Effect of Differentiated Instruction on Motivation in Mathematics Concepts among Senior Secondary School Students in Malumfashi Education Zone of Katsina State, Nigeria

DANLAMI, Kazaik Benjamin; SANI, Shitu Mohammed; SAID, Jamilu Abdulrahman

doi:10.64348/zije.2026348

Authors

DANLAMI, Kazaik Benjamin Author
SANI, Shitu Mohammed Author
SAID, Jamilu Abdulrahman Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026348

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Differentiated Instruction (DI) on mathematics motivation among senior secondary school students in Malumfashi Education Zone of Katsina state, Nigeria. Motivated learners are more likely to engage, persist, and achieve in mathematics, yet traditional teacher-centered approaches often fail to address individual differences, contributing to disengagement and low motivation. Anchored on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Self-Determination Theory, the study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design. A total of 116 SS2 students from two public co-educational schools in the Malumfashi Education Zone, Katsina State, participated. The experimental group received six weeks of DI through flexible grouping, tiered tasks, and choice-based activities, while the control group received conventional lecture-based instruction. Data were collected using the Mathematics Motivation Scale and analyzed using ANCOVA, controlling for pre-test scores. Results indicated that students exposed to DI had significantly higher post-test motivation scores (M = 85.32, SD = 6.45) compared to the control group (M = 72.18, SD = 7.12), with a large effect size (η² = .705). No significant gender differences in motivation were observed within the DI group. Findings suggest that DI effectively enhances mathematics motivation and promotes gender-equitable engagement in resource-constrained classrooms. The study provides practical guidance for teachers, administrators, and policymakers seeking to improve mathematics learning outcomes in northern Nigeria.

References

Abah, J. A., Ogugua, K. K., & Okoh, V. L. (2022). Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Junior Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Mathematics despite Family Background in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4061815

Amaro, H., Sanchez, M., Bautista, T., & Cox, R. (2021). Social vulnerabilities for substance use: Stressors, socially toxic environments, and discrimination and racism. Neuropharmacology, 188, 108518. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108518

Amoadu, M., Hagan, J. E., Obeng, P., Agormedah, E. K., Srem-Sai, M., & Schack, T. (2025). Academic Resilience and Motivation as Predictors of Academic Engagement Among Rural and Urban High School Students in Ghana. Youth, 5(1), 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/youth5010011

Asanre, A., Sondlo, A., & Abiodun, T. (2024). Impact of Interest and Motivation on Academic Achievement of Junior Secondary School Students in Mathematics. Journal of Mathematics Instruction, Social Research and Opinion, 3(3), 275–284. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58421/misro.v3i3.269

Awofala, A. O., Lawani, A. O., & Adeyemi, O. A. (2020). Motivation to learning mathematics and gender as correlates of senior secondary school students’ performance in mathematics. Journal of Educational Sciences, 4(2), 318–333. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31258/jes.4.2.p.318-333

Awofala, O. A., & Fatade, O. A. (2023). Nigerian Students’poor Performance in Mathematics: Who Do We Blame? Nigerian Online Journal of Educational Sciences and Technology, 5(1), 80–91.

Buulolo, M., Zega, Y., & Yakin Niat Telaumbanua, R. N. (2024). Analysis of Students Motivation and Mathematics Learning Outcomes on the Material Simplifying Algebra. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29062/edu.v8i2.1012

Coubergs, C., Struyven, K., Vanthournout, G., & Engels, N. (2017). Measuring teachers’ perceptions about differentiated instruction: The DI-Quest instrument and model. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 53, 41–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2017.02.004

Creswell, J. W. (2021). A concise introduction to mixed methods research. SAGE publications.

Davidovitch, N., & Dorot, R. (2023). The Effect of Motivation for Learning Among High School Students and Undergraduate Students—A Comparative Study. International Education Studies, 16(2), 117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v16n2p117

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 19(2), 109–134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(85)90023-6

Dhakal, B. R. (2024). Differentiated Instruction: Tailoring learning for diverse learners. Sikshya.

