PROBLEMS FACED BY SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS: A CASE STUDY
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to see if secondary school students have any problems with learning mathematics and, if so, what the causes are. A total of 150 students were involved in the study, which was a descriptive case study based on qualitative understanding from three selected secondary schools, of which 50 were from St. Andrew’s School, 50 from St. Christopher’s School, and 50 from St. Mathew’s School. About 14% of the participants said they had no problems with learning mathematics, whereas 86 % said they had faced problems in learning the subject. The content analysis method was used to determine the causes of their learning problems, taking into account the type of problems they faced and the type of secondary school they attended. The findings suggested that the problems faced by the participants in learning mathematics were due to the teachers and the content. The students of St. Andrew’s school and St. Christopher’s school lamented that their learning problems were mainly teacher-based, while the students of St. Mathew’s school attributed their learning problems to contend-based. The findings of this study are expected to lessen the difficulties that secondary school pupils confront in their academic journey of learning mathematics.
Downloads
References
Ali, T. (2011, June ). Exploring Students’ Learning Difficulties in Secondary Mathematics Classroom in Gilgit-Baltistan and Teachers’ Effort to Help Students Overcome. Bulletin of Education and Research, 33(1), 47-69 .
Aguilar, J. J. (2021). High School Students’ Reasons for disliking Mathematics: The Intersection Between Teacher’s Role and Student’s Emotions, Belief and Self-efficacy. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 16(3), 1-11.
Ahmet Delil, B. N. (2019, June). How 8th Graders are Assessed through Tests by Mathematics Teachers? International Journal of Educational Methodology , 5(3), 479 - 488.
Almarashdi, H. ( 2021, January). Mathematics Distance Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UAE: High School Students’ Perspectives. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(1), 292-307.
Chabulembwa, D. M. (2014). Challenges of Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Copperbelt University. 1-145.
Gay, L. R. (2012). Educational Research. Competencies for Analysis and Applications. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Ijaz Ahmed Tatlah. (2017, December). An Investigation of Students’ Learning Difficulties in Mathematics at the Seondary Level. Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 1(2), 141-151.
Jaggi, R. (2017, January). Problems Encountered by Students in Learning Mathematics. International Journal of Advance Research in Science and Technology, 6(1), -398.
Michael, I. (2015). Factors Leading to Poor Performance in Mathematics Subject in Kibaha Secondary Schools. 1-88.
Mulwa, E. C. (2015). Difficulties Encountered by Students in the Learning and Usage of Mathematical Terminology: A Critical Literature Review. Journal of Education and Practice , 6(13), 27-38.
Mutawah, M. A. (2015). The Influence of Mathematics Anxiety in Middle and High School Students Math Achievement. International Education Studies, 8(11), 239-252.
Nardi, E. (2003). Is Mathematics T.I.R.E.D? A Profile of Quiet Disaffection in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom. British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2003, 29(3), 345-367.
Nikmah, I. L. (2018). Students’ Difficulties on Solving Mathematical Problem Based on ESD Objectives. International Conference on Mathematics and Science Education, 1-7.
Ramli, F. (2013). Exploring Students in-depth learning difficulties in Mathematics through Teachers perspective. (P. -S. 345, Ed.) Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences . The 9th International Conference on Cognitive Science, 339-345.
Rameli, M; Kosnin, A (2018, December). Challenges in Mathematics Learning: A Study from School Students’ Perspective. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FGRS), Malaysia, 1-14.
Rusli. (2017). The Impact of Gender, Parents’ Education Level, and Socio-Economic Status on Turkish Students’ Mathematics Performance. Southeast Asian Mathematics Education Journal, 7(1), 57-64.
Sarmah, H. (2012). An Analysis of Students’ Interest in Mathematics in Relation to Gender of Students and Type of Schoo. International Journal of Mathematics Research, 4(6), 707-725.
Tabak, S. (2019, July). 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Students’ Misconceptions about the Order of Opreations. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 5(3), 363 - 373.
Tambychik, T. (2010). Students’ Difficulties in Mathematics Problem-Solving:What do they Say? International Conference on Mathematics Education Research 2010 (ICMER 2010). 8, pp. 142–151. Malaysia : Elsevier Ltd.
Willingham, D. (2009, January). Is It True That Some People Just Can't Do Math? American Educator, 1(1), 14-39.
Copyright (c) 2022 IJRDO - Journal of Educational Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the IJRDO Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
