Academia Journal of Educational Research 2(5): 087-092, May 2014
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15413/ajer.2014.0113
ISSN: 2315-7704
©2014 Academia Publishing
Research Paper
Motivational strategies for teaching and sustaining interest in mathematics as an
indispensable tool for technological development in Nigeria
Accepted 19th April, 2014
ABSTRACT
Akinmola, EA
Science and Technical Education
Department, Faculty of Education,
Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
E-MAIL: omolizzy4christ@yahoo.com
Tel: 08062976158
The present and the future of Nigeria as a country depend on our ability to
improve our scientific and technological standard so as to remain relevant in the
society around us and also to be part of the development of new technologies. As a
nation, she not only needs competent scientists and engineers, she also needs a
citizenry that is literate in scientific and mathematical issues so that they can be
able to understand relatively complicated information and solve them
intelligently. Despite the increasing need for citizens that are educated in science
and Mathematics, students are found to be scared of science subjects especially
Mathematics. This fear for Mathematics has been a problem to the teaching and
learning of Mathematics because Mathematics today still follows the conventional
pattern which has been identified as being ineffective and one of the major factors
responsible for the lack of interest of students in learning of Mathematics. Thus, in
a bid to shift the interest of students to Mathematics, there is the need to find
methods and techniques to make learning more meaningful so as to arouse
students’ interest in the learning of Mathematics. This paper therefore suggested
four motivational strategies which include: set induction, use of probing questions,
use of real and concrete instructional materials and use of positive reinforcers.
This paper concluded that if Mathematics teachers are trained and re-trained to
adopt and use the various motivational strategies suggested in Mathematics class,
the problem of running from Mathematics would become a thing of the past and it
will go a long way in arousing and stimulating students’ interests in the learning of
Mathematics thereby improving their knowledge and performance and also
enabling them to apply what they have learnt to solve everyday problem.
Key words: Motivational
technological development.
strategies,
mathematics,
indispensable
tool,
INTRODUCTION
Mathematics is one of the most important, useful and in fact
interesting subjects. It is the master and servant of most
disciplines and indispensable tool in the foundation of
educated men. Both students and people of other
professions make use of Mathematics in their daily
activities. Hence, Mathematics is said to be universal, which
is for everybody. It is a desirable tool in virtually all spheres
of human endeavor; be it science, engineering, industry,
technology and even the arts (Oyedeji, 2000). Mathematics
does not develop the individual alone but also contributes
to the development of the society. Since Nigeria got her
independence in 1960, Mathematics education has received
and continued to receive special emphasis and attention.
This is perhaps, in recognition of the indispensable role of
Mathematics in realizing the nation’s dream of rapid
scientific and technological development (Daso, 2012).
However, the performance of the students in it at the three
tiers of education (primary, secondary and tertiary) is
Academia Journal of Educational Research; Akinmola.
abysmal (Ezekiel and Eguntola, 2010).
Many people find Mathematics as the most difficult
subject in the field of learning, the reason being that
teachers of Mathematics make use of the conventional
teaching strategies, where there had been too much
mechanical teaching, that is, a kind of stereotyped teaching
where the students had not always been encouraged to
discover the rules for themselves. Many of the basic
principles are very important but since there is nothing to
encourage and motivate the students with, they find it very
difficult to learn and this makes them to hate Mathematics.
It is more important that having interest in Mathematics
should be compelled and encouraged among students.
Thus, for learning to take place there has to be a set of
processes and procedures used by the teacher to pass
information across to the learners. Hence, the teacher is the
greatest single factor and motivation device in the teaching
and learning process (Odumosu, 2001). Though there are
methods of teaching, techniques, strategies, devices and
gadgets developed to facilitate teaching and learning, yet it
had been discovered that none of these on its own can
guarantee success in the classroom.
Meaningful learning is said to be possible through the
involvement of a learner in the learning situation. It is what
the learner does that he/she is likely to learn meaningfully
from, not what the teacher does. Hence, modern learning
theories tend to emphasize the student centered approach
where the learner is an active participant in the learning
processes. However, some features of the learning
environment must attract his/her attention before the
learner can become an active participant in the learning
situation. Therefore, a teacher should be capable of
providing the kind of educational experiences through
setting up appropriate environment and structuring the
situation that will stimulate the learners to react in desired
ways (Oshodi and Aremu, 1999).
