FACTORS INFLUENCING GIRLS PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS.

“A CASE STUDY OF HELEN KAUNDA SECONDARY SCHOOL”

BY
ALBERT MWAPE

19010316

A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE MUKUBA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL

FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE BACHELOR OF
EDUCATION IN NATURAL SCIENCES.

MUKUBA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
 COPY RIGHT

NO PART OF THIS DISSERTATION MAY BE REPRODUCED ,STORED IN ANY

RETRIEVAL SYSTEM OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY OTHER
MEANS SUCH AS ELECTRONIC ,MECHANICAL ,PHOTOCOPYING ,READING OR
OTHERWISE WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOUR OR
MUKUBA UNIVERSITY.

MUKUBA UNIVERSITY

KITWE,

ZAMBIA.
 DECLARATION

This research project report is my original work and has not been submitted for a degree in
any other university.

Signature: ............................................ Date: ................................................

 APPROVAL

This dissertation of ALBERT MWAPE is approved as fulfilling part of the requirements for
the award of the degree of bachelors of education with mathematics in the course EDU 300:
Educational research by the Mukuba University.

Signature: .............................................. Date: ....................................

Signature: .............................................. Date: ....................................

 DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to my wonderful and loving family and friends for their spiritual and

moral support they rendered throughout my education .as without their support, it would have

been so difficult for me to make it.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am most grateful to the source of my wisdom and strong pillar of my life the God Almighty
for making it possible for me to carry out this study and for seeing me though from beginning
to the end of the study.

I sincerely appreciate the commendable efforts of my supervisor Mr Chanda L the senior

lecturer of Mukuba University who has not tired of assisting me and for his constant advice,
encouragement and support throughout the research process.

I would like to register my appreciation to my lecturers who gave their knowledge in order to
ensure that the learning process was enjoyable and worthwhile.
 ABSTRACT.

The purpose of this study was to find out the factors influencing girls’ performance in
mathematics at Helen Kaunda secondary school .the specific objectives of the study included;
(1) To establish girls’ performance in mathematics in Kitwe district’s secondary schools (2)
To examine challenges faced by girls in mathematics in Kitwe district’s secondary schools on
the copper belt province, Zambia. (3) To assess strategies that can be adopted in order to
improve girls’ performance in mathematics. The study employed a descriptive survey
research design based on a cross sectional descriptive research design and both quantitative
and qualitative research strategies were employed in the data collection process.
 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.
1.0 Overview
This chapter shows the background of the study on, Problem statement, purpose, objective,
research questions, significance of the study, and limitation of the study, scope and Basic
Assumptions of the Study and end with chapter summary.
1.1 Background to the Study
The Performance of girls in mathematics as a science subject has been a consistent global
problem and African countries are not excluded. It is generally agreed that in the current
knowledge economy society, science, technology and innovation play a major role towards
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Several factors contribute to the
low/good participation and performance of girls and women in science subjects particularly
mathematics and technology education and science based activities in Africa as continent and
their lack of motivation for learning mathematics.
The last decades of the twentieth century saw many concerted efforts in research into gender
issues all over the world. In Africa, international bodies and educationalists began in the
1960s to look into the way girls and women were faring in Education. Their findings were
depressing. By 1970s pro-female initiatives by some African governments to encourage
enrolment of girls in schools were started. Consequently, low enrolment figures indicated in
the earlier years (I960-70) were in the 1990s shown to have improved. In Zambian statistics
indicated that girls comprised 50% of the pupil's enrolled in 1990, an increase from 44.8% in
the previous years. While in Malawi, Kenya and Nigeria females constituted nearly 54% of
the children enrolled in grade one (FAWEZA 1996).
For over twenty years there has been concern about the lack of women in higher level
mathematics and in careers for which mathematics was a prerequisite. Fennema and Sherman
(I977) claimed that a lack of mathematical background knowledge prevented women from
entering a variety of occupations. In Australia too, mathematics results are used as a critical
filter for higher education and future careers (Willis, 1995) and sex differences in
participation remain a concern (Cuttance, 1995; Barnes & Horne, 1996).Over the last two
decades in Australia there have been a number of government policy initiatives concerning
the education of girls (Australian Education Council, 1993). There has also been renewed
interest in the potential of single-sex environments to cater more effectively for the needs of
girls (Milligan & Thomson, 1992).

Girls who participate well in mathematics are discriminated and men fear to marry them
thinking they are tough. Such attitudes have led to poor performance of girls in mathematics
and therefore there's need for the study to clear up such attitudes. Due to the fact that such
attitudes are among many factors influencing girl’s performance in mathematics.
Zambia being one of the African countries is not excluded from the above mentioned global
problem, in fact the problem is even worse in Zambia. Following the history of education in
Zambia since independence, female participation in education faculties especially in
mathematics, sciences, vocation and technology has been poor as a result of several factors.
A lot of non-governmental organisation such as FAWEZA have come on board in order to
help the Zambian government to solve the problem of finances in educating a girl child and
several other activities which promote girl child participation in science based subjects.in
addition, the Zambian government through the ministry of education is not just seated and
watch the situation get worse it has tried formulating A lot of policies aimed at addressing
girls child education such as “re-entry policy “which help female pupils who gets pregnant at
school to get back to school after delivering, other than that free education for all from grade
1 to 7 and many other policies were made in order to address the matter. Despite all these
good initiatives being put up by the government the problem is still in existence. Hence the
need to conduct a research on factors influencing girls’ performance in mathematics so as to
try and narrow down the knowledge gap.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The need to learn mathematics and science subjects in today's science-oriented, computerized
world - in order to comprehend the era's technology and strengthen the base of research, on
the one hand, and the importance of women as half of the divine capital and society's
intellectual resources on the other justifies the need for the study of this subject.
Rapid growth, new developments and technology have made the acquisition of new and
substantial information and skills in order to increase the ability to adapt to the changing
conditions of life, understand the era's technology and scientific knowledge imperative for
all. Along these lines, some subjects, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology
demand greater attention and investment in society's educational plans. This is especially true
in the world today which becomes more computer and math oriented by the hour.
Considering their fundamental nature and their influence in the growth and development of
thought, strengthening the foundations of research, sciences are of great importance. This is
presently why mathematics is practically the only subject which is taught in every school
around the world. Unfortunately, despite absorbing a wealth of human and financial capital
from the society, family and government, sciences prove to be the most problematic subjects.
Girls, in this regard, display greater difficulties. In many developing countries and even in
most parts Of the industrialized world, girls show a lower level of performance than boys and
associate negative connotations to these subjects in general. This study is to be carried out in
order to find out factors influencing girl’s performance in mathematics by sourcing out the
reasons as to what causes both the poor and good performance of girls in Mathematics.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing girls’ performance in
mathematics in Zambian secondary schools.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The study will be guided by the following objectives:
1. To establish girls’ performance in mathematics in Kitwe district’s secondary schools
2. To examine challenges faced by girls in mathematics in Kitwe district’s secondary
schools on the copper belt province, Zambia.
3. To assess strategies that can be adopted in order to improve girls’ performance in
mathematics.
1.5 Research Questions
The study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. How do girls perform in mathematics in Kitwe district’s secondary schools?
2. What are the challenges faced by girls in achieving their potential in mathematics in
Kitwe district’s secondary schools?
3. What strategies can be adopted to improve girls’ performance in mathematics?
1.6 Significance of the Study
The findings in this study will be beneficial in quite a number ways to all the school stake
holders and some of which are: Enable Policy Makers provision for improving teacher’s
quality with increased knowledge on the relationship between attitudes and achievement in
mathematics of girls among pupils in Kitwe and Zambia as whole.
Furthermore, the information that will be compiled in this study may be used to Increase
awareness of the Head teachers, Board of parent teachers association (PTA) and Teachers on
factors associated with high and low performance in mathematics of a girl child. In addition,
the findings will be also expected to assist teachers to adjust their methodology of teaching to
incorporate solutions to any shortcomings that will be highlighted in the study.

