Abstract:
The study was conducted to examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards
mathematics learning, what contributed to the attitude of the pre-service teachers and
the relationships between pre-service teachers’ attitudes and their performance in
mathematics at Mt. Mary College of Education in Ghana. The study was based on
Ajzen’s (1993), ABC Attitude Model also called the Tripartite Model. The
convergent parallel mixed method design was adopted in this study, applying both
qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Out of the four hundred and
sixty-five (465) pre-service teachers sampled, only three hundred and twenty-five
(325) of the pre-service teachers willingly participated in the study. The main
instrument used to collect data in this study was the Mathematics Attitude
Questionnaire (MAQ) in the form of a Likert scale, open-ended questions, semistructured
interviews and tests designed by the researcher. Findings from this study
revealed that; the pre-service teachers had positive attitudes towards mathematics
learning in the ABC model. The following factors contributed to the attitudes of preservice
teacher’s attitudes towards mathematics: Usefulness of Mathematics,
Mathematics as a compulsory subject, Encouragement and support received from
others, Difficulty and Fear, Having a good teacher and Self-Confidence. A strong
correlation existed between pre-service teachers' attitudes towards mathematics
learning and their academic performance. This study implies that the school
management should advantageously use the pre-service teacher's positive attitude
towards mathematics to continue creating a strong inclination and culture of
mathematics in the college where the pre-service teachers can score more favourably
in mathematics and any other mathematics-related courses.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Mathematics Education,
Faculty of Science Education submitted to the school of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the award of the
degree of Master of Philosophy
(Mathematics Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
MAY, 2023