Students’ perceptions towards mathematics seem to be shaped by how they define mathematics and the role of mathematics in their life. Most students in Malaysia lack experience in dealing with mathematics, thus their achievement in mathematics are not as good as non-Malaysian students (Liew & Pong, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate students’ perceptions in learning mathematics and how these perceptions may lead to problems in understanding the mathematics itself among students in selected Malaysian secondary schools. A set of questionnaire was distributed to 200 students in Kuantan, Pahang in order to gauge their perceptions in learning mathematics. The researcher also assesses the relationship that exists between students’ perceptions towards mathematics and their academic achievement by using APOS Theory. The respondents generally reported a positive perception towards mathematics. With regard to the correlation analysis, there was a significant statistical relationship between students’ perceptions towards mathematics and their UPSR mathematics grade. However, there was no significant difference between students’ perception towards mathematics and recent mathematics grade. These results warrant further researches using more advanced statistical tools in order to obtain more accurate and relevant findings. Finally it is hoped that the study will open new paths that can benefit mathematics in education system and how mathematics are perceived by students in the classroom.

This study attempts to integrate students’ perceptions in mathematics knowledge in answering and explaining problems of mathematics learning that is presence in the classroom. The survey instrument used in this study called “Students’ Perception on Mathematics Survey“(SPMS). All the marks and data gathered were tabulated, summarized, and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18. ANOVA analysis was used to analyze the data gathered. The data analysis reveals that there is no relationship between perception in mathematics across gender and ethnicity. It is recommended that future research employs bigger sampling for generalization purposes. In this way, results from this study may help to improve teachers’ teaching methods in mathematics as well as to enhance students’ academic performance in mathematics.