Apart from the above mentioned benefits, Standards Officers in the Ministry of Education
(MoE) may use the information to design appropriate interventions that may help in
improving performance in Mathematics of a girl child. In brief the mathematics teacher
performance will be reviewed, priority areas for Improvement will be identified and
improvement plan containing key priority areas may be developed for each priority area.
Lastly the study will give possible solutions to all education stakeholders to improve
Mathematics performance of a girl child.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
This study is meant to be conducted atleast at three (3) girl’s secondary schools, but due to
the number of limitation that we might encounter as we conduct this study some of which are:
Long Distance is one of the challenges that we will have to encounter as will be correcting
data from the three schools since the schools are not in one place or area. Furthermore, lack
of funds to buy all materials required, typing and print out enough questionnaires that are to
be used in carrying out the study, transport fare and lunch (food).
Apart from the above given limitations, the other limitations that we might face are that some
respondents may fail to give the answers to the questionnaires or no answers at all due to fear
of victimization.
Lastly, the study will be carried out in Kitwe District in Zambia, where resources can be said
to be adequate. This means that the results may not be generalised to rural and remote areas
where school infrastructure and other resources are scarce. It is due to the following reasons
listed above that we decide to conduct our study on just one girl’s secondary school.
1.8 Delimitation of the Study
The study was conducted at a goverment collage of education in Kitwe District of the copper
belt province in Zambia and focused on girls.
1.9 Basic Assumptions of the Study
It is assumed that the stundents, lecturers and head of department for mathematics at zambia
institute of business studies and industrial practice (ZIBSIP) in Kitwe District, who will be
the respondents in this study, would be available for the research and that they possess
relevant knowledge that would be of help to the researcher to make accurate conclusions.
1.2.0 Chapter summary
The chapter has highlighted on the following components that make up chapter one of our
study which are : back ground of the study, statement of the problem ,purpose of the
study ,objectives of the study, research questions ,significance of the study, limitation of the
study ,delimitation and basic assumptions of the study.
2.0 structure of the report.
The following is the outline of these chapters, namely:
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 is the introductory chapter which contains the background of the study, Problem
statement, purpose, objective, research questions, significance of the study, and limitation of
the study, scope and Basic Assumptions of the Study and end with chapter summary.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 consist of a review of the literature available on factors influencing girl’s
performance in mathematics academic work. In this section the researcher will discuss about
the three objectives of the research.
Chapter 3
This chapter outline the research methodology and design .this includes specifying the
research design, the population and the sample, sampling procedures, research instruments,
data collection procedures, presentation of the data and the analysis produces and summary.
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 consist of data presentation and analysis .this chapter addresses all the objectives
which are in chapter one .it addresses the data which was corrected from the respondents and
correlate it to the literature review.
Chapter 5
This section is for the discussion of the findings.
Chapter 6
This chapter consists of the general conclusion and recommendations which will be done by
the researcher.
2.1 Summary
This section looked at the background of the study, statements of the problem, purpose of the
study, objective of the study, research questions and significance of the study and the
limitation of the study.
 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the literature that informs the researcher and that has
implications on the findings. This chapter is divided into the following sub sections: global
perspective on girls' education ; regional perspective on girls' education is discussed; the
Zambian situation, factors influencing girls academic performance, the performances of girls
in mathematics as a science subject, challenges facing girls in achieving their potential in
mathematics, strategies for improvement of girls education, solutions to the girl-child
education issues; the conceptual framework that guides the study and knowledge gap that this
study entails to fill is highlighted in the final section and ends with a chapter summary.
2.1 Global Perspective
The current development policy emphasis on human resource development in general and
female education in particular, is largely in terms of economic efficiency and social welfare
arguments. The rationale for investment in education tends to be based on economic
arguments about rates of return and efficient allocation of resources. An extension of this
argument is that investment in education provides social benefits which are not captured by
individuals’ or households, and which therefore justify state subsidies to education. This
argument is used particularly to justify greater subsidies to female education since it is held
that social benefits to female education (e.g. reduced fertility, improved health etc.) are
greater than those to male education (Herz et al, 1991; King and Hill, 1991).
2.2 Millennium Development Goals in education
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals
which all the 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations
have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The second goal deals with achieving universal
primary education and the third goal deals with promoting gender equality and empowering
women. Education is key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The education of
girls must be mainstreamed within a nation’s education system.
Related to Girls’ Education, the Millennium Development Goals sets the following targets: to
ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full
course of primary schooling and eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education preferably by 2005 and to all levels of education not later than 2015.
The Millennium Development Goals on education and gender equality reinforce previous
international agreements most notably the Education for All Conference in 1990, and the
Dakar World Education Forum in 2000 that launched the Secretary-General’s United Nation
Girls Education Initiative, to which practically all countries have subscribed. The United
Nations Girls’ Education Initiative works to fulfil these goals. The Millennium Declaration,
endorsed by 189 governments and 147 heads of state, represents a wider and more
authoritative consensus which UNGEI, with its quantitative and qualitative objectives, can
both support and benefit from. The declaration puts the goals related to poverty and
development in the context of rights based approach, and, very clearly, makes reaching
people the centrepiece of its vision. The MDG “roadmap” presented to the 2001 General
Assembly, emphasizing the “people” focus, estimates that, in the year 2000, there were 113
million children of primary school age not in school, of whom about 68 million are girls.
These children are the main targets of the declaration, together with the cohorts who will be
denied school entry and completion in succeeding years. Girls’ education needs to be
addressed in a broader context that acknowledges the need to fight against hunger, rural
poverty or other barriers to gender equity.
2.3 Global overview of education and gender in Asia
Discussion of Asia and the Pacific as a region is problematic, given the wide variation in
levels of economic development, overall levels of educational enrolment and gender parity in
enrolment. South Asia is clearly the sub-region with the poorest performance, with the
exceptions of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. East Asia fares best, with Taiwan, Korea, Hong
Kong, and Singapore reaching levels of education on a par with western industrialised market
economies. In South East Asia, general education levels are also relatively high in most
countries and gender disparity not wide; with the exceptions of Papua New Guinea and the
Solomon Islands, primary enrolment ratios and literacy rates are high in the Pacific.
South Asia is the region where, apart from Sub-Saharan Africa, girls’ education lags most
severely behind boys’. Further, gender differences in primary level enrolment range from
15% to 50% points. There has been considerable expansion of enrolments between 1960
and1987 (from 51 to 78 percent at primary level) but progress has been slower than in most
regions and educational expenditure in the region remains low. At post-primary level South
Asia has the widest gender gap of any third world region (Khan, 1991). One third of boys but
only one fifth of girls attend secondary school - this is the cumulative effect of disadvantage
at primary level and of high dropout rates of girls - although data in this area are scanty
(Hertz et al, 1991).
Poor education indicators and wide gender disparities in South Asian countries in part reflects
their low per capita incomes, agrarian based economies and relatively low female labour
force. Participation rates in most South Asian countries are a function of low educational
spending, and pervasive patterns of sex segregation and gender discrimination. Low female
life expectancy and imbalance in sex ratios in the population have been widely documented
in the region, reflecting patterns of gender discrimination in the allocation of food and
spending on health. Socio-cultural factors restricting women’s mobility and autonomy (e.g.
purdah, dowry, early marriage) are also major constraints to women’s participation in
education in the region.

