Students perceptions towards mathematics : a case study of selected middle school in Male' / Mariyam Ameena

Abstract

Students' attitude towards mathematics is growing concern for educationalists all over the world as it is a core subject in almost all curriculum across the world. In the Republic of Maldives, students study mathematics as a compulsory subject in their ten years of obligatory schooling.
Using a qualitative case study research design backed by the interpretive paradigm, this research explored the students' perception towards studying mathematics and factors that contribute the students' perception. Six students from grade 6 and 7 from the selected school participated in individual interviews.
Four major themes emerged from the findings. They are attitudes, math anxiety, methods for teaching and classroom environment. The findings of this study reveal that the majority of students have a positive attitude towards mathematics. It was also found that the majority of the participants are satisfied with the teachers' methods of teaching and the materials that they use. A major finding of this study was a positive classroom environment which promotes mathematics learning exist in the school and math anxiety does not exist amongst the participants of this study.
The study strongly recommends the school should try to maintain and improve the positive classroom environment present in mathematics classrooms at present.

Key word: perception