Impact of Self-efficacy on Mathematics Performance among Students with Dyscalculia in Public Secondary Schools in Murang’a County, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the impact of self-efficacy on mathematics performance among students with dyscalculia in public secondary schools in Murang’a, Kenya. The objectives of the study included; to establish the prevalence of students with dyscalculia in public secondary schools in Murang’a County, to find out common areas of mathematics difficulties of students with dyscalculia, determine the students' level of self-efficacy for mathematics performance and to determine the relationship between student’s level self-efficacy for mathematics and mathematics performance. The study was guided by expectancy theory of motivation by Victor Vroom. It used a descriptive research design. The population for study was 54 Public secondary schools in Kandara Sub-County, out of the 54 targeted schools 7 public secondary schools were sampled for the study. The target respondents were 7 principals, 7 teachers of mathematics, 1 from each school and 125 students were sampled for dyscalculia screening. Research instruments included; questionnaire for mathematics teachers and students with dyscalculia, interview schedule for the principals, dyscalculia screening instrument and documentary analysis. The study used stratified random sampling and purposive sampling to select the schools, teachers and students with dyscalculia respectively. Pilot study was conducted in Gaichanjiru Mixed and Kenyoho Secondary schools in Kandara Sub-County, Murang’a County. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative analysis was done by organizing variables into themes. The study results revealed that there are various areas of mathematics as a subject where students face common difficulties in the studied secondary schools. The prevalence of students with dyscalculia was found to be 6.4%. The study also established that students with dyscalculia have low self-efficacy in various mathematical areas. Lastly, there exists a relationship between the level of self-efficacy for mathematics and mathematics performance. The researcher recommends more attention to be paid to students with Dyscalculia. There is also a need for regular screening for identification of students Dyscalculia to be implemented in all secondary schools. This calls for the development of assessment tools for use by teachers in schools