FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UZO-UWANI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE
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ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to find out the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu state. There are five (5) research questions formulated to guide this study. There are eighteen (18) secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu state. Out of these secondary schools, ten (10) schools were randomly selected through ballot method. In each of the ten (10) schools selected for the study, two (2) classes of SSII were randomly selected using ballot method; this implies that 440 students were selected for the study. Also six (6) mathematics teachers were randomly selected in each schools used for the study through ballot method, this implies that sixty (60) mathematics teachers were used for the study. The questionnaire was used to collect and analyze the data.
The instrument were validated by three (3) experienced mathematics lecturers and two (2) experts in measurement and evaluation all from the department of science and computer education of Enugu State of Science and technology (ESUT), and the test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The data collected from the students were analyzed using the mean respondents’ scores. The result showed that the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools are as follows; students have negative attitude towards the learning of mathematics, students in mathematics have very poor background, parents have negative attitude towards the learning of mathematics, the learning environment are not well conducive for learning, most of the mathematics teachers are not qualified. It also discussed the implication of the findings and finally recommendations were made to enhance students’ achievement in mathematics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction 1
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 6
Purpose of the Study 7
Significance of the Study 8
Scope of the Study 9
Research Question 10
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review 11
2.1 Mathematics Education 11
2.2 Academic Performance 14
2.3 Factors that Contributes to Poor Academic Performance 15
2.4 Quality of Mathematics Teachers 15
2.5 Negative Attitude of Students of Mathematics 20
2.6 Effective Use of Instructional Materials 22
2.7 Provision of Mathematics Laboratory 23
2.8 Recruitment of Qualified Mathematics Teachers 24
2.9 Lack of Adequate Funding from Government 25
2.10 Poor Students’ Background in Mathematics 27
2.11 Parental Related Factors 29
2.12 Unconducive School Environment 30
2.13 Mathemaphobia 32
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Research Method 34
3.1 Research Design 34
3.2 Area of the Study 35
3.3 Population of the Study 35
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques 36
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection 36
3.6 Validation of the Instrument 37
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument 37
3.8 Method of Data Collection 38
3.9 Method of Data Analysis 38
3.10 Decision Rule 39
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 Presentation and Analysis of Data 40
4.1 Research Question 1 40
4.2 Research Question 2 42
4.3 Research Question 3 44
4.4 Research Question 4 46
4.5 Research Question 5 48
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Discussion of Findings, Conclusion, Implications
and Recommendations 50
5.1 Discussion of Findings 50
5.2 Conclusion 52
5.3 Recommendations 54
5.4 Limitation of the Study 55
5.5 Summary of the Study 55
5.6 Suggestion for Further Study 57
REFERENCES 58
APPENDIX I 63
APPENDIX II 64
QUESTIONNAIRE 65
APPENDIX III 70
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The focus of this study is secondary school education. Secondary education is the stage following primary education. It is generally the final stage of compulsory education. In some country, it is a period of compulsory and a period of non-compulsory education. Secondary education is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory education to selective education for adult.
The content and philosophy of Nigeria education must reflect the past, present and drive into the future of Nigeria society in term of the role the individual is expected to play in the present national building process (Vision 20:2020)
Education is the best legacy given to a child; it is the producer of human capital. It is the truth of existence and centre of life. Every human-being depends on education for truthful, peaceful and wise co-existence. It has witnessed active participation by non-governmental agencies, communities and individual as well as government parastatals in order to bring education to the country. Education is an instrument for national development, it fosters on the worth and development of individual to be self-reliant, just and building egalitarian society (Federal Republic of Nigeria [FRN] 2004).
Mathematics is all embracing and all encompassing. In virtually all spheres of human endeavor, mathematics was used as an aid in commerce farming and control of environment. Mathematics also proved it usefulness in areas of medicine, engineering, administration and aviation just mention but a few. This was when people felt incomplete without the basic knowledge of arithmetic.
Mathematics calls for adequate concentration and adequate practices. As learners are involved in these activities they develop interest and get motivated, which are well oriented, they enjoy and concentrate there on, no matter how complicated and involving activities maybe.
According to statistics, academic performance in mathematics among secondary school students has bees on the decline since the end of civil war in 1970. The decline is mostly affecting secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area.
The efforts of the Nigerian government in highlighting the importance of mathematics study in schools by making it compulsory for all students and in addition to the efforts of Mathematics Association of Nigeria (MAN) towards the development of mathematics, student still perform poorly in this subject in both internal and external examination.
