Images of Mathematics Stakeholders in Teaching and Learning Mathematics at Secondary Schools in Sokoto State
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
In considering the needs to promote a better understanding of the image of mathematics the objective of the study are;
- To explore and identify the range of images, beliefs and attitude toward mathematics among stakeholders of secondary schools in Sokoto
- To explore stakeholder’s view about the possible cause and sources of images of mathematics and their attitudes toward mathematics in secondary school in Sokoto state.
- To find out whether the instructional materials for the subject of mathematics are available in the secondary school or
- To find out areas of coverage in
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
Mathematics is a subject that has been and will continue to be a source of concern to teacher, students, parent and indeed all stakeholders in the education industry in Nigeria. The reasons for this assertion are not farfetched the poor image of mathematics among students have over the years been a stumbling block for many students in their academic pursuit. For this group, the mere mention of mathematics is enough to send an electric shock down their spines! However, for some mathematics is a subject to be enjoyed. In fact, some students and their teacher cannot understand the hullabaloo about it. To the latter, mathematics is just and subject offered in the school curriculum. And to the other, generally speaking, mathematics is a subject that is often disliked by the students; it has been observed that many academically capable students prematurely restrict their educational and career options by discontinuing their mathematics learning early in the high school based on student attitude toward mathematics. The poor results in this subject have continued to be stumbling – block in the realization of the educational and employment desire of many candidates because it is a gatekeeper for any carriers. This implies that every individual needs some knowledge of mathematics in order to live a useful life and be an effective member of the society. Thomaskulty and George (2007), mathematics cannot be considered as a classroom discipline only. Reflecting on this James (2005) stated that not only an academician, scientist, an engineer, but a shopkeeper, a grocer, a house wife, a sportsman, and an employee need mathematics.
In the contemporary Nigeria, greater emphasis is being placed on industrial and Technological development. As a result student are being encouraged to take up sciences related subjects. One subject that cut across out the science is mathematics. Today, mathematics methods provide literally every field of human endeavour and play a fundamental role in economic development of a country. In math towards scientific and technological advancement, need nothing short of good performance in mathematics as all levels of schooling. Unfortunately performance of students in mathematics at the end of secondary education has not improved in the past decade (Umoinyang, 1999). Mathematical thinking is indispensable for all in this computer age, as a habit of mind for in application in sciences and technology. As a vital tool for the understanding and application of science and technology, mathematics plays vital role for precursor and harbinger, to the much needed technological and national development (Bassey, Joshua and Asim, 2010).
According to Steen (1989), we learn to mare sense of things around us, through mathematics. It is used in business and finance, and also for personal decision making. Also Arnold (2003) explains that problems which need mathematics for their solution also arise throughout industry. Steen expressed further that as technology has mathematicized the work place, and statistics has permeated the arena of public policy debate, the mathematical science have moved from being a requirement only for future scientists to being an essential ingredient in the education of all. There for the teacher methods of teaching mathematics and students attitude. Towards, a discipline that plays vital roles on the society in different forms and in different ways cannot be over emphasized.
History of Mathematics Teaching in Nigeria School
The development of an indigenous African Curriculum started early 1960’s, before this period nearly all textbook used in Africa were imported from Europe and America. So at the end of Colonial rule many African countries necessitate in the curriculum to some things more relevant to the African way of life in 1961 there was a conference of the advancement of new state Isreal Rev. Solomon Cauker of faurelbay college appealed to Gerold Zacharius to come and help in the education development of Africa.
The first largest modern mathematics project in Africa was initiate by Gerold Zacharius with the support of educational services incorporated based in America. Zacharius on his return to U.S.A gathered some American, British and African scholars to discuss the problem of African education in this house. This letter led to the formation of African educational project AEP in 1961. The AEP had its planning meeting in Acara, Ghana where they decided that their work should start with mathematics. This program was named the African mathematics Project (AMP).
CHAPTER THREE
Research Methodology
Introduction
The main aim of this study is to explore images of mathematics stakeholders in teachings and learning mathematics at secondary school in Sokoto State. And the chapter present the research design, the population of the study, sampled and sampling techniques, research instrumentation, method of data collection as well as method of data analysis.
Research Design
The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Descriptive survey is a systematic description of facts, qualities or characteristics of a given population or event which factually and accurately answer a given question posed by the problem under investigation (Nwanbo, 1984:).
