Perception and Academic Performance in Mathematics Amongst Secondary School Students; A Case Study of Baringo Dnision Baringo District of Kenya

ABSTRACT The study was carried to establish students perception towards their academic performance in mathematics at secondary school ,it was guided by a number of objectives which were to investigate the factors that make students develop negative perception towards their academic performances in mathematics, distinguish between classroom and personal problems that contribute towards students negative perception towards their academic performance in mathematics and lastly to detennine the extent to which both parents and teachers contribute towards students negative perception towards their academic performance in mathematics. The study mainly concentrated in Baringo division in Baringo District. The study focused on students and to detennine the impact of perception on students academic performance towards mathematics. Since the division examination results keep on falling year by year. Questionnaires were issued out and random interviews were also conducted on the target population of 50 respondents' .The research findings examined that there are other number of factors that were expressed by different category of respondents such as job satisfaction, personal background and school environment of which it was not mentioned in the questionnaires. The findings of the study shows that, there are a number of effects of students perception towards students performance, the findings reveled factors which affect students perception including congestion in the classroom ,lack of textbook, language barrier and biasness of teachers Research concluded that in order to improve students' academic performance in mathematics at Baringo division both teachers and parents should motivate learner towards developing positive perception toward mathematics and also government, ministry of education and school administration should establish systems to monitor how their teachers exercise their duties in school to improve on students performance in mathematics. From the research findings the following recommendations can be emphasized that for high pupils perfo1mance Teachers should be academically and professionally qualified, works under favorable conditions of service. Encourage teachers to get training to improve their skills such as computer skills, guiding and counseling and motivate teachers that is by increasing salaries and allowances, giving prizes to teachers whose performance excel and finally promoting them.