 Corresponding author: Obunge Jessey I Department of science education faculty of education rivers state university port harcourt, rivers state, nigeria. Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0. Effects of school ownership on problem-solving abilities in algebra among senior secondary school students in Rivers State Jessey I. Obunge * , Macson J. Ahiakwo, Telima Adolphus and Muvoke D. Omeodu. Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Rivers State University Port- Harcourt, Nigeria. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2022, 13(01), 398–403 Publication history: Received on 07 December 2021; revised on 10 January 2022; accepted on 12 January 2022 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2022.13.1.0028 Abstract The study investigated the effects of school ownership on problem solving abilities in algebra among senior secondary school students, in Rivers State, Nigeria. Ex-post facto design was used in this study. The population was all senior secondary school students in Rivers State. Convenience and purposive sampling technique was employed in this study. 390 senior secondary school students participated in the study. Nine senior secondary schools were selected by purposive sampling for the study in two local government areas. The instrument used was Algebraic Problem Solving Test questions collated by the researchers from different past West African School Certificate Examinations. The reliability of the test was determined to be 0.72 using Pearson product moment correlation formula. Three research questions were answered using simple mean. One hypothesis was raised to guide the study, at 0.05 significant level using t-test. The results of the analyses showed that: school ownership had significant effect on the problem solving ability in algebra of senior secondary school students, about 86% of the students in the private schools scored below 50% in the test, about 96% of the students in the public schools scored 49% and below, the students in the private schools outperformed their counterparts in the public schools although generally, the performance of students in both public and private schools was quite low. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. Keywords: School ownership; Algebra; Problem-solving Ability; private and public schools 1. Introduction Problem solving is an essential aspect of human activity, thus the major part of human thinking is consciously aimed towards problem-solving [1]. Generally problem means a situation that is harmful and not welcome that needs to be addressed and resolved. However, one of the ways humans provide solution to problems in life is through the application of mathematical procedures. According to [2] one of the purposes of studying mathematics is to solve problems, thus it involves the ability to understand problems, prepares mathematical models, completing models, interpreting the models and to prepare students to solve problems regularly. As noted by [3], mathematics is a problem- solving game in which there are several procedural mathematical problems focusing on algorithmic process, seeking for correct answer in mathematics text. Those who consider it as a game enjoy the challenges of developing new mathematics and solving previously unsolved problems in the various branches of mathematics. According to [4], problem solving is said to be one of the root causes of poor academic performance in science related disciplines. This occur as a result of students’ inability and unwillingness to acquire the basic knowledge involved in solving problems, they rather prefer memorizing solutions given by teachers in line with outdated methods of teaching in spite of the fact that problem solving spans across all spheres of life. As noted by [5] problem solving ability is a basic skill needed by individuals and is virtually applied in all areas of human endeavor. Specifically, mathematics is regarded as a universal branch of science that is highly important in the society, as its requirement is seen as a prerequisite to the study of many science oriented courses, notably, in engineering, science, business management, medicine, agriculture, computer