STATISTICAL ANALYSIS TOWARDS S.S.C.E

CHAPTER ONE

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Mathematics has been looked upon as a way of finding solution to the problems of way in which we use information, use our knowledge of shapes and measure, use our ability to calculate, and most importantly, think for ourselves in seeing and using relationship Lassa and polling 1993

This is to say that a human being must have knowledge of mathematics to live successfully problems are always encounter in all fields of human endeavour that require the knowledge and application of mathematics.

But in Nigeria, it appears the study of mathematics is not taken seriously. It is the fact that the performances of students in mathematics at senior secondary certificate examination over the years have been very poor. There are also shortages of mathematics teachers in our secondary school. These and other problems make it necessary to look of the failing of secondary school students towards mathematics.

The performances of a student towards a particular school subject influence how he/she performs in that particular subject. The performance of students in mathematics, positions or negative can be influenced by a number of factors such as the way teachers handle the students. This is because students can not be interested in mathematics when they dont understand the concept and they are not motivated.

The feeling of parents towards mathematics will influence their children felling towards their directions. The moment the parents have negative attitude towards mathematics, they will tempt to any bad performance of their children in mathematics say that, even themselves were not good in mathematics during their time to believe that mathematics is not to be understood it and thereby hate mathematics the more. Adim 1998

The personal interest of student also influences their performance towards mathematics. Students that want to be scientist or an engineer will certainly be told by his guidance, counselor to make mathematics his walking stick and hence he will be motivated to love mathematics and study mathematics seriously. EWARD 1968

The factors that can influence students performance towards mathematics are many so that an attempt to analyze all of them will be focused of finding out what is the performance of senior secondary school certificate examination in Gboko town of Gboko Local Government towards mathematics learners.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Mathematics is unavoidable tools in the study of science and technology which will make a nation develop in its scientific era. This is the reason while this research topic has been signed out to carry out the statistics of performance in Gboko town of Gboko local Government area. The research wishes to provide answers to questions such a:

i. What is the statistical analysis of the performance of secondary school certificate examination towards mathematics Its positive or negative

ii. Do secondary school boys love mathematics more than the girls

iii. Do the senior secondary school love mathematics more than the juniorsecondary school student