Research Article

Assessing Nigerian Secondary School Students’ Misconceptions in Five Basic Statistical Concepts

Festus Osadebamwen Idehen 1 *
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1 Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology, Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Benin City, NIGERIA* Corresponding Author
Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education, 1(1), January 2020, ep20003, https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/8448
Published: 01 August 2020
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ABSTRACT

The study was designed to assess and document students’ right conceptions and misconceptions of five basic concepts in statistics. It employed the survey design to randomly select 4332 participants from 114 Senior Secondary Schools across Edo State, Nigeria. The instrument was a two-tier multiple choice diagnostic test, which was validated and with a K-R Formular 20 reliability coefficient of 0.85. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. Data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. Results showed low students’ right conceptions of basic statistical concepts and with majority of students having some nine misconceptions. It was recommended that teachers and textbook writers should use conceptual change instructional strategies to identify and change students’ misconceptions in statistics in order to improve students’ understanding and achievement in mathematics.
Keywords: right conceptions, misconceptions, conceptual change, instructional strategies

CITATION (APA)

Idehen, F. O. (2020). Assessing Nigerian Secondary School Students’ Misconceptions in Five Basic Statistical Concepts. Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education, 1(1), ep20003. https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/8448

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