Students’ Difficulties in Learning Trigonometry

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the reasons contributing to the high school students’ underperformance in trigonometry in the state examination. The research was conducted to analyze the teachers’ and students’ perspectives regarding this issue. The data for the research was collected in two public schools in Baku through semi-structured interviews with four (4) mathematics teachers, focus group interviews with sixteen (16) students studying in 10th and 11th grades, and non-participant observations. The results of the research show that the reasons for high schoolers underperformance can be divided into two categories: teacher-related and student-related reasons. Among teacher-related reasons teachers’ methods, teachers’ self efficacy (i.e., teachers’ confidence, teachers,’ and students’ motivation) are emphasized whereas student-related reasons are shown as students’ motivation and their perspectives about the relation of trigonometry to a real life. Apart from the teacher and student-related reasons, the study identifies that the lack of resources for teaching trigonometry also negatively affects the exam results. The findings were interpreted based on Lev Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism Theory (1968).