Gender, Need-Achievement and Assertiveness as Factors of Conceptions about Math among Secondary School Students in Ogun State, Nigeria

This study investigated the influence of Gender, need-achievement and assertiveness on conceptions about math among senior secondary school students in Ijebu-Ode Local government area of Ogun state. Using an ex-post facto survey research design and multiple sampling methods, a total of 350 participants participated in the study. 127 (36.3%) were male, 223 (63.7%) were female. 150 (42.9%) were from female only schools, 150 (42.9%) were from co-educational schools and 50 (14.3%) from male only schools. Validated scale was used for data collection. The two hypotheses stated were rejected based on statistical insignificance. There was no significant relationship among gender, need achievement, assertiveness and conceptions. It thus follows that there are other variables, (apart from the ones that were considered in this study) that significantly influence conceptions about mathematics among secondary school students. Attention should therefore be focused on further studies in this area, in order to be able to pigeon-hole the factors that may account for the different conceptions about math, so that right measures will be applied to help students change the wrong conceptions and be better in mathematics as a school subject.