Senior High School students' attitude towards mathematics and perception of their mathematics classroom learning environment

Abstract

This study investigated senior high school students‟ attitude towards mathematics and how they perceive their mathematics classroom learning environments. Two-hundred (200) participants from five senior high schools (School A, B, C, D and E) in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana consisted of the sample size. A descriptive survey design was used with a Mathematics Classroom Learning Environment Inventory (MCLEI) and Mathematics Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) as data collection tools. The MAQ was given to senior high school students to identify their attitude towards mathematics. The results indicated that the senior high school students exhibited negative attitude towards mathematics. The MCLEI was also given to senior high school students to identify their perception of their mathematics classroom learning environment. The results also indicated that the senior high school students perceived their mathematics classroom learning environment positively. A correlation analysis performed identified a moderate positive significant relationship, r (200) = .000 p < .05, two–tailed between the senior high school students‟ attitudes towards mathematics and their perception of their mathematics classroom learning environment. It was therefore recommended that mathematics educators at the high level of education, especially, at the senior high school, should implement teaching strategies that will improve upon their students‟ positive attitude and perception of their mathematics classroom learning environment.