Keyword: mathematics perception

ABSTRACT: The study examined how applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations and using mathematical history as teaching strategies affect students’ performance in mathematics. It also investigated the impact of students’ perceptions and teaching and learning materials on these relationships. This study is important because it offers insights into how context-based and historically grounded teaching methods can enhance mathematics achievement, informing more effective and culturally relevant instructional practices. Conducted with a cross-sectional survey design, the study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 579 secondary school students across six schools in the Kwabre East district, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in Amos (v.23) software. Results indicated that applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations positively and significantly influenced students’ performance. Incorporating the history of mathematics did not directly impact performance but was fully mediated by students’ perceptions. Additionally, students’ perceptions partially mediated the link between real-life application and performance. The use of teaching and learning materials moderated both the relationship between real-life application and students’ perceptions and the relationship between history of mathematics and students’ perceptions.

ABSTRACT: The study aimed to examine the role of teacher quality on students’ mathematics interest as facilitated by students’ perception of mathematics. The participants were 300 students from three senior high schools. The study was purely a quantitative method that employed a questionnaire as a data collection tool. The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to estimate the result for the hypothesized paths. The findings from the study revealed that teacher-student collaboration and teacher empathy had a direct positive and statistically significant effect on student’s mathematics interest. On the other hand, student’s perception in mathematics partially facilitates the relationship between teacher empathy and the student’s mathematics interest. Moreover, the perception of mathematics partially facilitates the relationship between teacher-student collaboration and student’s mathematics interest. The study recommended that mathematics teachers must collaborate with students in terms of classroom teaching and learning and work more practical mathematics examples with students in the class in order to enhance student’s mathematics interest.