Perceived Prevalence of Dyscalculia Disorder among Secondary School Students in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Dyscalculia disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that significantly affects students’ ability to understand numbers and perform mathematical tasks, thereby hindering effective numerical learning. Despite increasing global attention to learning disorders, empirical evidence on dyscalculia in Nigeria remains limited, particularly among secondary school students. This study examined the prevalence of dyscalculia disorder among secondary school students in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, with age considered as a moderating variable. A descriptive survey research designwas adopted, guided by two research questions and one hypothesis addressing the prevalence of dyscalculia and the moderating influence of age. The target population comprised 5,842 students from all14 public secondary schools in the area. Using a multistage sampling technique involving purposive selection of schools, stratification of students into 10–14 and 15–19 years age groups, and simple random sampling of respondents, 1,344students aged 10–19 years were selected for the study. Data was collected using the Dyscalculia Screening Questionnaire (DSQ), a standardized instrument that was further revalidated by experts for contextual suitability of the study and yielded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.823. Responses were categorized as present or absent, and prevalence was determined using percentage distribution, while an independent samples t-test examined age-related differences at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that dyscalculia symptoms were moderately prevalent, with younger adolescents showing higher levels of symptoms than older students. The study concludes that dyscalculia remains a significant yet under-identified learning disorder among Nigerian secondary school students. Early identification, age-sensitive interventions, and strengthened school counselling services are recommended to improve students’ mathematical learning outcomes