Perceptions of Tshwane learners in the 9 grade on home background as influencing their performance in Mathematics in South Africa

Abstract

The study probed into the perceptions of the home background factor by the 9th grade learners on their performances in mathematics in Tshwane municipality public high schools in the Republic of South Africa. The study applied a mixed method research approach, that is,  the use of both quantitative and qualitative data collection, with a descriptive survey design. The samples in the survey consists of 120  male learners and 280 female learners, totaling 400 public school learners. The data collection was done through a self-developed  questionnaire, which also included a few open-ended questions on how mathematics performance can be boosted. The learners' end of  the term result in mathematics was appraised for ascertaining learners' degree of academic performance. Data collected quantitatively  were analysed using version 24.0 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while the data collected qualitatively were  analysed in a narrative form. A null hypothesis was tested in the survey, which was rejected. The study presented that the perceptions of  the 9 grade learners on home background was insignificant, therefore, it was not taken as a factor responsible for their poor    performances in mathematics.