Despite government’s effort at both state and federal
levels to promote Science and Mathematics, the question of
academic standard and students’ poor performance in
Mathematics is still a recurring issue usually discussed both
in and outside the academic circles. It is against this
background that this paper looked into the teaching and
learning of Mathematics and attempted to proffer some
motivational strategies for teaching and learning of
Mathematics.
LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS
Ojerinde (1999) asserted that, the role of Mathematics in
commercial, science and technological development of the
civilized nations and the general acceptance that
Mathematical methods are central to the solution of all
kinds of problems have rightly enhanced the importance of
Mathematics instruction in secondary schools.
In Nigeria, Mathematics is a compulsory subject for all
088
students of secondary schools, yet, it is the most disliked
and failed subject among the students. Mathematics is
actively oriented and students of Mathematics must be
physically and mentally strong. The perception that
Mathematics is difficult is so widespread that it is almost
impossible to convince people otherwise. Most students
don’t show interest in the subject, they do not devote their
time to study, some do run away from the class believing
they don’t know it and they are not fit for the subject. They
find the Mathematics as a difficult task by the nature, so
they don’t have determination that they can achieve a
better result in learning the subject. According to Ezekiel
(2001), the properties of teaching states that for teaching
and learning to take place, there has to be a teacher, some
subject matter to be taught, an intent on the part of both the
teacher and the learner to teach and learn and a method of
knowing whether or not the learner has learnt what he has
been taught.
Attention is a function of learning that is, learning
depends on attention. Before effective learning can take
place, teachers must gain the attention of the learners and
direct their efforts specifically to the aims and objectives of
the lesson. This makes modern education practitioners to
be student-centered in their approach to facilitating the
learning that goes on in schools/classrooms. Studentcentered methods of teaching are based on educational
knowledge and some psychological findings. These
methods of teaching are from the belief that the best way
for a learner to learn effectively is to learn by doing.
Effective learning comes through activities. This is
because an active lesson is always more effective than a
passive lesson. Activities are generated through doing
things and knowledge is acquired through activities.
Learners become exposed to practical experiences through
doing things that mere theorizing cannot do. Teacher’s
physical presence gives a sense of direction to the learners,
that is, the main job of the teacher is to facilitate learning.
Hence, learners should be encouraged to use their own
mind in Mathematics class in other to sustain Mathematics
as an indispensable tool in the technological development
in Nigeria.
TEACHING MATHEMATICS
Teaching is an act of helping others learn effectively. The
goal of teaching is to bring desired learning in the learners
while the only criterion of success in teaching is the degree
to which the teacher has been able to achieve this learning
in his/ her students (Oshodi and Aremu, 1999).
According to Odogwu (2002), the teacher is the key factor
in the success of any educational endeavor at all levels. Too
often, instruction in Mathematics classroom is barren and
uninspiring. Most of the time, the teacher starts with
discussion of homework, then demonstrates a new
procedure or theorem and finally assigns the next exercises
Academia Journal of Educational Research; Akinmola.
and the class is dismissed. Such a procedure does little
justice to the existing content, varied instructional aids and
emphasis on student’s participation in Mathematics, which
are the necessary and pertinent factors to promote
numeracy skill (Usman, 2002)
Teaching Mathematics involves more than knowing and
enjoying the subject. The Mathematics teacher must
motivate his students; he must communicate his knowledge
of subject matter, principles of psychology and actual
practice in the classroom. Thus, creative teaching requires
new materials and thoughtful activities in the Mathematics
classroom. Usman (2002) is of the opinion that, the
Mathematics teacher must be prepared to do considerable
more than just teaching his subject, he must select
appropriate goals for instruction of individual and plan a
variety of lessons and units to achieve these goals. He must
stimulate the learning of Mathematics by developing
desirable attitude of appreciation of the subject and by
teaching the students how to study Mathematics
independently. He must guide the students to discover
Mathematical concept, develop ability to solve
Mathematical problems, build understanding, accuracy and
efficiency in computational skills.
