Attitude of Secondary School Physics Students to  Mathematics: a Case Study of Nsukka Education  Zone in Nigeria and Adamawa Region in Cameroon

Ngwoke; Dominic Ugwoke; Atanga; Namukong Jacks; Oyeoku; Eke Kalu; Ngwoke; Anthonia Nwakaego; Obikwelu; Chizoba Lauretta

Volume : III, Issue : IX, September - 2013

Attitude of Secondary School Physics Students to Mathematics: a Case Study of Nsukka Education Zone in Nigeria and Adamawa Region in Cameroon

Ngwoke, Dominic Ugwoke, Atanga, Namukong Jacks, Oyeoku, Eke Kalu, Ngwoke, Anthonia Nwakaego, Obikwelu, Chizoba Lauretta

Abstract :

The study investigated the attitude of secondary school physics students to mathematics. The design adopted was a descriptive survey. The sample was 561comprising form four physics students in the four AngloSaxon secondary schools in Adamawa Region of Cameroon and 355 physics students in six sampled public secondary schools in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a 16 item mathematics attitude scale (MAS) developed by the researchers. The internal consistency of MAS was .98 obtained using Cronbach alpha procedures. Data obtained were analyzed using means and standard deviation and t–test. The findings indicated that physics students had a positive mathematics attitude; that female physics students had a higher positive attitude to mathematics than their male counterparts. Nigeria physics students had a more positive attitude to mathematics than their Cameroonian counterparts. There was no significant gender influence on students’ mathematics attitude. Mathematics attitude differed significantly between Cameroonian and Nigerian physics students.