Differential effectiveness by gender of instructional methods on achievement in mathematics at tertiary level

In order to investigate the effect of methods of teaching on achievement in mathematics of first year National Certificate of Education (NCE) students in Nigeria, a sample of 165 students comprising 71 males and 94 females, was exposed to three methods of teaching in a second semester basic mathematics course. The three methods were the traditional lecture method, interactive method with individual use of materials and interactive method with group use of materials. Analysis of covariance showed a significant interactive effect of gender and method of teaching on student achievement. Further analysis showed that the use of interactive methods with group use of materials favoured males while interactive method with individual use of materials favoured females. Implications of the results for teaching of tertiary mathematics are discussed.