East Asia has the fastest economic growth rate of 17% and the highest education level of any
third world region. Most countries in the region fall into the middle income category
(excluding Cambodia, China, Laos and Viet Nam, which are low income countries).
However, within the region, there is a wide range of income levels, from US $200 (1992
estimate) in Cambodia (EIU, 1993) to US $7410 in Singapore (1987). The fast economic and
technological growth in East Asian countries is in part a result of their relatively high levels
of education and growing pool of post-primary educated workers. In this region, there is near
universal primary education and two thirds literacy on average. Sri Lanka and the Maldives
are exceptions to the regional pattern. Recent developments in the methodologies for
conceptualising women’s work and collecting data on female labour force participation and
economic activity of women has led to some upward revision of activity rates in Asia as
elsewhere
2.4 Regional Perspective
Most Africans do not have adequate access to education. Access to education opportunity
provides for the girl-child to be educated. It deals with the availability, convenience and
ability to be educated. It is true that many governments make provision for the education of
their citizens, but the provisions most of the time do not take cognizance of the peculiarities
of the girl-child. In that case the girl-child may not have access to education, which is a
fundamental human right. The education of the African girl-child can lead to greater stability
and improved standards of living. The current state of education in Africa is plagued by a
lack of funds, teachers, and textbooks. Primary school enrollments and literacy rates in Africa
are among the lowest in the world. 42 million school children in sub-Saharan Africa are not
enrolled in school (USAID, 2002). Many children cannot afford to go or stay in primary
school. Classroom. instruction and textbooks are still the primary methods used for formal
teaching and learning in African countries. Due to the power struggles and uncertainty in the
African society, people migrate from town to town frequently. Traditional learning methods
such as classrooms or textbooks do not accommodate this nomadic behaviour of the African
population. Furthermore, people need to work in the fields or help out with family chores.
Children also start working at a young age. People in this environment simply do not have
time to attend classroom on a daily basis. The numbers of children with access to basic
education in Sub-Saharan Africa have increased substantially over the last two decades but
many still remain out of school. Some fail to enrol at all, especially in fragile states, and
many more start school but do not complete the basic cycle. Education for All (EFA) and the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have generated commitments to improve greatly
access to education
Research has shown that millions of girls do not have access to school despite the concerted
efforts to push the cause forward. Okeke et al.(2008) identified child labour, poverty and lack
of sponsorship, quest for wealth, bereavement, truancy, broken home, engagement of children
as house helps, as factors or the clog in the wheel of children’s access to education in the
UNICEF A-Field made up of Abia, AkwaIbom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River,
Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and River states of Nigeria. According to World Bank (2003), more than
350 million people, over half Africa’s population, live below the poverty line of one dollar
per day. This implies that poverty excludes children, including the girl-child, from school.
In Ethiopia, girls are sometimes abducted for marriage when they are no more than eight
years. In West Africa, they are recruited from poor rural families to work as domestic
servants in coastal cities or even neighbouring countries. In Nigeria it is very difficult to find
a house help today. This is because there is awareness of the values of education, and so
parents do not give out their children any more as house helps. When, His Excellency, was
the Minister of Education and Executive Governor of Ebonyi state, he prescribed some
punishment for any parents who gave out their child for house help, especially the girl-child.
In South Africa, a recent report by Human Rights Watch warns that sexual violence and
abuse are hampering girls’ access to education. In Afghanistan, they have simply been barred
from school under the Taleban regime. According to Guttman (a UNESCO courier
journalist), customs, poverty, fear and violence are the reasons why girls still account for
60% of the estimated 113 million out-of-school children, and majority live in sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia. In Uganda, Birungi (2008) cited the rampant fire in schools as
examples of the gaps in implementation of the girl-child education. She noted that the
previous year’s floods in eastern Uganda left many schools in disrepair and these were seen
as forms of exclusion. senior secondary education, students sit for the Zambian general
school Certificate of Secondary Education, an exam that determines entry into higher
education. This examination education system puts a lot of pressure on students, parents and
teacher’s .Students feel intense pressure from parents and teachers to do well in the national
examination in order to gain admission into government-sponsored schools or universities
(Tumuti, 1985; Kithyo and Petrina, 2002).
2.5 Factors That Influence Girls’ Academic Performance
The high failure rate among girls in science subjects as compared to other subjects in Zambia
is alarming. There seems to be some contributory factors that are leading to the failure rate.
A good environment must be created for knowledge to be fostered on the part of the child.
According to Vernon (1986) "an environment must be created which is stimulating enough
for children to develop their abilities and satisfy their interests." He states further that "it is
important that the child be happy in school, that his/her life develop from day to day with a
feeling of achievement, that he/she consider himself/herself a person of work, that he/she
feels that he/she is understood and appreciated, and that he/she has opportunities to express
his/her creative and artistic abilities.
Teachers teaching the subject are most probably unable to apply in practice what they teach
in the classroom situation. This is due to the lack of knowledge and professionalism on the
subject. There is no professional competence amongst them thus contributing to poor
