Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the attitude of
students towards the study of mathematics in the public senior high schools in
Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (K.EEA) Municipality. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. Data were collected using Mathematics Teachers
Questionnaires (MTQ) for teachers and Mathematics Students Questionnaires (MSQ)
for students. These were administered on a sample of 13 teachers and 340 students
respectively selected from three public senior high schools in KEEA municipality.
The MSQ was given to senior high school students to identify their attitude towards
mathematics. The results indicated that the senior high school students exhibited
positive attitude towards mathematics According to the findings, the issues associated
with attitudes toward mathematics study among senior high school students was a
lack of confidence and interest in the ability to learn and perform well in mathematics.
The study also found that the teachers’ method of teaching, the number of lessons
taught by the teacher, years of experience in teaching mathematics, method used by
teachers to motivate the students, the teachers own attitude toward the subject, the
parents and siblings of the students and the friends or peers of the students appeared
as main factors that influence or reinforce student attitude towards the study of
mathematics. It was therefore recommended that since students in senior high school
had a positive attitude towards mathematics, mathematics educators should make use
of this positive attitude to encourage students to appreciate the process of learning
mathematics. It was also recommended that teachers must be aware of students'
attitudes towards mathematics because they influence how the subject is taught and
learned. This would make it possible for educators to create effective methodologies
and plans to improve mathematics teaching and learning
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of Mathematics Education, Faculty of Science
Education, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the award of the Degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Mathematics Education)
in the University of Education Winneba
