the causes and effects of phobia in mathematics ... - information library

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITED TO NATIONAL TEACHER?S INSTITUTE, KADUNA

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A POST GRADUKATE DIPLOMA (PGD) IN EDUCATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1???????????? BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY:

Mathematics can be defined as the science of number and space and the language of science and technology. It is an essential requirement by every field of intellectual Endeavour and human development to cope with the challenges of life.? Mathematics can also be defined as the

queen and servant of all the school subjects since it cut across the school curricula. It is equally seen as the language used to describe the problems arising in technology.? It relates other school subjects in areas like number and numeration, variations, graphs, fractions, solution of equation, and areas and volumes.

Brief history of the formal teaching of mathematics in Nigeria Started with Arithmetics a component of mathematics at the primary and postprimary schools Fajemidagba (1999), according to him, Arithmetics was compulsory for every primary school pupils and must be passed before a pupil? could obtain the ?Primary school leaving certificate,? the same condition holds for the Teacher Training Colleges either grade II or III. ??After the launching of the Sputnik, the first earth Satellite in space in November 1957 by the Russians, which according to Griffiths and Howson (1974) has an enormous effects on American Complacency about superiority in engineering capability over that of Russians.? The result of the doubt were series of hot debates and arguments on the suitability or otherwise of the school mathematics and curricula.? These occurrences were called ?issues and forces?: behind the reformation of school mathematics Curricula Contents, which also affect various reforms in school Mathematics programme in Nigeria. The reformation of mathematics curricula has continued to evolve considering its enormous importance to the development of the world. Mathematics still remains one of the core and compulsory subjects for the Nigerian students at both primary and post primary schools. Recently, mathematics has become a determining factor to gaining admission into most Nigerian universities as it must be passed up to credit level before one gains admission.? ?

In spite of its importance to the students? advancement in academics, many students dread mathematics. Given the right to chose, many secondary school students would outrightly avoid mathematics, this is because?? many of them have developed some elements of fears about the subject, may be, as a result of long time negative information they get every year about the poor and low level performance in WAEC and NECO examinations in Mathematics or other factors this research work sets?? out to unravel. According to Ajagun (2000) the performance of students in both junior and senior secondary science in Nigeria has remained an issue of concern to all stakeholders.

Dwelling more on the fear of mathematics by the secondary school students, psychologytoday.com defines? fear as a vital response to physical and emotional danger? if we didn?t feel it, we couldn?t protect ourselves from the?? legitimate threats.? Toscany Academy (2012) This quote can be translated in the context of threat posed by mathematics to the candidates preparing for the examination.? Since most of these students have lost hope and psychologically? defeated due to fear, this affect their level of interest and passion in the subject and the greater percentage of students opt for examination malpractices and resort to external help.? We all know that fear is learnt, ?a burnt child dreads fire? is a saying we often use showing that a child learns from his/her?? experiences.? Fear is also contagious as children learn fear from observing other show fears.?? Children also learn fear from their contemporaries.

Phobia in the other hand is a clinical or pathologically intense fear often irrational leading to a compulsive need to avoid a thing or event.

(NTI PDE 102:187) the term ?Phobia? in an everyday life can be used to refer to fears which have rational?? origin. When?? fear reaches an extreme pitch, it becomes a phobia. The? implication? of the above in? a child is,? if?? failure is greeted?? with scolding and corporal? punishment with little attention? to? motivation, clarity and? relevance, student? will? dislike to learn a particular subject.? When experience of learning becomes so unpleasant, it creates the emotions of fear and boredom. In such situation,?? even the brightest pupils will fail to profit?? from learning (NTI, PDE 102)?