performance by the learners in the subjects. One could assume that teachers lack the skills of
teaching the subject properly and professionally. Mastery of the subject matter to be taught is
also one important aspect that is required for good teaching. Good skills in teaching are not
important if the subject matter is not mastered by the teacher.
Holmes and group as quoted by Ornstein (1992) maintains that "pedagogical knowledge, and
skills are as important than subject knowledge, and is best illustrated by the recent emphasis
on cognitive psychology, with its focus on teaching methods, thinking skills, and student
learning strategies." Teachers' skills and strategies are very important in educative teaching.
True knowledge of teaching is achieved by practice and experience in the classroom.
According to one researcher, "the knowledge that teachers came to have the most faith in and
used most frequently to guide their teaching is consistent with traditions that have worked in
the classroom area" (Ornstein, 1992). Teachers who lack good teaching skills cannot be
expected to produce good results. If teachers have problems on the subject itself, it is worse
on the part of the learners. "Understanding requires matching materials to the learners’
abilities and prior knowledge. If students do not understand the materials, frustrations sets in,
making learning more difficult"(Ornstein, 1992).
Research done by Lepper and his colleagues as quoted by Eisner (1985) indicates that in a
number of experiments that the use of extrinsic rewards create a set of expectations on the
child's part. The research data further suggests that recognition and rewards for students’
accomplishment are a proven way of raising children's self-esteem. Teachers are lacking
positive expectations about their students’ learning abilities in science. They are not
providing honest rewards and praise. It is the teacher's role to assure that each learner can be
successful at something. There are no rewards or prizes to female science learners and this
dampen their future interests of pursuing with the subject.
Learners are expected to obtain knowledge with regard to the demands made by different
occupational fields in order to succeed in them and this can only happen if they are given this
knowledge by knowledgeable teachers in the subject they offer. Education must be goal
directed and learner centred. Jacobs (l991) mentions that "occupational choice is the result of
conservative decisions made during specific phases in one's life. "Learners are not obtaining
knowledge in these subjects with regard to the demands made by occupational fields that are
technologically oriented in order to succeed in them. They are not being helped to discover
their talents in the field of science and this is hindering their occupational interests. Learners
taking the sciences are not aware of what the subjects they are taking can bring to them.
Educational and occupational information are not being provided and interpreted to learners
in the field of science. Learners are not guided to explore the educational and occupational
possibilities in the field of science hence knowing very little or none at all about vocations
related to science. Learners are not being made aware to understand their own potential with
a view of making an educational or occupational choice of their own which is related to
sciences.
2.6 Challenges Facing Girls in Achieving Their Potential in Science Subjects
The right to education, which is a fundamental human right, is frequently denied to girls in
some Africa countries. The then United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, stated that in
Africa, when families have to make a choice, due to limited resources, of educating either a
girl or a boy child, it is always the boy that is chosen to attend school. Many girls are
prevented from getting the education entitled to them because families often send their
daughters out to work at a young age, so that they can get the additional income they may
need to exist beyond subsistence level, and finance the education of sons. Some of the
challenges that girls face that put them at a disadvantage to achieve their potential in science
subjects in the Zambian school Certificate of Secondary Education include the direct and
indirect costs of education which can be high, traditional attitude and practice which can
work against a girl’s right to education, the legal framework which is often weak and
disadvantages girls in particular, the irrelevance of schooling. Children are more likely to
drop out of school if it is irrelevant to their realities and issues of safety and security in and
around school particularly affect girls. The education system itself can be a considerable
barrier to education. Most of the factors that militate against the girl-child access to education
are socio-cultural. Many countries on the African continent rank among the poorest in the
world. The on-going HIV/AIDS epidemics, over-crowding in cities, tribal warfare and
corrupt governments have contributed to the degeneration of the beautiful African land into a
human rights catastrophe. At the centre of the devastating situation is the girl-child. The girl-
children appear to be the most vulnerable and most undervalued members of the world
society. In a region where many are struggling to get enough food and to stay alive, remain
out of reach of the various violent rebel armies, and to care for those stricken with various
diseases, a basic education, especially for girl children, is low on the list of priorities.
2.7 Gender Inequality in Education
Another interesting study was about female participation in general education called “Girl s
education and gender equality education “conducted by Arnot (2020) the major aim was to
come up with the possible way of promoting gender equality in education. In His conclusion
he argued that “lack of interventions that seek to enhance the capacity of poor or
marginalized women and girls to participate in discussing school practices and reflecting on
their experiences are not well organised and established to motivate girls in schooling
activity. “The argument was the fact that girl’s motivation to participate in school activities is
not enough. However, their study did not answer the question of the cognitive physiology of
females as compared to male in order to explain the factor associated with female
participation in education. The study was also about the general education not the isolated
disciplines such us mathematics and science. This particular study tried to narrow itself by
considering the two most challenging disciplines in general education mathematics and
sciences.

