This study examined the effectiveness of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) delivered in the Igbo language on senior secondary school students’ retention of circle geometry concepts in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. A true experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed, involving 80 students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received mathematics instruction in Igbo, enriched with culturally relevant examples, while the control group was taught in English using general instructional content. The Geometry Achievement Test (GAT), with a reliability coefficient of KR-20 = 0.81, served as the data collection instrument. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29, with descriptive statistics used to answer the research questions and ANCOVA applied to test hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed that students exposed to Igbo-based CRT achieved significantly higher retention scores in circle geometry than their peers taught in English. While female students scored slightly higher than males under Igbo instruction, the difference was not statistically significant. These findings highlight the potential of mother-tongue-based CRT to enhance conceptual understanding and long-term retention in geometry, particularly in topics such as circle geometry. It is recommended that educators, curriculum planners, and policymakers promote the integration of indigenous languages, alongside culturally relevant examples, when teaching geometry, and where possible, extend this approach to other areas of mathematics to foster educational equity and improved learning outcomes.

Authors:
Felix Egara, University of the Free State, South Africa
Moeketsi Mosia, University of the Free State, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Felix Oromena Egara is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

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