Senior High School Elective Mathematics Students’ Readiness to Pursue Advanced Mathematics at the University Level

Abstract

This study primarily focused on senior high school students’ readiness to pursue advanced mathematics at the university level. Data for the study was obtained from 317 senior high school students from three public senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana. The 317 students were final year elective mathematics students made up of 196 females and 121 males. Data for the study was collected through the use of questionnaires. The study adopted the descriptive survey as the main design and data collected was analyzed using simple graphs, percentages, descriptive and inferential statistics. Analysis of data revealed that students were ready to pursue advanced mathematics at the university level. Findings also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference based on gender. Also, no statistically significant difference was observed between single-sex female school students and that of mixed school students as well as that of single-sex male school and coeducational school students. However, a statistically significant difference was realized between single-sex female and single-sex male school students. Findings indicated that majority of the students reported to have come from a very good socio-economic backgrounds, which seems to have influenced their readiness to pursue advanced mathematics. The findings affirmed students’ perceived positive readiness towards their interest in doing mathematics, competence in doing mathematics, school environment/culture, relevance of mathematics, and nature of mathematics. The implication of these findings is that senior high school students are well prepared and ever ready to pursue advanced mathematics. It also presupposes that much more students are willing to go into the sciences which would end up raising the productivity of the country.