Effects of Student Confidence on Achievement in Mathematics among Secondary School Students in Ganze District Kilifi County Kenya

This article is based on a more extensive study that sought to establish the relationship between affective factors and students` achievement in mathematics. The article shares findings from the study objective to assess the effect of student confidence on achievement in mathematics. The descriptive survey research design on a sample size of 250 students used a mathematics confidence questionnaire and mathematics achievement test to collect quantitative data. The computational formula of the Pearson`s product moment correlation coefficient determined the null hypothesis, “there is no statistically significant relationship between student confidence and achievement in mathematics.†The study found a statistically significant positive correlation coefficient of between student confidence and achievement in mathematics. This implies that student confidence is directly proportional to achievement in mathematics. However, analysis based on gender differences contradicts the stereotype that males are always more confident than females. Males in mixed-boarding and mixed-day secondary schools indicated more belief than females, unlike in single-sex boarding secondary schools, where both genders showed similar belief towards mathematics. The study recommends mathematics teachers to guide students through solving mathematics problems for them to develop self-confidence for better achievement since student confidence is directly proportional to achievement in mathematics.