Abstract

This study determined the effect of Cuisenaire Rods’ approach on some Nigeria primary pupils’ achievement in decimal fractions. Three hypotheses guided the study. A total of 200 Primary six pupils (that is, 6^th grade) from randomly selected schools in Makurdi metropolis of Benue State of Nigeria served as the sample for the study. A Mathematics Achievement Test on Decimal Fractions (MATDF) developed by the researchers and validated by three experts with a reliability coefficient of 0.89 using K-R _21, was used for data collection. Two way Analysis of Covariance was used for analyzing the data. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between pupils taught fractions using Cuisenaire Rods’ approach and those taught fractions using conventional approach with Cuisenaire rod approach being more facilitative (F_{1, 199} = 12.231; p < 0.05). Secondly, there was no significant difference between male and female pupils taught using Cuisenaire Rods approach (F_{1, 199} = 3.453; p > .05). However, there was no significant interaction effect of method and gender on achievement (F_{1, 199} = 1.424; p > 0.05) It was therefore recommended among others that teachers of mathematics should adopt Cuisenaire Rods approach in teaching mathematics in primary schools in the study area to ensure hands-on-activities and thereby contributing to enhanced understanding.

Key words: Cuisenaire Rods, pupils’ achievement in mathematics, manipulative activities, hands-on, concrete materials, abstract materials, decimal fractions.