| dc.description.abstract | This research aimed to examine factors influencing students’ performance in
mathematics at Puntland secondary school certificate examination in Puntland
state, Somalia. The study was guided by four objectives: to assess how the
teachers’ professional qualifications in Mathematics affected students’
performance in secondary schools in Puntland State, to establish how
adequacy of teaching- learning resource materials in mathematics affected
students’ performance at secondary school, to assess how students’
perceptions of their career development affected performance in Mathematics
at secondary school and to establish how students’ previous primary school
achievement influenced their performance in Mathematics at secondary
school. The study adopted the Education Production Function Theory by
Schulz (1961). The study adopted a descriptive survey design targeting 20
supervisors, 25 head teachers, 45 teachers and 1099 students. Data was
analyzed and presented in percentages, frequencies, graphs and tables. The
study revealed that most of the teachers have necessary qualifications for
teaching mathematics at secondary school level, but the methodologies they
used were mainly teacher-centered. The study also found out that there is
insufficient mathematics resource materials; a textbook: student ratio is on
average 1:10 which does not favour students to do individual assignments in
class or at home. The students’ have high perception on the career
development in mathematics; students perceived mathematics as important for
their life. On the contrary, teachers, head teachers and most of the supervisors
have the opinion that the students’ have poor attitude towards mathematics
because of their dismal performance. They all felt that students have weak
foundation in mathematics. Further study of other factors affecting the
students’ performance and teaching methodologies is suggested. | en_US |