Obodo (2004:18) highlighted on this by saying that “A teacher achieves this concentration by beginning the lesson in an officious manner with respect to awaking the interest of students and sustaining if through skillful instructional management. In most cases, teachers fall to observe this skillful instructional management and the obvious result is that the more the teacher teaches, the more confused the student will be and the deeper the aversion and fear for the subject”.
Children need to understand spoken and written expression which involves mathematical concepts and number relationship. They must be able to solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Consequently and currently in Nigeria, students are allowed to study some course on gaining admission into universities because of their poor performance in West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) or National Examination Council (NECO). In consonance, this study will look into the lapses to the government, curriculum develops, textbooks, publisher, teachers and students, families and their members at large and others involved in the education sectors. The constraints in poor achievement in mathematics, as an adage has it “A problem identified is halfway solved” it implies that knowing the constraints will be of immense help in solving it.
According to Leeichi (2007:41), “Learning is the human activity which least needs manipulation by others” this means that everybody is endowed with the ability to learn but an expert (a qualified teacher has to manipulate the endowment, otherwise it becomes disused). Teaching and learning of mathematics is not exceptional.
Without effective teaching and learning of mathematics there will be poor performance in mathematics work. Considering the recovery and terrible failure of secondary school students in SSCE, the researcher was forced to ask; what are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning? Some of the pertinent questions often ask are: How widespread is the incident of poor external result among Nigerian students? What is the role of the notation special center in the whole problem? And to what extent have the parent and teacher contributed to the factors militating against effective teaching and learning to student in public examination especially the one being conducted by WAEC and NECO?
Obodo (2004:14) opined that “A shortage of qualified mathematics teachers will result to poor teaching and learning of mathematics and consequently poor achievement and performance of students, which invariably will lead to the production of another generation of poor student achievers who will eventually turn-out to teach mathematics poorly tomorrow”.
This illustrates that any student who develops phobia for mathematics cannot learn well. Mathematics is a language of size and order. This explains why some students develop sudden fever whenever it is time for mathematics lesson in a school.
According to National Policy on Education, stated by Obodo (2004), the aims and objectives of secondary education should be as follows:-
- To provide necessary mathematical background for further education
- To stimulate and encourage creativity
- To develop the ability to recognize problems and to solve them with related mathematical knowledge
- To develop precise, logical and abstract thinking
- To develop computational skill
- To generates interest in mathematics and to provide a solid foundation for everyday living
- To foster the desire and ability to be accurate to degree relevant to the problem at hand
From the above objectives of mathematics, it became quite obvious that even the entire world
race depends on the knowledge of mathematics to achieve it aim and objective. But with recurring and terrible failure among secondary school students in SSCE, how can this aim be achieved.
The focus of this study, the researcher wants to know the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Okpara (2010) stated that over the years students have shown high rate of mass failure in mathematics. He further stated that the problem of mass failure could be attributed on the quality of teaching in schools, saying that unless there was improvement in the teaching and learning in schools, there is little the examination body could do to salvage the already bad situation.
The government, parent, policy makers, mathematics educators, mathematics and different professional organization are bothered about what could be responsible for this factor militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics.
The researcher is worried about this unfortunate development and he asked, “What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools”?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The general purpose of this study is to determine the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu State.
Specifically, the study intends to find out the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools from:-
- The attitude of students towards mathematics
- Poor foundation from primary mathematics as inherited, affects students’ proficiency in secondary school mathematics
- Parent attitude
- Learning environment
- Quality of mathematics teachers
1.4 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY
The result of this study will be beneficial to students, curriculum planners and developers, parents, textbook publishers, government, teachers.
The result will help students to re-direct their psychological feelings towards mathematics. Also, education planners and policy makers will use the result of this study to proffer possible way for improving the academic factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools.
The result of this study will help the parent in providing the necessary materials needed for effective teaching and learning of mathematics for their children so that they can develop interest in it.
The result of this study will help the government to provide instructional materials to secondary school students’ better performance.
The result of this study will aid mathematics teachers to evaluate themselves and in turn improve upon their teaching method.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is limited to identifying the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
This study is limited to the attitude of students, poor foundation in primary mathematics as inherited affects students’ proficiency in secondary school mathematics, parent attitude, environment factors and qualities of mathematics teachers.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTION
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:
- What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools “from the attitude of students towards mathematics”
- What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools “from the foundation of mathematics”
- What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools “from the attitude of parents”
- What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools “from the learning environment”
- What are the factors militating against effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools “from the mathematics teachers”
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
The review of literature is presented under the following sub-headings: