ASSESSMENT OF DIFFICULT MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS AS PERCEIVED BY PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

This study assessed the difficult Mathematics concepts as perceived by primary school teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was one thousand six hundred and thirty two (1,632) primary school teachers and a sample of 313 primary school teachers were selected through multi-stage sampling. Mathematics Difficulty Level Inventory (MDLI) was the instrument used for the collection of data. The instrument was face and content validated by experts and also trial tested. The reliability of MDLI items was determined using Cronbach alpha reliability test which yielded reliability coefficient of 0.87 considered high enough to be used for the study. The findings of the study revealed that primary school teachers in Enugu state perceived 19 out of 30 mathematics concepts to be difficult; there was significant difference in the frequencies of difficult mathematics concepts across gender line and school ownership. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended amongst others that workshops, seminars and conferences should be organized for primary school teachers on basic mathematics concepts; relevant authorities should ensure the recruitment of qualified primary school teachers especially in public schools