Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance in Mathematics in Colleges of Education: Re-counting Experiences in Ghana

Abstract

This study explored the factors affecting pre-service teachers’ performance in mathematics in the colleges of education in Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data was collected with the use of a questionnaire from a sample of 400 first-year pre-service teachers selected using stratified random sampling technique from the three regions across the Ghana. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis. The results suggested that pre-service teachers perceived the following as factors affecting their performance in mathematics: teaching-learning conditions, motivation, parents’ educational background, valuing of mathematics, and health and safety issues. It was also revealed that pre-service teachers’ motivation was the best predictor of their performance in mathematics, followed by health and safety issues and then teaching-learning conditions. Implications of the findings are discussed in the study.