Population of the Study
This research study titled images of mathematics stakeholders in teaching and leaning mathematics at secondary schools is Sokoto state has a target population that researchers intend to cover. The target population for this study is the secondary schools stakeholders. This include but not limited to students, teachers, parents, officials in ministry of education (MOE) and the rest.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data and finding from the analysis on the topic “images of mathematics stakeholders in teaching and learning mathematics at secondary schools in Sokoto State“. The purpose of data analysis is to reduce data into an intelligible and interpretable form so that the relations of research problems can be studied, and conclusions drawn (Devos, 1998). Thus, it is classified in such away as to answer the research questions earlier raised in the study.
The data presented and analyzed in this study is the data provided by stakeholders (students, teachers and parents) in Sokoto State through the questionnaire administered.
Data Presentation and Analysis
A total of 217 questionnaires were administered to the selected secondary school students in Sokoto State, while a total of 19 questionnaires were administered to the selected secondary teachers in Sokoto State and total of 19 questionnaires were administered to the parents in Sokoto State. On the whole two hundred and fifty five questionnaires were distributed and all were successfully returned filled, this will show below.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
INTRODUCTION
This is the portion of the study, which ties up the research objectives, significance of the study and the research question together. This provides the summary of the study, the conclusions with respect to the finding and lists of recommendations based on the findings in the study. The conclusion is about the connection between the findings of the present study and published literature. In recommendations, an overview of ideas and suggestion for further research is provided. Also, included in this chapter are suggestions for further research.
Summary
This study explores the range of images, beliefs and attitude towards mathematics as responded by a sample of stake holders of secondary schools in Sokoto state (students) teachers and parents). It also explores in greater depth the possible causal factors of influence on the formation of these images of mathematics. In this study, the term “image of mathematics’ is conceptualized as a mental representation or view of mathematics, presumably constructed as a result of social experience, mediated through interaction at school, or the influence of parents, teachers, peers or society. This is also understood broadly to include all visual and verbal representations, metaphorical images and association, attitudes and feeding related to mathematics and mathematics learning experience.
The design of this study was explorative and modestly interpretative, both quantitative and quantitative method were used in data collection. From a synthesis components of respondent’s images of mathematics these are (i) utilitarian, (ii) symbolic, and (iii) difficult view.
There are differences in the images and beliefs about mathematics between those who claimed to like mathematics and those who claimed to dislike mathematics. Notably, the former group of respondents ptends to view difficulty in mathematics as a challenge and attribute success in mathematics to efforts and perseverance. In contrast, the latte group tends to view difficulty in mathematics as an obstacle, and attributes failure to their own lack of inherited mathematics ability or blamed on other (particular, their mathematics teachers). In addition the interview data suggest that the teaching styles and the motivation given by these respondents mathematics teacher, and their parents (mostly father) were the two most important factors of influence on the formation of their attitude to mathematics and images of mathematics. Although these findings suggest that differences in (i) beliefs about attribution to success in mathematics, (ii) mathematics teachers’ teaching styles, and (iii) motivation given by mathematics teachers and parents may lead to differences in images and beliefs of mathematics. These in turn may lead to the differences in attitudes towards mathematics and learning mathematics. However, there is a slight different in the ranking of the most common reasons for disliking mathematics between males and females. The males tended to link to external factors such as blaming their mathematics teacher, whereas the females negative feelings, as well as their own lack of ability in mathematics.
Conclusion
In the light of these research findings on images of mathematics stake holders in teaching and learning at secondary school in Sokoto state, it is not out of place to emerge from this study. This indicated that the notion of difficulty was a part of their image of mathematics. These respondents viewed mathematics as a subject that is difficult to understand, that needs a lot of hard work and extra effort. Consequently, some believe that one needs to have a special mathematical ability to be good at mathematics that is mathematics is only for the intelligent ones. More than half of the respondents gave these similar reasons. While some of the respondents gave their images of mathematics as related to utilitarian and symbolic views of mathematics. Such as mathematics is the bedrock of science and technological development in every society, mathematics is useful in every day life and mathematics is both calculations of numbers and interesting. Generally, the images of mathematics of the sample are characterized by expression of feelings and attitudes, followed by the category of the nature of mathematics. The five most common factors of influence were: mathematics teachers; parents; peers; own interests in mathematics teacher was listed as the most common influence.
