Language performance and mathematics/science performance: A correlational case study of JHS students in Sekondi/Takoradi and Shama districts.

Abstract

This paper is a correlational study aimed at finding out the relationship between language (English and Fante - a Ghanaian language) performance and mathematics and science performances. The main hypothesis tested in the study was whether there is a positive correlation between performance in language (English and Fante) and mathematics and science and whether it is significant or not. The data used for the study involved Basic Education Certificate Examination results of 740 Junior High School students from 10 schools in two district; Shama and Sekondi-Takoradi. The statistical tool used in testing the hypotheses was the Spearman Correlation (t-test) of the SPSS (a statistical package for social sciences). The study identified that there was strong positive correlation between language (Ghanaian language - Fante and English) performance and that of mathematics and science. The correlation between Ghanaian language and mathematics (r = 0.803) and between Ghanaian language and science (r = 0.809), and the correlation between English and mathematics (r = 0.850) and the correlation between English and science (r = 0.873) (a = .05) were found.