Primary school learners' attitudes on Mathematics learning in Mathematics

Abstract

This dissertation presents a study on the primary school learners, attitudes on Mathematics learning in the Groot Letaba Circuit of Mopani District in Limpopo Province. Performance in Mathematics by students has persistently been poor. This study sought to investigate the primary school learners’ attitudes on Mathematics learning. The poor performance of learners in many schools in the Groot Letaba Circuit motivated the researcher to conduct this study. The situation is worsened by the inability of the heads of department and principals to guide and support educators. An exploratory qualitative case study research design was adopted for the study. The target population was 33 respondents, which comprised of five teachers and 28 learners from grade one to seven selected schools in Groot Letaba Circuit. The data for the research was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The study revealed that many learners have negative attitudes towards learning Mathematics and that there are many factors which contribute to the negative attitude. Improving on these factors and sensitization of the local community to discard practices which prohibit student’s effective participation in learning Mathematics could improve performance in Mathematics. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will give curriculum developers new insights into emerging issues on performance and influence the Ministry of Education on policy formulation. Learners are also expected to benefit from the findings; because improved Mathematics performance will give them opportunities to pursue science related courses in higher institutions of learning and middle level colleges. The situation is worsened by the inability of the heads of department and principals to guide and support educators. Finally, the researcher gave general recommendations for improving the attitudes of learners towards learning Mathematics.