The Effectiveness of a Teaching Strategy Based on the Dean Model in Enhancing Secondary School Students’ Achievement in Mathematics

Abstract

  This research aims to identify the effectiveness of a teaching strategy based on the Dean model in improving the achievement of fourth-grade scientific stream students in mathematics. Al-Muakha Secondary School, affiliated with the General Directorate of Education in Holy Karbala, was intentionally selected. The school has four classes (A, B, C, D), and two were randomly chosen: class (C), consisting of 40 students, represented the experimental group taught according to the Dean model, while class (B), consisting of 42 students, represented the control group taught using traditional methods. The two groups were matched on variables such as students’ age (in months), intelligence, previous achievement in mathematics, prior knowledge test, and complex thinking test. An achievement test consisting of 36 items was developed—33 multiple-choice questions and 3 essay questions. The test’s validity and reliability were verified using Cronbach’s Alpha. The experiment was conducted during the first semester of the 2024–2025 academic year, starting on Sunday (October 20, 2024) and ending on Thursday (January 2, 2025), with the achievement test applied on Sunday (January 5, 2025). Statistical analysis showed a significant difference at the 0.05 level between the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group. Accordingly, the Dean model positively affected students’ achievement. The researcher recommends training mathematics teachers on using the model and suggests future studies to explore the model’s effectiveness on other variables such as types of thinking, intelligence, or attitudes toward mathematics.