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Purpose: The understanding of physics among high school students can be enhanced by their ability to solve mathematical questions. This study investigates the impact of a Foundational Mathematics Intervention on students' understanding of Physics by comparing the outcomes of students at two different schools with and without the intervention. The hypothesis is that equipping students with essential mathematical skills improves their ability to understand and interpret physics concepts effectively.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a public secondary school in Ibadan, Nigeria, Monatan High School. Students were administered a pre-test in Mathematics to assess their foundational understanding before the intervention. Following this, a series of teaching sessions on Foundationalstrong text Mathematics was introduced, covering core areas such as arithmetic operations, algebra, unit conversions, ratios, and proportions. A post-test in Physics was then conducted to evaluate students' ability to apply mathematical skills in solving Physics questions.
Results: Students at Monatan High School demonstrated marked improvement after the intervention. 4% of the 99 students scored above 70% in the pre-mathematics test, while after two months of teaching foundation mathematics, 15.2% scored above 70% in a post-physics test. This indicates a significant increase in their ability to solve Physics questions using foundational mathematical skills. Additionally, 75.8% of the students who scored less than 20% on the pre-math test were reduced to 29.3% on the post-physics test (See Supplementary Figures 1 and 2). These results suggest that the Foundational Mathematics classes may have contributed significantly to the understanding of Physics among students.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that a weak foundation in Mathematics may be a major factor limiting students' understanding of Physics. The Foundational Mathematics program appears to have helped bridge this gap, leading to measurable gains. It is recommended that similar interventions be considered in other schools, particularly at the senior secondary level. Future work will explore how the integration of practical sessions alongside Foundational Mathematics may further enhance students' understanding of Physics.
| Abstract Category | Physics Education |
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