypotheses were analysed with ANCOVA. From the result above it was discovered that Discovery Methods significantly enhances students’ academic performance in Mathematics when compared to the lecture method. Also, gender plays a statistically significant role in how students respond to Discovery Methods in Mathematics within the studied area. The study recommended that Schools, especially in Ankpa Local Government Area and similar contexts, should incorporate Discovery Methods strategies into Mathematics instruction to improve academic performance. Teachers should be trained on how to effectively implement Discovery Methods, including grouping strategies, monitoring, and feedback