More than half of the sample responded that they like mathematics and one third of them stated they do not like mathematics. However, they gave their reasons for liking mathematics is, because they are good at it. Moreover, they appreciate the practical value of mathematics as they can use it at work and in daily life. On the subject that is difficult to understand and tended to feel that they lack the ability to learn mathematics and thus they are not good at it. They also tended to compare themselves with others and commonly believe that mathematics is only for the intelligent ones.
In term of gender comparisons, the results indicated that males showed the most positive images of mathematics, while female were shoed the least positive images of mathematics.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made;
- The result from this study suggested that, there is need to develop a positive images of mathematics through the setting up of “Mathematics Club” in every secondary school. Its aim should be asfollows,
- To develop a love forMathematics
- To help students develop positive attitude towards Mathematics development from ancient time topresent
- To further stress its importance to students who will go on higher institution of learning for mathematics related
- The respondents were also asked to give suggestions for the improvement of the mathematics learning, the majority of them gave some forms of suggestions for improving mathematics learning. Those who claimed to like mathematics tended to stress the importance of removing the anxiety or the negative image of mathematics as ‘difficult’ or ‘only for the intelligent ones’. They suggested that mathematics teachers should try to motivate and build up the self-confidence of pupils/students and convince them that everybody is able to be good at mathematics. One of them also suggested that we should admit that mathematics is difficult but then prepares students to take it on as a challenge. In addition, several of the respondents stressed the importance of relating mathematics to daily life experiences or activities and teaching it as a practical tool. They also suggested that as an effective strategy, students should be allowed to explore and solve problems themselves. A mathematics teacher should not be somebody who just stands there and lectures, but he should teach from the very beginning, how it can be applied to the real world and to see that it excites the students and teacher as For those who claimed to dislike mathematics, they tended to emphasize making mathematics interesting and fun by using games. This is because of their view that by making it more fun the students will be interested and they want to learn it, instead of feeling that they have to learn it. They also stressed the importance of where and how to get certain formula and problems, and then set them off their activities and exploiting the fact that mathematics is interlinked with many other subjects. Thus, the researchers notice that suggestions from both groups (those who sated that they linked and those who stated they disliked mathematics) were similar. Both tend to emphasize the importance of clear explanation, interesting and enjoyable mathematics lessons, as well as the relevance of mathematics in daily life.
- In order to improve the positive images of mathematics among stakeholders government should consider the followingpoints,
- The government should endeavour to provide the necessary infrastructures and facilities that will motivate teaching and learning of
- The government should come up with packages that will motivate mathematics teacher and reward hardworking teachers andstudents
- The state government should as a matter of urgency send mathematics teachers for training and seminars for effective teaching of mathematics in secondary
- The appropriate bodies responsible for monitoring of teachers and students should be made to leave up to
- Since the present study was limited to senior secondary schools students, similar studies could be carried out to cover both junior ands senior secondary schools students as well as other sectors of
Contribution to Knowledge
This research has contributed in finding out the solutions that can help in teaching and learning mathematics in secondary school through investigation how stakeholders view mathematics. Following are some of the contributions.
- Teachers should try to see that attention is paid to students seriously during their secondary school level, if possible their should be left at the hand of the most experienced teachers during that
- Parents should show their interest of mathematics to their children by encouraging their children in learningmathematics
- The government concerned should improve the condition of services for teachers, teachers were over worked because the number of periods per week and the number of students per class was too large for effective teaching. Training of mathematics teachers should therefore be accelerated so that when the manpower shortages is reduced the teachers’ work load should accordingly be
Suggestion for Further Studies
Teachers often face many obstacle in the class room a wide range in ability, lack of supports or resources, large class size, time constraints. But Perhaps one of the difficult obstacle is fear of mathematics. Mathematics phobia can easily translate into students exhibiting anxiety, lack of involvement and even behavioral issues.
Research has confirmed that mathematics anxiety is linked to poor mathematics performance, and make teaching the subject a daily struggle. The following can help the stakeholders to overcome the problems
- Building students confidence in mathematics
- Strengthen students basic skills
- Develop a growth mindset
- The attitudes of the teachers
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