The purpose of the study was to investigate factors contributing to low academic performance in
mathematics in public mixed secondary schools in Ngong sub-county, Kajiado County. The
study was guided by the following objectives; to examine the influence of students’ attitudes
towards mathematics in Public mixed secondary schools in Ngong sub-county, Kajiado county,
to assess the influence of teacher-student relationships on students’ academic performance in
mathematics in Public mixed secondary schools in Ngong sub-county, Kajiado county, and to
examine how the availability of teaching and learning resources affect the students’ performance
in mathematics. The study was guided by Gagne’s cognitive theory. The study used a descriptive
survey design and adopted the quantitative approach. A total of three schools were picked to
represent all schools under the study area. There was a total of 100 out of a population of 300
students who were in form three and form four in the selected schools. These students were
selected to represent the entire form three and four population. The data was collected,
organized, and analyzed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings
revealed that most students appreciate the subjects’ inherent importance and the wide range of
career choices. The study also noted that students who spend more time studying perform well.
Students also strive to seek help and clarification from their teachers in areas where they do not
understand. The perception of mathematics as a difficult subject and preference of mathematics
to be an optional subject all contribute to negative attitudes towards mathematics from the
learner who ends up perceiving it as a difficult subject and only meant for the bright students. It
was also noted that most schools had enough teaching and learning resources, and therefore, low performance could be as a result of other factors apart from resources. However, the study
concluded that most of the students perceive mathematics as a difficult subject and would prefer
it to be optional for them, also, most learners do not like the teaching methods used by the
teachers. Teachers should use teaching methods that can make learning mathematics lively and
also motivate students even when they are not performing well for them to not give up. The
study recommends further research into the role of school towards improving students’ attitudes
towards Mathematics and also the role of educational stakeholders in eliminating students’
perceived fear of Mathematics towards subject selection in high school.