Students’ positive attitude towards mathematics leads to better performance and may influence their overall achievement and application of mathematics in real-life. In this article, we present the findings of an investigation on students’ attitude towards linear programming (LP) mathematics word problems (LPMWPs). An explanatory sequential quasi-experimental design involving a pre-intervention-intervention-post-intervention non-equivalent control group was adopted. A sample of 851 grade 11 Ugandan students (359 male and 492 female) from eight secondary schools (public and private) participated. Cluster random sampling was applied to select respondents from eight schools; four from central Uganda and four from eastern Uganda. The attitude towards mathematics inventory-short form (ATMI-SF) was adapted (with α = 0.75) as a multidimensional measurement tool for measuring students’ attitude towards LPMWPs. The results revealed that students’ attitude towards LPMWPs was generally negative. Enjoyment, motivation, and confidence were weekly negatively correlated while usefulness was positively correlated. Additionally, the results found no significant statistical relationship between students’ attitudes towards LPMWPs and their age, gender, school location, school status, and school ownership. The discrepancy is perhaps explained by both theoretical and/or psychometric limitations, and related factors, for instance, students’ academic background, school characteristics, and transitional beliefs from primary to secondary education. This study acknowledges the influence of and supplements other empirical findings on students’ attitude towards learning mathematics word problems. The present study provides insight to different educational stakeholders in assessing students’ attitude towards LPMWPs and may provide remediation and interventional strategies aimed at creating students’ conceptual change. The study recommends that teachers should cultivate students’ interests in mathematics as early as possible. Varying classroom instructional practices could be a remedy to enhance students’ understanding, achievement, and, motivation in learning mathematics word problems. The teachers’ continuous professional development courses should be enacted to improve instruction, assessment, and students’ attitude. Overall, the study findings support the theoretical framework for enhancing the learning of mathematics word problems in general and LP in particular.

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The study explored the direct relationship between active learning heuristic problem-solving approach and students’ attitude towards mathematics, using linear programming (LP) word tasks. Two instruments were used for data collection: the Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory-Short Form was adapted (with α = .75) as a multidimensional measurement tool, and a validated standardized active learning heuristic problem-solving tool. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and non-equivalent control group study design was adopted. A sample of 608 grade 11 Ugandan students (291 male and 317 female) from eight secondary schools (public and private), four from central Uganda, and the remaining four from eastern Uganda participated. Data were analyzed using PROCESS macro for SPSS (v.4). The results revealed a direct significant positive relationship between active learning heuristic problem solving approach (ALHPSA) and students’ attitude towards solving LP word tasks (ATLPWTs). Thus, the ALHPSA positively and directly impacted on students’ ATLPWTs. The findings can be explained by theoretical, conceptual, and/or psychometric factors. Overall, the results indicate beneficial practical implications that support the theoretical framework for enhancing the learning of mathematics using word problems in Ugandan secondary schools and beyond.

This study explored the influence of project-based learning (PBL) on students’ critical thinking skills. The participants were fifty 10th-grade students from a purposively selected school in Mbale District, Eastern Uganda. Participants were randomly distributed to the experimental and control groups using cluster sampling. A mixed-method research approach was adopted. The pretest-posttest non-equivalent quasi-experimental design was used. The experimental group used the PBL approach while the control group followed the conventional approach. A kinematics survey test with eight essay questions and focus group interview prompts were data collection tools. The questions were open-ended to adequately measure students' critical thinking skills in kinematics. The survey test was validated by experts and piloted (α=0.88). Data was analyzed using independent samples t-tests and effect size. Though both groups' mean scores increased, the independent sample t-test (t(50)=12.22, df.=48, p=0.00) revealed that students from the treatment group exhibited proficiency in critical thinking skills relative to their counterparts from the control group. Therefore, this study recommends that science educators should adopt PBL to improve students’ life and career skills.