Influence of Students Attitude towards Performance in Mathematics in Primary Schools in Keiyo South District, Kenya

The purpose of this paper was to examine the influence of students attitudes towards performance in mathematics in primary schools in Keiyo South District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used in the study to investigate the attitudes of primary school learners towards mathematics. Data was collected by use of questionnaires, interview schedules and class examination administered previously. The accessible population was teachers of Mathematics and Standard Eight learners from selected primary schools in Keiyo South District, Kenya. Sample study comprised of 300 learners (150 male students and 150 female students) and all teachers of Mathematics from the sampled schools in Keiyo South District, Kenya. Stratified random sampling was used to categorize schools in either boarding or day schools. Simple random sampling was used to select 50 schools from 119 primary schools and 5 male students and 5 female students from each selected Standard Eight class. The study used purposive sampling technique to select Mathematics Teachers. Data was collected using questionnaire and interview schedule. The collected data was analyzed using both descriptive (means, standard deviations and percentages) and inferential statistics was used with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The paper established that there was a positive relationship between attitude of pupils and their performances in mathematics in primary schools. The paper recommended that both parents and teachers should strive to cultivate positive attitude towards mathematics among learners by encouraging them.