TEACHERS QUALIFICATION & STUDENTS MOTIVATION FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO POOR PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN K.C.S.E IN SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KIAMBAA DIVISION OF CENTRAL PROVINCE, KENYA
Abstract
Students' poor performance in national examination remains a major concern worldwide and Kenya in particular. In an attempt to respond to this problem, the Kenyan Mathematics scholars have carried out many studies in Mathematics education. Despite these studies, students' performance remained poor. This means that the main reason for this poor performance had not been established. This study aimed at determining the qualification of the teachers and student’s motivation as factors contributing to the poor performance in Mathematics by students in secondary schools in Kiambaa Division. The study employed a descriptive survey and focused on Form 3 students and their Mathematics teachers. Random stratified technique was used to select 6 public secondary schools from 40 public schools of Kiambaa Division. Form 3 students were selected randomly. Simple random sampling was used to select 20 students and 4 teachers from each school sampled. Data was collected with two instruments, Mathematics Teacher Questionnaire (MTQ) and Mathematics Student's Questionnaire (MSQ). A total of 16 teachers and 80 students filled the MSQ and MTQ respectively. Data from the field was analysed qualitatively. The findings of this study would be of significance to the teachers, students, curriculum developers and college tutors in educational institutions with regard to improvement of Mathematics performance and education. The information provided would enable them to make important decisions on curriculum development and implementation, teacher training, proper administration, learning and teaching resources, change of attitude and motivation in learners that will help to improve performance in Mathematics. The study revealed that teachers were well qualified to teach mathematics. It was also revealed that students were not being well motivated to learn Mathematics. Based on the above findings, the study recommended that it schools should try and motivate students and help them develop positive attitude towards the subject.
Key Words: Teachers Qualification, Students Motivation, Poor Performance in Mathematics, Public Secondary Schools in Kiambaa Division, Kenya.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v3i3.305
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