Effects of Writing-for-Learn Strategies and Triangulated Evaluation on Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Academic Self-Perception, and Learning- Engagement in South-South Nigerian Teacher Education Colleges

This study investigated the effects of writing-for-learn strategies and triangulated evaluation on students’ mathematics achievement, academic self-perception, and learning- engagement in south-south Nigerian teacher education colleges, key affective outcomes in mathematics learning. A quasi-experimental design with a non-randomized control group was employed. The research was structured around nine research questions and corresponding null hypotheses. The study was conducted in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, focusing on a population of 10,648 second-year students across thirteen Colleges of Education during the 2018/2019 academic session. From this population, 3,306 students at Akwa Ibom State College of Education were considered, with a purposive and simple random sample of 386 second-year students offering Basic General Mathematics IV were selected for the study. These students were assigned to either experimental or control groups. The experimental group was taught and assessed using writing-for-learning strategies and triangulated assessment tools, while the control group experienced conventional closed- ended testing methods. Four researcher-developed instruments were used: a 25-item Mathematics Achievement Test, 40-item self- concept and interest inventories, a mathography, and an alternative solution worksheet. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to address the research questions, while inferential statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA), Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), and Multiple Regression, tested the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Template analysis was employed for the qualitative data. Findings indicated that writing-to-learn and triangulated assessment approaches significantly enhanced students' mathematics achievement and affective outcomes. Female students demonstrated greater gains than males in both academic and affective domains. However, the interaction effect between writing-to-learn and triangulation approaches was not statistically significant. These findings carry meaningful implications for curriculum developers, teacher educators, mathematics lecturers, and students. It is recommended that mathematics educators incorporate writing-based strategies and performance-oriented assessments such as alternative solution worksheets, knowledge-demonstration writing tasks, and project-based methods throughout mathematics instruction. Such approaches may help bridge the gap between mathematical concepts and real-life applications, enhance retention, and change negative perceptions of mathematics. Moreover, pre-service mathematics teachers should receive training in these alternative assessment methods, and curriculum planners should embed them within revised mathematics curricula in Nigeria.