Impact of Culturally-situated Digital Simulations on Academic Achievement in Circular Geometry and Uniform Motion among Secondary School Students in Minna Niger State

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of culturally situated digital simulations on students’ academic achievement in circle geometry and uniform circular motion among secondary school students in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was adopted. The sample comprised 114 Senior Secondary School II students selected through a multistage sampling technique. The experimental group was exposed to culturally-situated digital simulations incorporating familiar cultural contexts, while the control group was taught using Lecture methods. Data were collected using the Circle Geometry Achievement Test (CGAT) and Uniform Circular Motion Achievement Test (UCMAT), with reliability indices of 0.81 and 0.79 respectively. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and ANCOVA at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students exposed to culturally-situated digital simulations achieved significantly higher mean scores in circle geometry (23.30) compared to those taught using Lecture methods (10.85) and the difference was significant with F (1, 113) = 42.786, P= (0.000) < 0.05. Equally, the findings showed that there was significant difference in the mean academic achievement of students taught uniform circler motion with culturally-situated digital simulations and those taught using Lecture methods with F (1, 113) = 51.783, P= (0.000) < 0.05. The results underscore the effectiveness of integrating culturally responsive pedagogy with digital simulations in enhancing academic achievement. The study recommends the adoption of culturally relevant digital instructional tools in mathematics and physics classrooms to improve learning outcomes.