22/08/2021
Mathematics is a hard-to-pass school subject for a large number of students in secondary schools in Nigeria. This may have adverse effect on scientific and technological development of the nation. The trade for the effect is not farfetched; Mathematics is the indispensable tool for learning sciences in particular and it is used in actualisation of technological devices. Aspects such as relations, measurement, arithmetical operations and so on are essentially necessary in this case. Besides, learners who are poor at Mathematics are robbed of benefits derivable from logical, critical and precise thinking the subject develops in the learners. Consequently, critical thinking which is germane to 21st century education and which leads to ability to solve life problems may be lacking if one lacks mathematical skills .
This may be the reason why researchers have been struggling with solutions to identified challenges that impede Students' learning in Mathematics. It is no news that insufficient qualified mathematics teachers, using traditional method of teaching, teaching mathematics in abstraction, negative attitude towards mathematics which is inherited from parents and senior students are parts of problems that lead to students poor performance on mathematics in Nigeria.
Despite numerous research findings and recommendations provided in a bid to improve teaching and learning of mathematics in schools, it is disheartening that the problems of student underachievement still remain . What does this translate to if we still have poor performance in mathematics in secondary, schools, negative attitude towards learning the subject and phobia for mathematics among secondary school students in Nigeria?
Teacher related factors and student related factors have to be addressed properly.