-
Influence Of Students' Attitudes To The Learning Of Mathematics On Their Academic Achievements
[A CASE STUDY OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JALINGO METROPOLIS]
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 2 of 3
-
-
-
While the content of
subject curricular kept changing from time to time, the structure and
practice remained stagnant (Akinlua, 2007: 99). One of the enduring
features is that emphasis is still placed on the importance of
examination and certification as a measure of assessing pupils in the
learning process. Lugard (1965) had however pointed out that the main
purpose of Western education was to produce clerks and interpreters to
aid the administrative machinery of the imperial overlords. To Akinlua
(2007: 95) this type of education was not “founded on realistic
philosophical principlesâ€, and though the frame of reference for
curricular content was localized, other relevant issues such as models
of learning and teaching were based on the British system. Mathematics
as a core subject in secondary schools is one of the subjects that is
affected by the curricular content of the Nigerian educational system.
For this study, mathematics will be defined as numbers and operations,
algebra, and geometry (Michelli, 2013).
The way students perceive a
subject determines their success or failure in that subject. Some
students perceive mathematics as a no go area because of the negative
impression passed down to them by the past generations, who had bad
experience with unqualified mathematics teachers; that mathematics is
the most difficult subject in the school, that the subject is not meant
for everybody, not everybody passes it, it is meant for those with
special talent, some were born to do mathematics while others were not
(Audu, 1995). On hearing all these negative expressions before school
age or getting admission into school, the child psychologically develops
and nurses fear for the subject and comes to the lesson with these bad
notions and bias, which disassociate learning patterns, which are
impossible to build upon. This notion has done a lot of harm to the
teaching and learning of mathematics. Math phobia is the condition that
these bad notions lead to. That is, fear followed by low productivity
and consequently leads to low academic achievement in mathematics. This
study explores the influence of students' attitudes to the learning of
mathematics on their academic achievements in senior secondary schools
in jalingo metropolis.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The seemingly
misconceptions by students, parents, teachers and even Government
officials that mathematics is a difficult subject necessitated this
study. Most Nigerian students perform poorly in Mathematics examinations
and that they underachieved in mathematics when compared to students
from other countries such as Ghana. These results give impetus to the
development of further research that seeks to characterize and
understand different variables, which may influence student performance
in Mathematics. This will help to make possible strategies for future
action in schools, families, and communities, in order to bring about an
improvement in the failure rate in mathematics in school and public
examinations.
Also, the way students perceive a teacher or a subject
determines their success or failure in that subject. Some students today
perceived mathematics as no go area because of the negative impressions
passed down to them by the past generation who had bad experience with
unqualified mathematics teachers, which is still in circulation: that
mathematics is the most difficult subjects in the school, it is not
meant for everybody, not everybody passes it, it is meant for those with
special talent (Audu, 1995). On hearing all these negative expression
since before school age or getting admission into school, the child
psychologically develops fear for the subject and come to the lesson
with these notion and if confronted with any mathematical
problem-solving will quickly conceptualized him/her self: I cannot do
any difficult task, it is not meant for people like me, accepting defeat
Therefore,
the hierarchy needs of both teachers and students should be met to
motivate both parties for better performance. According to Maslow,
teachers should do everything possible to help students satisfy their
deficiency (mathematics), because an inner motivation for knowledge will
not develop until these basic needs are met. He observed that teachers
are not always able to intervene in student’s life to the extent
necessary to fulfill deficiency needs, but suggested that, teachers
instead are in a position to provide a classroom conducive for
learning,, that could fulfill deficiency needs, especially in
mathematics, a subject which if not passed with credit, no student could
be given admission into any tertiary institution, especially in science
and technology-related courses. Teachers and primarily parents, as much
as possible should help and encourage their children in meeting
deficiency needs, which consequently could enhance effective teaching
and learning of all subjects.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 2 of 3
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examined students’ attitudes towards the learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Jalingo Metropolis, Nigeria. The seemingly misconceptions by students, parents, teachers and even Government officials that mathematics is a difficult subject necessitated this study. The objectives of the study were to; determine the extent to which students’ attitude towards mathematics affect their academic performance in examinations; establish the relationship between teachersâ ... Continue reading---
