CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

According to Sarah Quebec Fuentes (2019), "Problematizing Teaching and Learning

Mathematics as "Given" in STEM Education: A Critical Review of the Literature”. The

purpose of this paper was to critically analyze the research and problematize the notion that

teaching and understanding mathematics is a "given" in STEM education. The paper made

the case that, in order for students to be able to solve mathematical problems, it is crucial to

take into account both teaching models and student cognitive types during the learning

process. