Abstract
The study
was designed to evaluate the difficulties encountered by teachers in teaching
of mathematics in secondary schools in Warri South Local Government Area of
Delta State. To direct the study two research questions were raised. The study
adopted the survey research design. The data gathered for the study were
analyzed using mean and standard deviation to test the questions raised. The
results of the analysis showed that teachers encountered the item in numeration
as difficult for teaching and organizing workshop to train teachers on modern
technology,
encouragement of further studied, on the job-training and
re-training programme, motivation and reward for hard work and sponsoring
conferences for teachers on how to teach mathematics are all strategies to improve
the teaching of mathematics. Based on these findings some recommendations were
made.Introduction
Background of the Study
Mathematics
is a vital subject as well as a key to finding the solution to human problems
and it is as old as nature. According to the Collins English Dictionary (2003),
mathematics is a group of related sciences including algebra, geometry and
calculus concerned with the study of number, quantity, shape and space and
their interrelationship by using a specialized notation. Therefore, it is
necessary for a person to have the knowledge of the subject as to live as a
useful and effective student of the study. For instance, a builder requires
some knowledge of mathematics for the measurement of furniture and the angles at
which wood would be joined to get the right type of building and furniture.
Also, a trader needs the knowledge of the four basic arithmetic operations
(addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) to assist him in
accounting for the number of goods he has sold, his profit or loss made
(Okurumeh, 2003).
Inspite
of the importance of mathematics, the teaching of this subject has been poor in
secondary school where a solid foundation is supposed to be laid (Enukoha,
Ahamefuna & Umoinyang, 2009). According to Owolabi (2007), students’
performance in mathematics examination yet requires more from them. He further
maintained that students’ performance over the years, when rated cannot be
evaluated up to 20% of the whole population having credit in external
examinations which is so poor. Therefore, there had been many problems
encountered by teachers in teaching of mathematics (Harbor-Peters, 2001).
This
situation calls for unlimited efforts to improving the performance of pupils in
mathematics. For instance, there had been a lot of workshops on how to
effectively deliver mathematics instruction. Thus, the Mathematical Association
of Nigeria (MAN) organized workshops for mathematics teachers in primary,
secondary and tertiary levels of education on how to teach the subject, as well
as, its presentation before the students in order to enhance pupils’
performance.
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