Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia

Abstract

Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students' attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent -samples t -test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students' achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables -the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students' achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students' attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.

College of Education Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitude in Terms of Usefulness, Confidence and Enjoyment towards Geometry by Gender

“…In conclusion, when the overall t-test was conducted for all the constructs there was statistically significant difference among the groups in their attitude towards geometry in favour of the male PSTs. This study is similar to Asante (2012), Michelli (2013), Sunzuma et al (2013), Simegn andAsfaw (2018), andTasdemir (2009) where they all found that, male students have more positive attitude than their female counterparts. The findings of this study differ from that of Awofala (2016) discloses that there was no significant difference by gender, selfconfidence, enjoyment, motivation, and value of mathematics.…”

“…It also revealed that teachers' positive attitude radiated confidence in students, hence made them develop positive attitude towards the learning of geometry. Simegn and Asfaw (2018) study used a sample of 367 comprising of 240 grade 10 students and 127 grade 12, with stratified random sampling technique. The aim of their study examined the effect of students' attitude towards geometry on the achievement of female and their male counterparts.…”

Success Indicators of Mathematical Problem-Solving Performance Among Malaysian Matriculation Students

“…In Wolkite Town, 240 students were surveyed using Attitude Towards Mathematics Scales (ATMS), which consists of five components, namely, Value, Male Domain, Enjoyment, Motivation and Confidence. The study found that mathematics attitude had the strongest positive significant correlation on mathematics achievement (Simegn & Asfaw, 2018). Kandemir and Akbaş-Perkmen (2017) found that mastery experience, a source in mathematics self-efficacy, has a significant and positive influence on mathematics achievements.…”

“…Students' feeling of pleasure in solving challenging mathematics problems, willingness to participate in mathematics discussion and excitement in the mathematics classroom (Simegn et al, 2018).…”

The ABCs of Math Attitudes: Reliability and Validity of the Three Factor Model

“…In other words, when students hold favorable attitudes toward math-related tasks, they are more likely to engage in those targeted tasks and tend to put more effort into completing their work with high quality, which contributes to positive behavioral outcomes (e.g., performing better on math tests and/or earning higher grades in math courses). Consequently, numerous studies have examined the effects of various components of math attitudes (e.g., enjoyment/liking, motivation, self-confidence, and perceived value) on math achievement (e.g., Khine, Al-Mutawah, & Afari, 2015;Simegn & Asfaw, 2018) to provide a more comprehensive picture of math learning processes. However, subscales of math attitudes should be validated as reliable measurements for assessing math attitudes.…”