Abstract
The main aim of this study was to determine the relationship between senior high school students’ mathematics self-efficacy, self-concept and their mathematics achievement in Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District of the Central Region of Ghana. A probability stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain representatives of the two schools under consideration in the proportion of the population of the two schools. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) form two students were involved in the study. The research design adopted was correlational design and the instruments developed and used for obtaining relevant data for the study was the Likert scale type of questionnaire and achievement test. An independent sample t-test was conducted to find the differences in achievement scores of low and high mathematics self-efficacy and self-concept students. The major result established in the study was that students’ mathematics self-efficacy correlated students’ mathematics achievement. The result also established that students’ mathematics self-concept did not correlate with their mathematics achievement. In view of this, it was recommended that constructs that are related to students’ academic performance should be given prominent attention. For example, teachers of mathematics must make frantic efforts at all times to increase students’ mathematics self-efficacy when teaching so that students would be able to overcome the challenges they face when learning mathematics subject.
Highlights
Mathematics is a compulsory subject in all senior high schools in Ghana
It is against this background that mathematics educators keep looking for variables which could be manipulated in favour of Mathematics performance and suppress those variables that may be working against students’ progress
The results of the analysis revealed a significant correlation between self-concept and academic achievement
Summary
The study of mathematics at these levels was made compulsory because mathematical knowledge in our everyday life is effectively and responsibly very necessary in solving problems and making decisions. Weaknesses among students in learning mathematics will affect the efforts of the nation in developing its human resource base effectively. It has become imperative for mathematics educators to find out how mathematical concepts can be strengthened among students. Self-efficacy is an important concept in social cognitive theory, which has been widely recognized as one of the most prominent theories about human learning [1]. The theory is believed by many scholars to be the most important theoretical contribution to the study of academic achievement, motivation, and learning [2]
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