Despite having a lot of policies top promote girl’s participation in mathematics and sciences,
girls do opt out of mathematics in high school thus restricting their educational and career
options. Baker (2007) noted that low participation of women in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities is a challenge not only unique to developing
nations but to developed nations as well. As observed by Asare (2017), girls opt out of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at higher rates than boys. Enrolments in
Advanced level mathematics in Urban High Schools confirms that indeed there is low
participation of girls in mathematics.
2.8 chapter summary
This chapter has presented finding of other of other researchers based on the following
components: overview, global perspective, millennium development goals in education and
gender in Asia, regional perspective, Zambian situation, factors that influence girl’s academic
performance, challenges facing girls in achieving their potential in mathematics and gender
inequality.

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 overview
This chapter outlines the research methodology that will be used in the study. It is discussed
under the following sub-topics; research design, target population, sampling procedure,
methods of data collection, reliability and validity of data collection instruments, methods of
data analysis, ethical considerations, and operationalization of variables.
3.1 Research Design
In This study we shall employ a descriptive survey research design based on a cross sectional
descriptive research design. The cross-sectional survey research, as argued by Best and Kahn
(1986), information is collected from random a sample which is been drawn from the target
population and the sample represents the target population. The design helps in collecting
data on the current status of the situation without manipulating the environment hence both
quantitative and qualitative research strategies will be employed in the data collection
process.
3.2 Target Population
The target population for this study consist of ten (10) mathematics lecturers and forty (40)
female students of Zambia institute of business studies and industrial practice of Kitwe
District.
3.3 Sampling Procedure
Sampling is a procedure where a fraction of the data is taken from a large set of data, and the
inference drawn from the sample is extended to the whole group. This study used forty (40)
female senior secondary pupils and ten (10) mathematics teachers to make the sample size of
The study. The sampling units will be obtained through simple random sampling technique
where each sample unit have an equal and independent chance of being selected.
3.4 Methods of Data Collection
Self-administered questionnaires, key informant guides, focus group discussion guides and
document analysis will be used to collect information from the respondents for this study.
The two categories of questionnaires that will be used are pupils Questionnaires and Teacher
Questionnaires. This approach is seen as ideal, because the aim is to capture in-depth views
of both the educators and their learners. Such views would hopefully put into perspective, the
context in which the teaching and learning of mathematics takes place. It is also hoped that
the views would provide an empirical basis of what could be done to counter the contributory
factors to poor performance in mathematics.
3.5 Validity of Instruments
Ogula (1998) stated that validity is the extent to which a research instrument measures what it
is designed to measure. In this exercise, the instrument together with the research questions
will be submitted to an expert in educational research in order to assess the content and
construct validity so as to minimise occurrence of prejudice and obtain useful data.

3.6 Methods of Data Analysis

Qualitative data collected during the key informant’s interview was transcribed or translated
depending on the language used to conduct the interview and typed into Ms Word. The
quantitative data was coded manually before the data entry process. All the data collected
was entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences and analysed using descriptive
statistics. Exploratory data analysis was conducted in order to uncover the structure of the
data or any unusual value entered. Analysis began by tabulating the respondent’s background
characteristics by frequencies and percentages. Bivariate analysis was then conducted in
order to investigate association between the dependent and independent variables. The
correlation tests were used to test for the associations and strength of association between the
variables respectively.
3.7 Ethical Considerations
Prior to embarking on the study, the researcher will need a written permission from the
concerned authorities. The questionnaire will be approved by the supervisor before being
used in the research. The participants will be informed of the purpose of study and assured of
confidentiality. No names will be required on the questionnaire and participation will be
voluntary.
3.8 Chapter summary
This chapter has highlighted the research methodology based on the following sub headings:
overview, research design, target population, sampling procedure, methods of data collection,
validity of instrument, methods of data analysis and ethical consideration.

Chapter 4

DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 overview

This chapter covers data analysis, presentation and interpretation of research findings
obtained from the participants from the Zambia institute of business studies and industrial
practice. The study focused on assessing the performance of female students in mathematics,
challenges facings girls in the pursuit of education and the strategies to improve girls’
performance in mathematics.

4.2 Response Rate

This study was conducted at one teachers Education College in Kitwe. A total of 49
questionnaires were administered randomly to selected students, mathematics lectures and the
head of department at ZIBSIP. Out of these, 38 were successfully collected indicating a
77.6% response rate. The response rate is shown in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1: Questionnaires return rate

S/No. School Questionnaires Questionnaires Percentage

 Issued Returned

1 Zibsip 49 38 77.6

total 49 38 77.6

4.3 Descriptive Characteristics of the Respondents

The general characteristic of the students who participated in the study is cross-tabulated in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2: General characteristics of the students’ respondents

Gender of the respondents (%)

Age of respondents in Male Female Total

years

18 to 20 1.8 2.4 4.2

21 to 22 22.0 38.7 60.7

23 to 25 13.7 18.5 32.1

26 and 2.4 0.6 3.0

above

Total 39.9 60.1 100.0

The female population was higher among the students’ respondents accounting for 60.1% of the total
students’ respondents in comparison to 39.9% of the male students. 60.7% of the students were aged
between 21 and 22 years and only 3.0% were above 26 years.

4.4 Performances for Girls and Boys in Mathematics

The performance was investigated by analysing the 2016 promotion exam results. The performance
of boys in mathematics was far much better as compared to the girls’ performance. This is evident in
the 2016 promotion exam. For example in mathematics 83.0% of the students who sat for
mathematics promotion exam in 2016 at Zambia institute of business studies and industrial practice
scored a C+ were girls while only 70.8% scored a C+ were boys .

4.5 Challenges Facing Girls in Mathematics and Sciences

The challenges facing girls in mathematics was measured using both closed and open ended questions
and also observation. In open-ended questions the respondents were given room to explain their
answers in detail. In the closed questions, the participants used Yes and No structure as well as a five-
point Likert scale (i.e. 5= Strongly Agree, 4= Agree, 3= Undecided, 2= Disagree and 1= Strongly
Disagree) to indicate degree of agreement with the highlighted statement. The respondents rated the
factors that contributed to poor performances in mathematics and sciences. These have been
summarised in Table 4.5.

Table 4.5: Factors contributing to poor performances among girls

Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly

Agree (%) (%) (%) Disagree
(%) (%)

Lack of good learning 0 42.6 17.8 24.8 14.9

environment

Teaching aids 0 52.5 10.9 27.7 8.9

Lack of parental 0 51.5 19.8 21.8 6.9

involvement

Lack of proper 22.8 52.5 13.9 10.9 0

preparation before
examinations

Biased instructional 0 51.5 17.8 17.8 12.9

methods

Lack of interest 10.9 21.8 29.7 37.6 0

Lack of qualified 9.9 22.8 14.9 51.5 1.0

teachers

From Table 4.5, 42.6% of the female respondents agreed that the learning environment had an
influence in their performances in mathematics and science subjects; however, 24.8% were of a
contrary view. 51.5% agreed that their parents were not so much involved in their academics works.
However, a total of 28.7% of the girls said that their parents shown some interest in their
performances especially in mathematics and sciences. Lack of proper preparation is another challenge
that the respondents found to influence their performances. The majority of the female students (a
total of 75.3%) said that they failed to perform well in mathematics and sciences due to poor
preparation for examinations. Also 63.4% blamed the incompletion of the syllabus as a contributing
factor in their poor performance in the subjects. 52.5% felt that the inadequacy of teaching media and
subject apparatus also contributed to their poor performances. A total of 32.7% admitted to lack
interest in the subjects. Although a total of 52.5% of the students agreed that their teachers were
qualified, a total of 30.9% of the students said that they lacked qualified teachers to handle
mathematics and science subjects

