Attitude Of Primary School Teachers Towards Teaching Mathematics In The Tribal Areas Of Srikakulam District

Abstract

Mathematics is a challenging and vibrant subject connected to the real world at every level. There is no sphere of life that runs devoid of mathematics. It is a subject appreciated, admired and held high by individuals.  Mathematics is not just a study of numbers, nor is simply about calculations. It is not about applying formulae, either. It can perhaps be better described as a field of creation through accurate and logical thinking.  Mathematics is an important component of school education. The children at primary stage should be taught the fundamental operations of mathematics. The teachers should lay foundation in basic mathematical operations in the early stages of their growth and development.  The teachers at primary stage of education, particularly in rural and tribal areas should teach mathematics in such a way that the children should solve simple mathematical problems using logical thinking and reasoning.   The present study is  an attempt to explore the attitude of teachers towards teaching mathematics in the primary schools located in the tribal areas under different managements. The researchers used a well-developed questionnaire as the tool for collection of data from a sample of 120 secondary grade teachers from 30 selected primary schools located in the tribal areas of Srikakulam District in Andhra Pradesh using Stratified Random Sampling technique.  The data were analyzed using mean score values, standard deviations and independent t-tests.  The findings of the study revealed that the demographic variables – Gender and Professional qualification have no influence on the attitude of primary school teachers towards teaching mathematics. However, Teaching Experience has a significant positive influence on their attitude towards teaching mathematics in primary schools.   The study suggested that the teachers working in tribal areas need to be exposed to in-service training on innovative practices in teaching mathematics at primary level.