Difficulties Faced by Secondary School Students in Learning Mathematics in Dwarka Sub-city (South- West Delhi)

Mathematics integrates every aspect of our lives, from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep. From the beginning of the universe to the contemporary world, from the domestic sphere to the public sphere, it is always present in our lives. Therefore, not only now but also in the past, the learning of mathematics has been essential for each and every one of us right from the start of our education in schools. Mathematics, as a subject taught in schools, takes pride of place at the apex of the academic food chain, above all other subjects. Educationists and academics in the region became interested in the topic as a result of the subject's immense significance as well as the fact that students feared mathematics the most out of all subjects. It is the ability to think critically and abstractly, be creative, solve problems, and even effectively communicate. The'mathematization' of a child's thinking is the primary objective of mathematics teaching in schools, according to the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. The core of the mathematical activity is the pursuit of assumptions to logical conclusions with clarity of thought. On August 4th, 2009, the Indian Parliament passed the Right to Education Act 2009, popularly known as the RTE Act 2009. According to Article 21(A) of the Indian Constitution, it explains the necessity of free and mandatory education for children aged 6 to 14 in India.Following the publication of the National Policy of School Education in 1968 and in accordance with the report of the 'Kothari' commission, significant changes were made to the curricula of all levels of the educational system. At the national level, a standardised curriculum spanning classes I through X was developed for the purpose of being adopted by all of the states in the country with some modifications to accommodate the specific requirements of each state. After that, the format of 10+2+3 was chosen to be used throughout the country. At the middle and secondary school levels, students are required to take core subjects such as mathematics and science.

Learning Mathematics. (ii) To Study Students & Teachers Perception of Mathematics as a School Subject. (iii) To Suggest Remedial Measures for removing the Phobia of Learning Mathematics among the Student Community.

The investigation was carried out utilising a methodology that was based on surveys. After the analysis was finished, the results were analysed, and then conclusions were drawn from them.

The Systematic Random Sampling Technique was used to select 250 students and 12 mathematics teachers from 10 secondary schools located in Dwarka Sub-City in South West Delhi. These individuals comprised the population that was studied. Students who self-identified as both male and female and were enrolled in either Class IX or Class X were drawn from the sample. Secondary Schools Comprised of Private (6) and Public (4), Totaling 10 Male instructors (5) and female instructors (7) for a total of 12 Students : Male (102) and Female (148) = 250 Primary data were collected from teachers at each of the participating schools; these teachers were interviewed and their responses were analysed individually. Tools: Questionnaires with open-ended questions that were designed by the investigators. Variables: the Kind of School, the Instructor, and the Learner

1. Gov. Co- Education Senior Secondary School (Sec. 22) 2. RajkiyaPratibhaVikas, Vidyalaya (Sec. 10) 3. Gov. Co- Ed Senior Sec. School Site II (Sec. 6) 4. Gov. Co-ed Sarvodaya, Vidyalaya (Sec. 13) 2. Nirmal Bhartiya School (Sec. 14) 3. Shiksha Bharti Public School (Sec. 7) 4. Bal Bharti Public School (Sec. 12) 5. Pragati Public School (Sec. 13) 6. JM International School (Sec. 6)

DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

Table 1: Student’s perception of mathematics as a school subject

Table 4: Problems faced by the Students in learning Mathematics Table 5: Problems faced by Teachers in teaching Mathematics in Schools

CONCLUSION

 The majority ofstudentsdid not enjoy studying mathematics since they perceived it to be a boring and challenging subject.  Some of them mentioned that mathematics was their preferred and most interesting subject for them to study.  A few numbers of students said it was very refreshing and easy to understand for them.  More than half of the teacher‘s choose mathematics as favorite and interesting subject, which was fun to teach as well as learn.  Some of the teacher’s prefers mathematics was an essential subject for daily life.  Remaining teacher’s opinion was that mathematics helps to enhance the reasoning and aptitude ability of the students.  The Researcher found that Mathematics was much complex to understand in comparison to other subjects.  Students found difficulty in learning Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and Statistics. Students convey that lots of formula to be memorized in Mathematics especially in Algebra, trigonometry and calculus.  Very few teachers don’t face any problem while teaching mathematics.

 Child Centered and Participatory Method besides Traditional Lecture Method.  Training, Orientation Courses and Seminar/Workshops.  Policy Makers and Curriculum developers make the Curriculum in such a way that it should be relevant to the students and time to time it should be revised and up dated.  Trained and Skillful Teacher could be selected without any bias.  Flexibility in Medium of Instruction.  Application of Mathematics to the real world should be well demonstrated while teaching.  Problem sessionshould be arranged periodically to boost problem solving skills of the students.

1. Munro, J. (2016, July). Students Education. Retrieved from Students Education:https://students.education.unimelb.edu.au/selage/pub/readings/mathsld/MLDT- Mathslearningdif.pdf. 2. PrarthanaPhonapichat, S. W. (2013) 5th World Conference on Educational Sciences. An analysis of elementary school students‘ difficulties in mathematical problem-solving. 3. Ricca. (2016, June).Wikipedia. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_com plexity_(applied_mathematics) 4. Nunes, T. (2014). Learning Difficulties, Special Needs, and Mathematics Learning. Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education, 343-348. 5. Mundia, L. (2010) Journal of Mathematics Research: Problems in Learning Mathematics: Comparison of Brunei Junior High School Students in Classes with and without Repeaters. Vol. 2, No. 3. 6. Acharya, B, R. (2017) International Journal of Elementary Education. Factors Affecting Difficulties in Learning Mathematics by Mathematics Learners Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 8-15. doi: 10.11648/j.ijeedu.20170602. 7. Yerraiah, N. (2012) Exploring Students‘ Learning Difficulties in Secondary school Mathematics Classroom and Teachers‘ Effort to Help Students Overcome These Difficulties School.

Research Scholar, Sunrise University, Alwar, Rajasthan