Therefore, teachers have a lot to do with their students’
motivational level. A student may arrive in class with a
certain degree of motivation but the teacher’s behavior and
teaching style, the structure of the course, the nature of the
assignments and informal interactions with students all
have a large effect on student motivation. We may have
heard the utterance, “my students are so unmotivated” and
the good news is that there’s a lot that we can do to change
that.
MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING AND
SUSTAINING INTEREST IN MATHEMATICS LEARNING
Motivation is a psychological feature that arouses an
organism to act towards a desired goal and elicits, controls,
and sustains certain goal-directed behaviors. It can be
considered a driving force; a psychological one that
compels or reinforces an action towards a desired goal
(Motivation, 2012).
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
Motivation can be divided into two types: Intrinsic
(internal) motivation and extrinsic (external) motivation.
Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by
an interest or enjoyment in the task itself and exists within
the individual rather than relying on external pressures or
a desire for reward.
Students who are intrinsically motivated are likely to
089
engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their
skills, which increase their capabilities. Students are likely
to be intrinsically motivated if they:
(i) Attribute their educational results to factors under their
own control, also known as autonomy.
(ii) Believe they have the skills to be effective agents in
reaching their desired goals, also known as self- efficacy
beliefs.
(iii) Are interested in mastering a topic, not just in
achieving good grades (Motivation, 2012)
Some factors that enhance intrinsic motivation include the
following: curiosity, goals set by individual, greatness
mentally, desire to excel, mental stimulation, requirement
of future career in term of subject and grade, interest, e.t.c.
Intrinsically motivated students do not need to be forced,
pressured or intimidated to be serious in their school work,
they do the right thing, assignments, reading, e.t.c. at the
right time. They are not easily discouraged (Dale et al.,
2008).
Extrinsic motivation
The desire to do something in order to receive something
else is called extrinsic motivation (Roediger et al., 1996).
Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual.
This is where an individual is aroused to do a particular
thing or behave in a particular way as a result of external
factors. Here, it is the external factors that trigger a student
to be serious in school works. Some of this external factors
in extrinsic motivation include the following: incentives or
rewards (for example money or grades), praises,
punishment, counseling, competition, success challenge
especially from friends, previous poor performance,
parental expectation, availability of materials and
interesting
apparatus,
intimidation/
negative
reinforcement (Dale et al., 2008).
It is pertinent to mention here that although intrinsic
motivation is a better form of motivation than extrinsic
motivation, however not all students can be intrinsically
motivated. As the teacher encourages intrinsic motivation,
effort should also be made to motivate students
extrinsically but not in excess.
There are many ways of motivating students in
Mathematics class but the student’s age, level of
understanding and their needs should be put into
consideration. For the benefit of this paper, four
motivational strategies have been put forward for
consideration.
SET INDUCTION
Set induction is a very useful motivational strategy for
arousing and capturing the interest of the learners with the
Academia Journal of Educational Research; Akinmola.
sole purpose of creating a conducive atmosphere in which
effective teaching and learning can take place (Oshodi and
Aremu, 1999).
Set induction is about preparation, usually for a formal
lesson when the students are set; they are ready to learn
(“are you set?”). Set induction is thus about getting them
ready, inducing them into the right mind-set (Perrott,
1982).
Sets are used before any new activity, from introduction
of a new concept to giving homework. It is important in
each set both to create clarity about what is expected to
happen (both what you will do and what they should do),
and to create motivation for this to occur, with students
being fully engaged in the learning.
Set induction can be done by:
(i) Explaining potential benefits to the learner.
(ii) Giving clear instruction.
(iii) Describing what is going to happen.
Perrot (1982) identified four purposes of set induction:
1. Focusing attention on what is to be learned by gaining
the interest of students.
2. Moving from old to new materials and linking the two.
3. Providing a structure for the lesson and setting
expectations of what will happen.
4. Giving meaning to a new concept or principle, such as
giving examples.
Classroom implication
The concept of set induction tells us that in starting a
Mathematics lesson, the attention of learners must be
sought since “attention is a function of learning” (that is,
learning depends on attention).
