Europäisches Journal für Experimentalbiologie Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

Investigating barriers to math performance as viewed by teachers: Emphasis on textbook content and students’ performance in junior high school

Matin Zadshir, Ali Reza Kiamanesh and Khadijeh Abolmaali

The present study aimed to investigate the barriers to math performance as viewed by teachers based on the content of mathematics textbook and students’ performance. The study adopted a survey design. The population of the study consisted of all math teachers and junior high school students in Karaj city as well as three mathematics textbooks in the educational year 2011-2012. A researcher-made questionnaire was developed to investigate teachers’ attitudes towards the difficulty level of mathematics textbooks, students’ level of performance and lessons order and arrangement. The researcher developed a test to examine students’ math performance. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that some math lessons in each junior-high-school mathematics textbook could function as inhibiting factors in students’ math performance. In this regard, dividing decimal numbers, triangle equality, advanced division, exponent, fractions and symmetry of total were the most significant barriers to first graders’ math performance. Symmetry of total and rational numbers were found to be the major barriers to second graders’ performance, and sphere lessons and another form of linear equation posed the major barrier to third graders’ math performance.