Learner and Teacher Perception on Difficulties in Learning and Teaching Mathematics : Some Implications / K. Abdul Gafoor and Abidha Kurukkan.
Mathematics holds a relevant and unique place in the school curriculum as it is important for a better living of the individual. But, it is known that most of the students are considering mathematics as difficult. This study examines the difficulties perceived by high school students and teachers in...
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
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Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
2015.
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| Summary: | Mathematics holds a relevant and unique place in the school curriculum as it is important for a better living of the individual. But, it is known that most of the students are considering mathematics as difficult. This study examines the difficulties perceived by high school students and teachers in learning and teaching mathematics. Two hundred 9th standard students and fourteen mathematics teachers participated in the survey. The questionnaires on perception of students and teachers, comprises closed as well as open ended items. The study incorporated cognitive, affective and environmental reasons that contribute to the difficulty in learning mathematics. The factors that make mathematics difficult for students to learn included difficulty in remembering the content learned in the previous classes, rapid forgetting of the learned material and the difficulty in understanding mathematics concepts. Further analysis revealed that students who feel mathematics highly difficult tends to believe that they lacks in learning strategies. Such students have lack of self efficacy and feel more difficulty in understanding mathematics. Students who feel Mathematics as highly difficult tends to forget it faster. Conversely students who feel mathematics as fairly easy reports their teachers teaching them well and understanding the concepts quickly. It was noted that the students who feel Mathematics as highly difficult tends to leave the task with little effort than those who feel the subject easy. According to teachers, students' lack of effort and prerequisites are the major reasons for mathematics being a difficult subject for students. Reluctance to seek help from others, inattention in the classroom and students' lack of motivation were also perceived to contribute toward difficulty in learning mathematics. Teachers reported also that, lack of relevant prerequisites, difficulty in speedy grasping of the concepts and more number of students in a classroom are causing difficulty in teaching mathematics. The findings indicate the need for teachers to realize the importance of making school mathematics interesting for students to take effort in learning it. The result is discussed in relation to students' beliefs and study strategies. |
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| Item Description: | Abstractor: As Provided. Educational level discussed: High Schools. Educational level discussed: Secondary Education. |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (13 pages) |