CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION             Personal Reflections

My experience as a mathematics teacher at Junior High School over the last decade has been interesting, educative, motivating and acquisition of experiences. Why do I say this? Many at times I have listened to statements like these from my students: “as for mathematics it is difficult “o”, Sir as for me, I don’t like mathematics at all, please, I don’t want to do Science at the SHS, yes because of the mathematics associated with science”, their response any time I have asked from them. Those and similar comments from my students have continued to be a worrying situation for me and therefore I keep asking myself why students would have such attitudes toward the subject I have liked all my school years, enjoyed so well and have become habituated.

As I listen to those comments from students, the zeal developed in me to research into the reasons that have necessitated such comments, thus the topic “analysis of junior high school (JHS) students’ attitudes toward mathematics and its effect on their academic achievement: the case of Asunafo south district.”

            Background to the Study

Mathematics has mastered virtually every area of human activity, especially in the era of science and technology. Mathematics is therefore a key element of the curriculum (Mahanta and Islam, 2012). Mathematics to the best of Morali, Köroğlu and Çelik (2004) is a thought, a way of life and, in fact, a globally accepted language that is considered as essential in the rapidly changing world, and is a key area for individuals, society,

technological advancement and scientific research community. To this end, Keith (2000) firmly stated that mathematics is considered a critical issue both by itself and through its important relationships with various fields, such as social science, natural science, medicine, engineering among others. Reasoning along with the same pattern, Usman (2002) considers that mathematics is a problem that permeates all aspects of human endeavor and is considered as the lifeline of several disciplines. Anthony and Walshaw (2009) contribute to the discourse by viewing mathematics as a key international curriculum subject that makes a critical input to all aspects of life in the private, social and urban spheres. That is, almost all subjects/areas of study/ life centres on mathematics education. Mathematics is, therefore, a global subject of study, and as such play, a critical role in all countries school curricular, especially the beginning stages.

Mathematics education in Ghana like in many other developing countries was keen even in the colonial era, a time when religious education was most considered in schools. Annabelle-Addo (1980) as cited in Serebour (2013) expounds on colonial era history to mathematics education, where arithmetic was taught as part of the curriculum to improve commercial activities. It is therefore not surprising that in Ghana mathematics is considered a core subject in the basic school (primary and junior high school) and secondary school curricular and an integral part of the school placement system in Ghana. A student must have a pass in mathematics, which is a core subject for entry into Senior High Schools in Ghana. Consequently, a Ghanaian student is required to pass three core subjects before he/she gains admission to Colleges or any Tertiary institutions.

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