STUDENTS PROBLEMS IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS

STUDENTS PROBLEMS IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS

(A CASE STUDY OF ORLU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.)

 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Education in Nigeria today is a subject of considerable interest and is a concern to all and sundry teachers, parents guardians and the society. Moreover, not only do we talk so much about education, we also want more of it for our children and for ourselves. We want more and more qualified people in various fields and professions.

In all cases, people share the common concern and interest in education because of the belief that education is the most effective instrument to bring about the desired changes in the Nigerian society. Nigeria, as a developing country, depends on technology. Technology is based on science of which mathematics is an integral part.  

For the country to meet her aspirations in technology, she must train enough mathematicians. Unfortunately it appears that not much attention is given to mathematics in our secondary schools. By investing heavily on education, there is no course in our society today that does not involve mathematics. Even courses in the arts, and social sciences including politics today have some element of mathematics. Naturally all that happens today in our everyday life is science and mathematics plays an important role in all of them. The importance of mathematics cannot be cover-emphasized. Traders, businessmen, market women, farmers, even our old parent’s use some Arithmetic daily to earn their living. Looking at our secondary schools, some of the students who could not finish their education would make use of their own enterprise.

Inspite of the importance of mathematics in the development of the economy of any nation, what we find in our schools today is neglect of this subject. Secondary school students especially those sitting for the WAEC regard mathematics as an unattainable subject.

Parents, however, watch with dismay the recruitment poor performance in mathematics by their wards in both internal and public examinations. This failure rate has reached alarming proportions to the extent that common Arithmetical problems arising from the work of ordinary teachers, technicians and farmers cannot be solved by some school leaves. Students avoid mathematical lesson on the ground that they never pass it.

Then the question now is what the cause of this poor performance is? Why do students find mathematics difficult? What are the problems they encounter in studying mathematic?

This research seeks to investigate the difficult which confronts students in the study of mathematics such as the regularity of students to mathematic classes, the students poor study of habits, student guidance and counseling, the ability of the students to do tests, assignments given to them etc.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

A rational survey of the labour market would show that many science graduates are unemployed. They roam about the streets like all other unemployed citizens and cannot even boast of self-employment if given the money and equipment.

This is because of the deficient nature of our education. Students are not well given good background in mathematics, especially in public schools. At the secondary school level there are inadequate qualified teachers such as those with school certificate and G.C.E. advanced level handling senior secondary students. In our secondary schools today, students view mathematic as a magic, they look at it as a mystery. With this in mind, they assume that mathematics belongs to a special set of people. This has then stuck not only in the mind of school children but also among adults who had unfortunately passed through the bands of mathematic was regarded as a new manipulation of numbers mechanically to arrived at a desired result. This is because the subject mathematics was not specially defined.

With many subject in the secondary schools as provided by the new 6-3-3-4 system competing for the attention of students, mathematics appears to lay behind in the list of subjects enjoyed by students. Why should this be the case. This state of affairs has generated much concern for most educators thus Leton, the former Federal commissioner for Education, (1972, P. 12) expressed the view that one of the problems which the incoming civilian Government has to tackle is the production of science and mathematics teachers at the secondary schools and university levels.

However, there is no doubt about the growing poor performance and lack of interest in secondary school mathematics by our students in our modern age of science and technology. David Wheelers (1981) stated that effective teaching seems contingent on many circumstances. It depends for example on physical conditions in the classroom, the students motivation to learn, the steps taken to reverse the present trend, it would be difficult to replace, the present generation of mathematics as more and more students are being erroneously scared away from the subject mathematics.

It is in the light of these that the researcher has been induced to investigate the problems and difficult confronting the study of mathematics in senior secondary schools, because according to Johnson and Rising (1967: P.6) mathematics with its symbolism, its logical structure, its wide application has teaching and learning problems. Some of the probable problems or difficult being investigated hinge on the following factors:-

1. The students regularity to mathematics classes.
2. The lack of students interest on the teaching and learning of mathematics
   
3. The response of students toward assignments, test, home-work given to then after mathematics classes.
4. The students study habits
5. The availability of guidance and counseling in schools.
6. The mathematics teachers competence in teaching mathematics.

1.3     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Generally, there is a belief that any students who is doing well in mathematics will certainly do very well in other science subjects. This belief has motivated me to state the unavoidable importance of mathematics in our everyday life. This highlighting that mathematics is a key with which we open other subjects. A good knowledge of mathematics fosters sound judgment, decision-making, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. It is a great pity that some students leave school without enjoying and feeling the beauty of mathematics. Mathematics is core subject in our secondary schools and admission cannot be given to any candidate in the faculties of the sciences, engineering, Medicine, and social sciences without the minimum requirement of a pass in mathematics in the senior school certificate (SSC) or General Certificate in Education- G.C.E. examinations.

Considering the importance and place of mathematics in all everyday endeavours as summarized above, the idea that mathematics is difficult and is never passed except by extra-ordinary people should be dismissed. The purpose of this study is to determine those factors that militate against the study of mathematic by senior secondary schools in Lokoja metropolis. In a nut-shell, the study is designed to find out the nature of difficulties facing students in the study of mathematics, which contribute to their poor performance.

1. Investigate whether students have interest in learning mathematics.
2. Find out if the students absence themselves from mathematics classes.
3. Examine whether the students call for private teaching concerning the areas or topics that appear confusing to them.
4. Investigate how the students are tested in mathematic and how they respond.
5. Find out if they have poor study habits.
6. Examine mathematics teachers’ attitudes towards motivating the students in studying mathematic.

1.4     DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Owing to the time factor and financial constraints, I have limited the study to six (6) secondary schools randomly chosen in the lokoja metropolis.

In the six chosen schools, two (2) are boys schools, two (2) are girls secondary schools and tw0 (2) are co-education.

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher posed the following questions:

1. Do students have interest in mathematics?
2. After mathematics classes, do students go for private lessons on the areas they are confused.
3. Do students attend mathematics classes regularly?
4. Are the students given enough assignments tests, home-work to practice on after mathematics classes?
5. Do students have poor study habits?
6. Is there enough guidance and counseling?
7. Are the mathematics teachers willing to impart mathematics knowledge to the students?
8. Are there enough books, libraries, mathematics lab.?

1.6     DEFINITION OF TERMS

L.G.A.        =       Local Government Area

GSSSL       =       Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja.

WAEC       =       West African School Certificate

Maths        =       Mathematic