Science Curiosity as a Correlate of Academic Performance in Mathematics Education: Insights from Nigerian Higher Education

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between the science curiosity levels of undergraduate of mathematics education in a Nigerian higher educational institution and their academic grade point averages. The study employed a correlational survey research design on a random sample of 104 mathematics education students. The Science Curiosity Scale – Comparative Self Report was adapted to measure the students’ distinctive appetite for consuming science-related media for personal edification. The correlational analysis of science curiosity scores and the students CGPA indicated a weak negative relationship (r = -0.049, p = 0.621), suggesting an interplay of other important factors in the relationship between academic performance and science curiosity. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that key stakeholders of mathematics education consider curiosity as a complex ability related to several functions of the mind and thus enhances systematic commitment on the part of the learner.

Keywords

• science curiosity
• academic performance
• nigerian higher education
• mathematics education