INTRODUCTION
Within the last two decades, much has been written on the difficulties pupils of varying age at
the secondary school level are having in coping with certain chemistry concepts. Such studies have
revealed among other things that inability to handle mathematics concepts needed to solve chemistry
problems seems to be the most worrisome (Astudillo and Naiz, 1996;Huddle, 1996 and Schmidt, 2000).
Science education had emphasized the importance of mathematics in science teaching and
learning (Iroegbu, (1997). Abdullahi (1982) said, concerning science and mathematics.
Although mathematics and science are taught as separate subjects in schools from
instructional point of view, science activity in the classroom has mathematical
implications as working mathematical problems has scientific imports p. 30
There are certain mathematical abilities, which are tied to success in chemistry and these
mathematical concepts are cognitive entry characteristics for success in chemistry. The ability to
manipulate symbols and the ability to use and maneuver algebraic symbols is necessary for success in
chemistry. Comprehending basic geometry is particularly important for chemistry achievement. The
ability to process numerical data shows no relationship to chemistry achievement (Fisher, 1996). This
means that students’ Computational skills do not influence student achievement, but students must be able
to use algebra to solve problems and understand simple geometrical relationships. Additionally, Chandran
(1985) compared cognitive factors and chemistry achievement and found that greater formal reasoning
ability was correlated with greater achievement.
There are wide varieties of factors influencing student’s success in chemistry aside from
mathematical ability. Students with the intellectual ability have a greater chance of succeeding in
chemistry than those without intellectual ability. However, a student’s understanding of the content can
Uluslararası Sosyal Aratırmalar Dergisi
The Journal Of International Social Research
Volume 2/6 Winter 2009
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be divided into two separate categories: Conceptual understanding and algorithms understanding. Neither
seems to be entirely responsible for low test achievement.