Dale et al. (2008), posits that, set induction can be used to
achieve the following objectives:
a. To stimulate and arouse interest in the lesson
b. To determine the entry behavior of what learners already
know about the topic,
c. To captivate learners’ attention and focus it on the new
lesson.
d. To create a good mood that will facilitate interest in
learning.
Hence, an experienced Mathematics teacher can use the
skill to improve the quality of his teaching and to improve a
better learning of Mathematics in students.
USE OF REAL
MATERIALS
AND
CONCRETE
INSTRUCTIONAL
Instructional materials are gadgets, materials, objects of
090
instructional relevance which a teacher makes use of in the
teaching-learning situation to help him to achieve clearly
set out objectives. Instructional materials play a very vital
role in a classroom setting. Meaningful Mathematics
knowledge can be acquired by the students through
effective use of instructional materials by the Mathematics
teacher. Effective use of instructional materials by the
Mathematics teachers to convey mathematical concepts
and knowledge can also facilitate good learning ability in
the learners (Oyetade, 2005). He gave the following
purposes of instructional materials:
1. To maintain teachers’ enthusiasm because by using
different methods and materials, teaching becomes less
fatigue.
2. To enable the students to possess sense of sight, and
touch during learning activities.
3. To arouse students’ interest in the learning process.
Classroom implication
Teachers’ use of manipulative materials regularly will give
students hands-on experience that will help them construct
useful meanings for the mathematical ideas they are
learning thereby increasing students’ Mathematics
achievement
and
improving
attitudes
towards
Mathematics. It should be noted by Mathematics teachers
that any instructional material to be used should be
relevant, available and suitable to the topic to be taught. It
should not be limited to demonstrations. It is essential also
that students use materials in meaningful ways rather than
in a rigid and prescribed way that focuses on remembering
rather than on thinking.
USE OF PROBING QUESTIONS
A teacher should commence a lesson with well structured
and orderly questions which are designed to arouse
students’ interest. Probing questions should be carefully
used to link or associate students previously acquired
knowledge with the new lesson (Oshodi, and Aremu, 1999).
It is generally believed that a learner does not come into the
class with a clean and empty mind. The implication of this is
that a teacher should use questioning technique to elicit
information from the students which are relevant to the
new topic. Considering the example below:
A teacher teaching the topic “TRIANGLE” in a Mathematics
class may come in a businesslike manner holding a hanged
cloth. On getting to the class, he removed the cloth and
holds unto the hanger alone. This unusual behavior will
captivate the attention of the students who may be
wondering why the teacher has behaved that way. The
teacher in question may then go ahead to ask,”who can tell
Academia Journal of Educational Research; Akinmola.
me the object am holding unto and the number of sides it
has? A student may likely say, “it is a hanger and it has
three sides”. The teacher armed with student’s answer can
now turn to the students and then inform them that they
(the students) already have an idea of the new topic for the
day which is a shape with three sides called “TRIANGLE”.
With such an imaginative introduction, the students will be
in a position to recognize a triangle and how it can be
classified according to sides and angles.
Classroom implication
Teachers’ use of probing/ divergent questions and
brainstorming activities will stimulate creative thinking
and risk taking in students. This will go a long way in
stimulating and sustaining students’ interest in the learning
of the subject.
USE OF POSITIVE REINFORCERS
A reinforcer is any stimulus change following a response
that increases the future frequency or magnitude of that
response (Motivation, 2012). Reinforcement has a crucial
role to play in promoting effective teaching and learning
with the primary purpose of motivating learners. A
thorough understanding of the concept of reinforcement
and how it can be used to promote effective teaching and
learning must be acquired by all resourceful teachers.
Reinforcement theory is the outcome of the research
carried out by great American Psychologist, B. F. Skinner.
According to Skinner’s reinforcement theory, learners are
more likely to learn and repeat a pattern of behavior, which
produced a pleasant result. For instance, if a student knows
that when he works hard enough, he will make an excellent
grade in a course, he will continue to study hard. This
means that a learner’s behavior can be controlled in a class
by rewarding or reinforcing those types of behaviors that
are desirable. As a teacher keeps on rewarding or
reinforcing desired behavior, it will tend to be repeated
(Dale et al., 2008).
There are basically two forms of reinforcers namely:
positive and negative reinforcers.
