Baseline Survey on the Numeracy Knowledge of Primary Pupils in Plateau Central Zone, Nigeria.

The study examined the baseline survey on the numeracy knowledge of primary pupils in plateau central zone, Nigeria. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study with the use of exploratory research design. The population consisted of numeracy teachers and primary five pupils in public primary schools within the state central zone. The sampled schools and classes were purposively selected from five towns heading the local government area within the central zone of the state. The sample size were five (5) numeracy teachers teaching primary five pupils in the selected schools and 100 pupils under the respective numeracy teachers were selected randomly. The instruments for data collection were; Teachers Numeracy Teaching Methods Observation checklist (TNTMOC), Pupils Numeracy Knowledge Test (PNKT), Pupils Interest/attitude to Numeracy knowledge Checklist (PINKC). The instruments were validated using content validity by experts. The instruments had reliability indices of 0.70, 0.76 and 0.78 respectively. However, a standardized unified pupil’s numeracy performance test by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) was used to determine pupil’s numeracy knowledge. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, while one tailed t-test statistics was used for hypotheses testing at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the teachers’ teaching strategies and pupils’ interest/attitude causes the decline in numeracy knowledge among public primary school pupils. The hypothesis revealed a significant difference in the pupil’s numeracy knowledge against expected passed level set in the study. Therefore, it was recommended that teachers need to be trained in the use of effective teaching strategies and learning materials to enhance and engage pupils’ interest/attitude constantly in numeracy skills.