TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL ............................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ......................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ v
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. vii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................... I
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... I
1.0 Background to the study ........................................................................ I
1.2 Statement of the problem ....................................................................... I
1.3 Objectives of the study ............................................................................ 2
1.3.1 Purpose of the study ............................................................................ 2
1.3.2 Specific objectives ................................................................................. 2
1.4 Research questions ................................................................................... 3
1.5 Scope ............................................................................................................. 3
1.6 Significance of the study ......................................................................... 4
1. 7 Limitations ................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER TWO ..................................................................................................... 6
LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................. 15
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ I5
3.0 Introduction .............................................................................................. 15
3.1 Research design ....................................................................................... l5
3.2 Area and population study .................................................................. 15
3.3 Sample selection ...................................................................................... 15
3.4 Data collection ......................................................................................... 16
3.4.1 Research instruments ....................................................................... 16
3.5 Data collection procedures .................................................................. 16
3.6 Data processing and analysis ............................................................. 16
CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................. 17
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION ........... 17
4.0 Introduction .............................................................................................. 17
4.1 Background chamcteristics of respondents ................................... 17
4.1.1 Gender of teachers .............................................................................. 17
4.1.2 Professional qualification ................................................................. 18
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4.1.3 Experience of mathematics teachers ............................................ 19
4.2 General performance of learners in mathematics basing on
KCPE 2007 ............................................................................................................ 20
4.3 Attitude of teachers towards mathematics ..................................... 21
4.3.1 Reasons why mathematics teachers hold that negative
attitude ................................................................................. ...... 22
4.3.2 Pupils attitude towards learning mathematics ......................... 23
4.3.3 Reasons for some children not liking mathematics ................. 24
4.4 Teaching approaches and pupils performance in
mathematics ........................................................................................................ 24
4.5 Teaching learning resources and the pupils performance in
mathematics ......................................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................... 28
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 28
5.0 Introduction .............................................................................................. 28
5.1 Summary of findings .............................................................................. 28
5.2 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 32
5.3 Recommendations ................................................................................... 32
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 34
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 36
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR TEACHERS ................................ 36
Appendix 8: Questionnaire for pupils .......................................................... 38
ABSTRACT This study was carried out to investigate the factors influencing pupil's performance in mathematics in Makindu zone, Malcindu district. The following objectives guided the study; to assess the pupil's performance in mathematics; to establish the attitude which both the teachers and pupils hold towards mathematics, to establish the teaching approaches adopted by mathematics teachers, to assess the availability and adequacy of teaching learning aids used in schools. The research was presented in both qualitative and quantitative design. Qualitative design helped the researcher get a deeper meaning of the study while quantitative helped in analyzing the numbers that would be involved in the study. Findings from the study that in some primary schools, the resources for teaching mathematics were not adequate and worse still in some few schools, they were not even available. Evidently that was negatively impacting the pupil's performance in the subject. The study revealed that a great number of pupils enjoyed learning mathematics (38) although another fairly large number had a lukewarm attitude towards learning the subject, and the remaining few disliked the subject. Recommendations were also made like planning for the teaching must be strongly emphasized prior to the conducting of lessons in mathematics. Interest in the subject must be improved by teachers adopting the so called reform based approaches, to teaching mathematics.