4.6 Strategies for Improvement

The strategies for improvement were measured using open ended questions and observation. In open-
ended questions the respondents were given room to explain their answers in detail which also
strengthened the closed questions responses. Some of these strategies include the strengthening of
teaching resources where teachers need to be equipped with all the necessary material e.g. text books,
regular continuous assessments tests were also mentioned as a strategy that can be used to improve
the students’ performance in the subjects. All the teachers agreed that continuous assessments were
very useful both to teachers and students. Teachers were able to establish the areas that they needed to
concentrate on while the students were able to gauge what to expect in major examinations. This
helped them to work on their weak areas. Retraining of teachers is very important because they need
to be brought up to speed with some to teaching – learning methods that focus on student learning as
opposed to what was the norm previously where teachers were seen as the centre of all information
with very little or no involvement from the learners.

Enhanced teaching skills and subject presentations techniques are other strategies that can be used to
improve the performance in the mentioned subjects. Although a total of 55.4%of the students agreed
that their teachers were qualified, a total of 30.9% of the students said that they lacked qualified
teachers to handle mathematics and science subjects. As expected however, all the teachers and head-
teachers agreed that the teachers were qualified to handle the subjects. 20.0% of the teachers had
master’s degree while the remaining 80.0% of the teachers’ participants had a Bachelor’s Degree as
shown in Table 4.3. Parental involvement is another strategy that was fronted to improve the
performance of girls in mathematics and sciences. A total of 53.0% of the students who participated in
this study agreed that lack of parental involvement contributed to their poor performance in the
subjects. 50.0% of the teachers and 60.0% of the head-teachers were of a similar view with only
20.0% of the headteachers feeling that parental involvement was not a contributing factor. Parents in
Nairobi are known to be very busy and concentrate more on their businesses or on how to make ends
meet. Majority, therefore have very little time with their children and rarely get to know how they are
performing in schools. Parental involvement is also key. This is because it is the parents who know
their children’s strengths and weaknesses and it has been noted that parents who take a keen interest
in their children’s school work are able to notice when there is a lapse in their performance.
Mentorship programmes and vocational guidance on different fields that are related to sciences is
another strategy that was suggested to improve the performance of students in mathematics and
sciences. A total of 66.6% of the students’ participants agreed that they lacked vocational guidance
and this could have led to their poor performances. A total of 70.0% of the headteachers and 50.0% of
the teachers were of a similar view. Mentorship programmes especially from the old-students were
suggested, where the old-students could visit the schools and interact and share their experiences with
the students. Vocational guidance of students is paramount. This 53 will guide the students to make
wise decisions when picking clusters of subjects that will enable them know what is needed for the
career paths that they have chosen.

CHAPTER 5

DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

5.1 overview

This section covers the findings from data that was analysed after investigation of the factors
influencing girl’s performance in mathematics at Zambia institute of business studies and
industrial practice ( ZIBSIP)

The researcher successfully investigated and analysed the girl’s performances in

mathematics, the challenges girls face in mathematics and the strategies that can be adopted
in order to improve girls’ performance in mathematics. The following are the main findings
of the study as discussed under separate heading.

5.2 DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

5.2.1 The performance of girls in mathematics

Data analysed on the performance in first year promotion examination for mathematics at
zibsip in Kitwe district over the past years have shown that there is indeed a dis-connect in
results posted by male and female students in mathematics. Results of several examination
years reveal that girls are out performed by boys in mathematics in the first year mathematics
promotion exams. This renders them unable to attain equal parity with their male counterparts
in joining the world of sciences at the university level (Agesa and Agesa, 2002). The findings
of this study are in agreement with the sentiments of the mentioned scholars. The results
showed that in 2016 first year promotion examinations, male students performed far much
better than female students. In different intakes from 2016 to date the conditions are similar,
male students were found to perform better than female students.

Kiluva-Ndunda (2001) suggested reasons that can lead to poor performances among girls.
These include biased instruction methods, more domestic chores for girls and harassment in
the school system. Examples of biased instruction include, the documented practice of
lectures in school asking the male students to perform science experiments and the female
students to record results and clean up afterwards as well as learning materials based on
gender stereotyped roles (FAWE, 2007). 51.5% of the girls who participated in this study
were of the view that the instruction methods used in their schools were biased.

Liking is a frequent occasion for the development of personal relationships in that it

predisposes people to enter into them. A person cannot develop a positive attitude towards
something he or she does not like. Interest is the sin qua non-for affection and appreciation. A
positive interest gives rise to a positive attitude towards something (Gill, 1995). This study
revealed that boys had a higher preference for mathematics as compared to girls, also more
girls preferred English than boys. As a result, the girls’ performance in English was
marginally higher than that of boys despite boys shining in the other subjects. A negative
attitude towards science subjects by learners could play a role in the poor performance and
passing rate. This study revealed that 24.4% of the students had a negative attitude towards
mathematics and sciences. 32.7% of the respondents admitted that lack of interest in the
subjects contributed to their poor performances. Poor examination performance in science
subjects and mathematics limits girls’ opportunities to pursue higher education because
students’ academic performance and career choices at the primary and secondary level have
lifetime ramifications in terms of employment opportunities (Tumuti, 1986; Osoro et.al,
2000).

5.2.2 Challenges facing girls in mathematics and science subjects

Girls face many challenges in mathematics and science subjects which lead to poor
performance. Poor performance is caused by various factors. Some of the factors that
influence quality education include: teacher quality, availability of facilities, instructional
resources, infrastructure, supervision of instruction, provision of school meals, hands-on and
learner centred methods and approaches, parental involvement and learner-friendly
environment (Yeya, 2002).

A serene environment must be created for knowledge to be fostered on the part of the child.
According to Vernon (1986) "an environment must be created which is stimulating enough
for learners to develop their abilities and satisfy their interests." He states further that "it is
important that the child be happy in school, that his/her life develop from day to day with a
feeling of achievement, that he/she consider himself/herself a person of work, that he/she
feels that he/she is understood and appreciated, and that he/she has opportunities to express
his/her creative and artistic abilities.

