Exploring Epistemological Beliefs and Their Relationship with Academic Achievement in Mathematics Among Senior High School Students in Sene East District, Ghanas

The purpose of the study was to investigate the epistemological beliefs of students about mathematics teaching and learning and their relationship with academic achievement. In this study, a quantitative research approach through the correlational method was used. Three hundred and fifteen (315) students were randomly sampled from the Kajaji senior high school in the Sene East district of the Bono East region of Ghana. The discipline-focused epistemological beliefs questionnaire (DFEBQ) was adapted after ensuring its validity and reliability. It was found that senior high school students held more absolutist epistemological beliefs about Mathematics teaching and learning than fallibilist epistemological beliefs. It was also found that the students’ academic performance was above average with a good percentage of 63.5% obtaining the tertiary education qualifying grades (A1-C6).based on the findings of the study, it was therefore recommended that stakeholders and policy makers on education in Ghana should train educators on recognizing and addressing absolutist beliefs in students through teaching strategies that will promote relativist or evaluative thinking. It therefore implied that mathematics instructors in high schools should include elements that challenge absolute views such as debate, proofs, interdisciplinary projects which can promote epistemological development among students.