Filgona, J., Sakiyo, J., Gwany, D. M., & Okoronka, A. U. (2020). Motivation in Learning. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 16–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2020/v10i430273

George, A., & Adu, E. O. (2018). Motivation and attitude of grade nine learners towards mathematics in King Williams Town Education District, South Africa. Ghana Journal of Development Studies, 15(1), 135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/gjds.v15i1.7

Griful-Freixenet, J., Struyven, K., Vantieghem, W., & Gheyssens, E. (2020). Exploring the interrelationship between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI): A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 29, 100306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100306

Harris, K. M., & McDade, T. W. (2018). The biosocial approach to human development, behavior, and health across the life course. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 4(4), 2–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2018.4.4.01

Herner-Patnode, L., & Lee, H.-J. (2021). Differentiated Instruction to Teach Mathematics: Through the Lens of Responsive Teaching. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 23(3), 6–25.

Ismail, N., Garba, A., Osman, S., Ibrahim, N. H., & Bunyamin, M. A. H. (2022). Exploring Teacher Effects on Intensifying and Minimizing Mathematics Anxiety among Students in Sokoto State, Nigeria. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 11(1), 161–171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i1.22189

Johnson, C. (2021). Differentiated instruction and student achievement.

Mahmoud, E. (2023). Practical technology integration into mathematics teaching in elementary education: Instructional design model, teaching strategies, and assessment techniques. Remittances Review, 8(4), 2912–2932.

Massaad, M., & Chaker, L. Y. A. (2020). The Influence of Differentiated Instruction on Lebanese Students’ Motivation, Knowledge, and Engagement. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(3), 755–774. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.53.31

Okpara, G. C., & Ezeador, C. N. (2024). Philosophy of Teaching: Exploring Various Teaching Methods for Improved Education in Nigeria. Nnadiebube Journal of Philosophy, 7(3).

Özcan, B., & Kültür, Y. Z. (2021). The Relationship Between Sources of Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Test and Course Achievement in High School Seniors. Sage Open, 11(3), 21582440211040124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211040124

Pozas, M., Letzel, V., Lindner, K.-T., & Schwab, S. (2021). DI (Differentiated Instruction) Does Matter! The Effects of DI on Secondary School Students’ Well-Being, Social Inclusion and Academic Self-Concept. Frontiers in Education, 6, 729027. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.729027

Puntambekar, S. (2022). Distributed Scaffolding: Scaffolding Students in Classroom Environments. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 451–472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09636-3

Ray, S., & Sikdar, D. P. (2024). Prospective Teachers’ Motivation Towards Learning: A Panoramic Study. International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy, 12(3).

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Salazar, R. R., & Gumanoy, R. M. (2025). Differentiated Learning Activities: Effects on Students Motivation and Involvement in Teaching Mathematics. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, IX(IIIS), 1707–1714. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.903SEDU0131

Shareefa, M., Rohani, H. A. M. Z., Abdullah, N. Z. M., & Jawawi, R. (2019). Differentiated Instruction: Definition and Challenging Factors Perceived by Teachers. ResearchGate.

Smale-Jacobse, A. E., Meijer, A., Helms-Lorenz, M., & Maulana, R. (2019). Differentiated Instruction in Secondary Education: A Systematic Review of Research Evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02366

Tomlinson, C. A. (2022). Everybody’s classroom: Differentiating for the shared and unique needs of diverse students. Teachers College Press.

Van Geel, M., Keuning, T., Frèrejean, J., Dolmans, D., Van Merriënboer, J., & Visscher, A. J. (2019). Capturing the complexity of differentiated instruction. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 30(1), 51–67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2018.1539013

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.

Wong, B. S., Chue, K. L., Ali, R. B., & Lee, P. (2023). Differentiated instruction: A comparison of motivation and perceived competence between students with high and low readiness levels. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 22(1), 139–151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-022-09323-2

Xi, J., & Lantolf, J. P. (2021). Scaffolding and the zone of proximal development: A problematic relationship. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 51(1), 25–48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12260

Zakariya, Y. F. (2022). Improving students’ mathematics self-efficacy: A systematic review of intervention studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 986622. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.986622

Zakariya, Y. F., & Massimiliano, B. (2021). Development of mathematics motivation scale: A preliminary exploratory study with a focus on secondary school students. International Journal of Progressive Education,17(1), 314 -324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2021.329.20

Zuckerman, D., Yablon, Y. B., & Iluz, S. (2024). The Role of Simulation in Exposing Hidden Gender Biases: A Study of Motivational Discourse in Mathematics Education. Education Sciences, 14(11), 1265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111265