This study examined the impact of personalized learning on secondary school students’ academic achievement in mathematics in selected schools in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Guided by self-regulated learning theory, the study adopted a quasi-experimental research design involving an experimental and a control group. The population comprised secondary school students, from which a sample of 50 students was selected using proportionate stratified random sampling, with 25 students assigned to each group. Data were collected using a Mathematics Achievement Test and a structured questionnaire measuring the implementation of personalized learning components. Descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U test were employed for data analysis. The findings revealed no statistically significant difference in mathematics achievement between the experimental and control groups at the pre-test stage, indicating baseline equivalence. Although the post-test results showed a higher performance index for students exposed to personalized learning (85.15%) compared with those in the control group (73.95%), the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.957). Furthermore, analysis of gender differences within the experimental group indicated no statistically significant difference in post-test achievement between male and female students (p = 0.594). Notably, the implementation of personalized learning was rated positively, particularly in terms of student ownership and reflective learning practices. The study concluded that, while personalized learning demonstrated potential in enhancing learner engagement, its implementation did not result in statistically significant gains in mathematics achievement within the study context. It was therefore recommended that mathematics teachers should receive targeted professional development on personalized learning, with particular emphasis on the effective use of flexible content tools and the creation of adaptive learning environments that align with students’ interests, needs, skill levels, and support requirements.
Gbokan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.