Equipment shortages in schools and inadequate or not present teaching media also contribute
to the poor performances in schools. The lack of teaching media and subject apparatus e.g.
mathermatics laboratory facilities is another factor that contributes towards the poor
performance and passing rate of mathematics by girls. This means that most of the teaching is
based on theory (Ornstein, 1992). Mathermatics are practical subjects and some of the
concepts need to be demonstrated practically. Teltchik and Hamm (1998) mentions, that
"there was an international agreement that teacher training in media education is either
missing altogether or notably inadequate, apart from the fact that media education also suffers
from adequate conceptual and theoretical base.

Lack of practical lessons give rise to such a limited scientific basis of teaching. Laboratory
facilities help students to understand certain concepts learned in the classroom. The gap
between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge is in fact bridged via practical
lessons. Learners cannot apply in practice what they are taught theoretically. Learning theory
without practical lessons is rendering the learning-teaching situation to be less effective thus
also possibly contributing to the high failure rate of the subject. 79.8% of the students’
respondents were of the opinion that the subject presentations in their schools were well
balanced between theory and practical lessons despite the scarcity of laboratory apparatus and
equipment. They were able to make good use of what they had.

Teaching is a professional occupation which is guided by a self-conscious understanding of

basic educational principles, rather than by any narrow concern with instrumental or
utilitarian goals and motives. Teachers’ skills can motivate or demoralise his/her students
(Carr and Kemmis, 1986). Teachers who lack good teaching skills cannot be expected to
produce good results. If teachers have problems on the subject itself, it is worse on the part of
the learners. Understanding requires matching materials to the learners’ abilities and prior
knowledge. If students do not understand the materials, frustrations sets in, making learning
more difficult (Ornstein, 1992).Little wonder that many teachers lose their pupils' interests
after 10-15 minutes of instruction. Learners dose off, stare out of the windows or stare past
the teacher or just pass time in classrooms.55.4% of the students agreed that their teachers
were qualified but another 30.9% of the students said that they lacked qualified teachers to
handle mathematics and science subjects. 78.6% agreed that the presentation skills and
techniques were appropriate but 6.0% were not comfortable with the skills and techniques.
Another 15.5% of the students rated the presentation skills and techniques as just reasonable.

5.2.3 Strategies for improvement

Measures which can be taken to improve performance of girls in mathematics in schools

include parental involvement, regular assessment, provision of teaching resources, retraining
of teachers and vocational guidance of students.

The teacher is a prime factor in the performance of students. In a study carried out by
Wanjohi and Yara (2011) teachers’ qualification was found to be significant and could also
used to predict students’ performance in mathematics. Although 55.4% of the students agreed
that their teachers were qualified, 30.9% of the students said that they lacked qualified
teachers to handle mathematics and science subjects. 78.6% agreed that the presentation skills
and techniques were appropriate but 6.0% were not comfortable with the skills and
techniques. 15.5% of the students rated presentation skills and techniques as reasonable.
However, all the teachers and headteachers agreed that the teachers were qualified to handle
the subjects. 20.0% of the teachers had master’s degree while the remaining 80.0% of the
teachers’ participants had a bachelor’s degree.

Provision of adequate teaching resources including laboratory apparatus will make every
student appreciate practical lessons (Carr and Kemmis, 1986). 52.4% of the students who
participated in this study agreed that lack of adequate teaching media and subject apparatus
contributed to their poor performance in mathematics and science subjects. In addition,
62.5% of the teachers who participated also agreed that teaching resources contributes to poor
performance among the students. Majority of the head-teachers disagreed as 30.0% agreed
that lack of teaching resources contributed to the poor performance among the students in
maths and science subjects in schools.
Regular tests were mentioned as a strategy that can be used to improve the students’
performance in the subjects. These tests will be able to reveal the students’ weak areas and
thus enable the teachers to prepare their students well for major examinations. All the
teachers agreed that continuous assessments were very useful both to teachers and students.
Teachers were able to tell the areas that they were needed to concentrate on while the
students were able to tell what to expect in major examinations. 77.7% of the teachers
assessed their students once a month. 5.0% of the teachers assessed their students every two
weeks. These were noted to be those with less than five years of teaching experience. The
more experienced teachers assessed their students twice a term. They accounted for 17.5% of
the teachers and the majority (57.1%) had over 20 years of teaching experience.

Parental involvement in their children’s performances will ensure monitoring and evaluation
of his/her child’s performance. By engaging in educational activities with their children at
home such as supporting homework and modelling reading behaviour, parents communicate
clear expectations for achievement, while integrating school curriculum goals within the
home. A disconnect between parents and the educational learning experiences of their
children result in the child's behavioural problems at school, stress in accomplishing one's
responsibilities and weakness in academic performance (Mc Wayne, 2004).A total of 53.0%
of the students who participated in this study agreed that lack of parental involvement
contributed to their poor performance in the subjects and 50.0% of the teachers agreed with
the same.
 Chapter 6

Conclusions and recommendations

6.1 Overview

The chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations that were made after discussing
the findings of the study.

6.1.1 Conclusions

The following conclusions were made from the study which investigated on factors
influencing girls’ performance in mathematics and science subjects in Zambian Certificate of
Secondary Education at Zambia institute of business studies and industrial practices in Kitwe.

1. Male students performed better than female students in mathematics, whereas female
students performed better than male students in English.

2. The performance in mathematics and science subjects varied depending on the lecturer of
mathematics teaching them.

3. The major challenges facing girls in mathematics in include the following; lack of
conducive learning environment, inadequacy of teaching media and subject apparatus
contributed to their poor performance, lack of parental involvement in following up on their
academic performance, poor preparation for examinations and incompletion of the syllabus,
lack of interest in the subjects and thus the poor performances.

4. Important strategies that can be used to improve girls’ performance in mathematics in

school; provision of adequate teaching resources including laboratory apparatus which will
enable every student appreciate practical lessons, regular continuous assessment tests which
will reveal the students’ weak areas and thus enable the teachers prepare their students well
for major examinations, enhanced teaching skills and appropriate presentation skills will
ensure concentration in class and better understanding, parental involvement in their
children’s performances will ensure monitoring and evaluation of his/her child’s
performance. Mentorship programmes, role models and vocational guidance on different
fields that are related to sciences will make the students have a clear goal of what they would
like to be in future and strengthening of guidance and counselling in schools will help
improve discipline in schools and therein, performance.

5.4 Recommendations

The following recommendations are made from the findings of the research. The research
findings and interpretation reveal that measures need to be taken to ensure that the
performance of girls in mathematics in the exams results improves.

