The impact of integrating Ghanaian ethnomathematical practices on students’ achievement in trigonometry

Abstract

This study examined the impact of integrating Ghanaian ethnomathematical practices into the teaching and learning of trigonometry among Senior High School students in the Bono Region of Ghana. Anchored in the pragmatist paradigm, the study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. The quantitative phase involved a quasi-experimental approach and survey, while the qualitative phase used semi-structured interviews to explain students’ learning experiences. A sample of 368 students was selected from four Senior High Schools using multi-stage sampling. Data were collected through a Trigonometry Achievement Test, a structured questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview guide. Quantitative data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and one-sample t-tests, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The ANCOVA results showed that ethnomathematical instruction had a statistically significant and large effect on students’ posttest achievement in trigonometry, F(1, 364) = 71.99, p < .001, partial η² = .165, after controlling for pretest scores. Students reported moderate but consistent challenges, particularly around limited prior knowledge of traditional practices and difficulty translating cultural examples into formal mathematical procedures. The qualitative findings revealed that cultural examples such as kente weaving, roofing construction, basketry, traditional measurement, and farming layouts made trigonometry more practical, visual, and engaging. The study concludes that incorporating Ghanaian ethnomathematical practices into the classroom can improve students’ achievement and learning experiences in trigonometry when instruction is carefully planned, well-resourced, and explicitly connected to formal mathematical concepts.

Keywords: Ethnomathematics, trigonometry, culturally responsive pedagogy, Ghanaian cultural practices, Senior High School mathematics.

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