1.2? STATEMENT?? OF THE PROBLEM

The lackadaisical attitude of the?? students?? towards mathematics in our secondary school has reached such an extreme pitch, that every lover of education, growth and development of Nigeria cannot afford to keep mute on the happenings in the mathematics education.? Ajagun (2000) decried ?the?? performance of students in both junior and senior secondary science has remained an issue of concern to all the stakeholders. The overwhelming personal observation on? the types of students? found in science classes of our?today- secondary schools in? Nigeria can be better? imagined than? to engage as ones students. In?? the past, we used to have brilliant? students in sciences,? if that? is true,? it implies that something has gone? wrong somewhere, either that our students? do not work? hard again, or? they have been overtaken by fear of some of? these? subjects. Fear as we all know is learnt?? and it is contagious and?? dangerous. It may have struck our students into avoidance of mathematic.

Phobia has been defined as a clinical or pathologically intense fear often irrational leading to a compulsive need to avoid an event or thing. Personal observation has also revealed that many a student?? would desert or dodge mathematics class just? before?? the? arrival of?? the teacher and?? during the examination he/she?? struggles? to pass at all cost. It is? against? these ugly trend and background ?that the? researcher sets out to? investigate? some of the causes and? effects of? phobia in? mathematics among secondary school students in Abakaliki?? Local? Government? Area? with a view to? allaying the fear in our students? and? to better position them with right? disposition for active? learning of mathematics.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY?

The general purpose of this study is to investigate the possible causes and effects of students? phobia in mathematics as? regards to implications and?? threats posed to the development of our country Nigeria and the developments of science and technology.

The specific purpose of this study is derived from the general purpose?? stated above, these include the following:

i.??????????????????? ?To x-ray the causes of phobia? in? mathematics amongst the secondary school students in Abakaliki Local Government? Area?

ii.???????????????? To investigate the effects of this phobia in?? mathematics? on the students performance in both internal and external examination

iii.?????????????? To find out how teaching techniques and instructional materials would improve the lukewarm attitudes of students towards ??mathematics.

iv.?????????????? To access the? impact of ??phobia in? mathematics to the development of science and technology Nigeria

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY?

This study is of immense significant as the findings would use in the following ways:

i.??????????????????? ?To help students overcome the unnecessary that has hampered from effective learning of mathematics in our secondary schools.

ii.???????????????? To help?? the students? improve on their?? performances in mathematics and? other science subjects ?

iii.?????????????? The prevalent cases of? examination malpractices amongst the secondary ?school students especial in? mathematics would?? be reduced to? the? barest? minimal

iv.?????????????? It will equally help to improve on? the? number of candidates wishing?? to make? career in mathematics in our tertiary? institutions

v.????????????????? The Nigerian government stands to benefit?? from this research work in the aspect of positioning the?? country as a technological and industrialized nation since the bedrock of science and technology is mathematics. Again?? the guest for??? self ?reliance and self ?employment to the teeming youths will find solutions in this research work.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research project will only explore on the causes and effects of phobia in mathematics amongst the secondary school students in Abakaliki Local Government Area only. Nevertheless, it would have been ideal enough to carryout?? this research in the whole of Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large so as to reach an irrevocable conclusion on the matter, but for time and financial constraints.? The?? questionnaire and interview will? be structured to cover? only ten secondary schools? in? Abakaliki? Local? Government Area? and the content? would span on the causes of phobia in mathematics, the consequences of phobia? in the? students performance in both internal and external examinations.? It will equally harness the best teaching techniques and instructional materials for??? the effective learning and?? lesson delivery. The importance of?? mathematics to the national development?? will be brought to bare.?

1.6 RESEARCH? QUESTIONS

In the course of carrying out this project work, the following questions have been formulated to provide the needed information to achieve the set?? objectives of this study; namely

1.????? What are the cases of phobia in mathematics among?? the students of secondary schools, in Abakaliki?

2.????? What effects do you think phobia in mathematics has in the performance of students in both internal and external examinations?

3.????? ?What impact has phobia in mathematics on the national development?

Related Posts: MATHEMATICS, TVE

Source: http://martinslibrary.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-causes-and-effects-of-phobia-in.html

peyton hillis fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers nfl mock draft 2012 norfolk island michael brockers