Girls should be encouraged to change their attitude towards mathematics and sciences so that
they will be able to take up science based careers. This will be guided by the vocational and
career guidance counselling. This will in turn enhance discipline in the girls.

There should be an immediate plan to have as many boarding spaces for girls as possible to
enable candidates who are day scholars perform better since candidates in boarding
performed better than those who are not and if this cannot be achieved then learning and
teaching resources should be improved in the school.

1. Parents should be encouraged to participate in their children’s education. Parents have

a distinct advantage over anyone else in that they can provide a more stable and
continuously positive influence that could enhance and complement what the school
fosters on their children. In this regard, parental involvement is undeniably critical.
By engaging in educational activities with their children at home such as supporting
 homework and modelling reading behaviour, parents communicate clear expectations
for achievement, while integrating school curriculum goals within the home.
2. It is recommended that relevant school-based, clustered, provincial and national
workshops targeting mathematics and science teachers should be conducted. Such
workshops, which would be part of continuous professional development, should
provide a platform where teachers share their knowledge, strategies that work,
problems and frustrations, as well as allow them to be up to date with innovations in
education in general.
3. In addition, teachers, parents, old students and other stakeholders should also hold
academics clinics where they will sensitize the importance of mathematics and
science subjects to the students. Career counselling and vocational guidance will
motivate the 65 students more and they will be able to change their view of who they
are and who they can become. By providing students with a reason for studying
mathematics and sciences, the teachers, old students and stakeholders give students a
reason for wanting to learn mathematics and sciences.
4. Educative tours or excursions that are science oriented should be undertaken. This
will enrich the learners with information and in-depth knowledge of the sciences.
Teachers need to be confident with respect to knowledge of the subjects they teach,
have a grasp of common misconceptions learners present in the classroom, and
possess strategies for inducing learners' conceptual change.

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

ALBERT MWAPE
MUKUBA UNIVERSITY
KITWE.

Dear Participant,
I am an under graduate student at Mukuba University carrying out a research on Factors
Influencing Girls’ Performance in mathematics as a science subject in Kitwe district on the
copper belt province, Zambia.

I request you to answer each question honestly and precisely. Please note that the information
provided will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Yours faithfully,
ALBERT MWAPE.

APPENDIX 2

Teachers Questionnaire on factors influencing girls’ performance in mathematics.

This questionnaire is designed to seek information on factors influencing girls’ performance

in mathematics. You are kindly requested to answer all the questions honestly. The
information you give will be treated with confidentiality and used only for compiling as may
be applicable.

ISTRUCTIONS
 DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON ANY PAGE OF THIS DOCUMEMENT
  PUT A CROSS ON THE ANSWER YOU THINK IS APPROPIETE ON THE
OPTIONS GIVEN
PART A
Demographic information
1. Gender

Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. What is your highest academic qualification?

Certificate [ ] Bachelor's Degree [ ] Diploma [ ] Master’s Degree [ ]

3 .Number of students in class: ________________________________________

4. How long have you been teaching? _____________________________________

5. Rate your students’ attitude towards mathematics as a subjects.

i). Very Positive [ ] ii). Positive [ ] iii).Neutral [ ] IV).Negative [ ] v). Very negative [ ]

6. How often do you assess your subject? (Mark one option that best describes how often you
assess your subject)

i). once a week [ ] ii). once a month [ ] iii).every two weeks [ ] iv).twice a term [ ] v). About
every lesson [ ]

Others Specify. _______________________________________________________

6. Assessment is useful to me. (Mark one on the given scale)

i). Strongly Agree [ ] ii). Agree [ ] iii).Disagree [ ] IV).Strongly disagree [ ]

(ii)Give one reason for your answer __________________________________________

7. Assessment is useful to my students. (Mark one on the given scale)
i). Strongly Agree [ ] ii). Agree [ ] iii).Disagree [ ] iv).Strongly disagree [ ]

Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Which of the following in your opinion, account for some of the reasons for poor
performance in science subjects by your students?
APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS TEACHERS ON FACTORS
INFLUENCING GIRLS’ PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS.

Instructions.
 Please place a tick where necessary or kindly write your answer in the spaces
provided.
 Do not write your name on any page of this document
PART A
Demographic information.
1. Gender

Male [ ] Female [ ]

2. Grade

8[ ] 9[ ] 10 [ ] 11[ ] 12[ ]
3. How do you rate the presentation of the mathematics lessons by your teacher?
i). Too theoretical [ ]
ii). Good balance [ ]
iii). Too practical [ ]
4. (i) In your opinion, do you think your mathematics teachers are doing their best to make the
teaching-learning process of mathematics as interesting as possible?
Yes [ ] No [ ]

(ii) Give two reasons for your answer if your answer is No in 5(i).
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

5. Rate the teaching skills of the teacher (s) who teach you mathematics.

Very Good [ ] Good [ ] Reasonable [ ] Poor [ ] Very Poor [ ]

6. (i) Do you find the mathematics as subjects you are studying relevant to your career choice?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

(ii) Give two reasons for your answer, if answer is No.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

7. Give two suggestions you have for mathematics teachers in order to help you improve in your
performance in mathematics.
______________________________________________________________________________

9. Which of the following factors, in your opinion account for the poor
performance in science subjects?

5 4 3 2 1
Strongl Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
y Agree Disagree
i). Lack of interest in learning
mathematics.
ii). Lack of a good school learning
environment.
iii). Negative attitude toward
mathematics.
iv). Lack of teaching media and subject
apparatus
vi). Lack of parental involvement

viii). Lack of vocational guidance on

different fields that are related to
mathematics
ix). Biased instruction methods

(ii)Any other, specify. ________________________________

10. Give up to three strategies which can be employed to improve the performance in
mathematics_______________________________________________________________________
____________________
Thank you very much for your co-operation and assistance.

APPENDIX 3: RESEARCH BUDGET.

SERIAL ACTIVITY COSTS

NUMBER

1. Ream of paper K250

 2. Pens K50

3. Pencil K20
4. Printing And Binding K350

5. Data Analysis K300

6. LUNCH K500
7. Transport Fare K400

APPENDIX 4: RESEARCH TIME LINE.

SERIAL ACTIVITY JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUR AUG
NUMBER

1. Topic Development ×
2. Proposal writing ×

3. Printing and ×
Binding
4. Submission of ×
proposal
5. Preparation of ×
research
instruments
6. Data collection ×

7. Data analysis ×

8. Report writing ×

9. Binding and ×
printing
10. Submission of the ×
report