Positive reinforcement involves a stimulus change
consisting of the presentation or magnification of a positive
stimulus following a response (Motivation, 2012).
Negative reinforcement involves stimulus change
consisting of the removal of an aversive stimulus following
a response.
Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by
providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding
(McLeod, 2007).
A positive reinforcement can also be called a reward,
tangible or intangible presented after the occurrence of an
091
action (that is, behavior) with the intention of causing the
behavior to occur again. Repetitive action- reward
combination can cause the action to become habit. Thus,
positive reinforcers include the use of praise, high marks,
pleasant remarks passed on an assignment and the award
of prizes such as medals, books and other objects or gifts of
educational values. Regarding the use of praise, a teacher
must learn to use it judiciously. The teacher must take into
cognizance the nature of the learners, the timing, the
environment and some other factors. Praise should be
contingent upon specific behaviors, should be credible,
informative and it should reflect the student’s efforts.
Apart from the use of praise, another important positive
reinforcement is the use of the learners’ names in a friendly
way. Psychologists believed that there is a lot in a name.
Using students’ names in a friendly way will give the
students some psychological uplift. It tends to also promote
friendliness between the teacher and the students. This will
create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in which teaching
and learning will be possible.
Three types of positive reinforcers have been identified
by many psychologists (Oshodi and Aremu, 1999). They
are:
a. Verbal Reinforcers: given by words of mouth. They
constitute psychologically motivational remarks which the
teacher passes when a learner behaves in the desired way.
Examples are: “That was a good attempt, keep it up”, “That
was fantastic”, “Very good”, e.t.c.
b. Non-verbal Reinforcement: Signs and not words are used.
Examples include: smiling, nodding of the head in approval,
shaking hands with the student, e.t.c.
c. Extra-verbal Reinforcers: are sounds of approval such as:
“ahaah”, Huun, huun”, and so on.
Classroom implication
Reinforcers are used with people with learning difficulties.
In the conventional learning situation, it applies largely to
issues of class and student management, rather than to
learning content. It is very relevant to shaping skill
performance.
A simple way of giving positive reinforcement in behavior
modification is in providing compliments, approval,
encouragement, and affirmation generally seen as being the
most effective in altering behavior in a desired way
(McLeod, 2007).
Conclusion
This paper examined the state of teaching and learning of
Mathematics in schools and suggested some motivational
strategies for teaching, stimulating and sustaining interest
of learners in the subject. If all the suggested motivational
Academia Journal of Educational Research; Akinmola.
strategies are being employed in Mathematics class, they
will go a long way in arousing and stimulating student’s
interest in the learning of Mathematics thereby improving
their knowledge and performance and also enabling them
to apply what they have learnt in Mathematics class to solve
everyday problems.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Since teaching is a complex profession requiring knowledge
of content in the curriculum, understanding of students and
their learning; and skills in planning, interacting with
students and monitoring their progress, efforts should be
made to broaden the epistemological capacity of
Mathematics teachers and ensuring their exposure to
necessary knowledge and skills through:
(i) The right training programs in teacher training institutes
with up-to-date materials to meet the new challenges.
(ii) Organizing regular development training program for
practicing teachers such as: refresher courses (e.g
UBEC/SUBEB training program), seminars and conferences
to complement the existing institutions saddled with the
production of teachers for the school system in the country
thereby facilitating the production of better, qualified and
committed teachers.
(iii) Considering the role of technology in our society today,
schools should be equipped with up-to-date materials for
effective teaching and learning of Mathematics.
(iv) The conditions of service of Mathematics teachers
should be adequately improved by government and various
concerned stake holders so as to motivate teachers
themselves thereby making them put in more efforts in the
teaching profession in order to achieve the expected result
in the learning of the subject.
(v) Assessment procedure and policies should also be put in
place and effectively implemented to monitor both teaching
and learning of Mathematics.
092
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Cite this article as:
Akinmola EA (2014). Motivational strategies for teaching
and sustaining interest in mathematics as an indispensable
tool for technological development in Nigeria. Acad. J. Educ.
Res. 2(5): 087-092.
Submit your manuscript at:
http://academiapublishing.org/journals/ajer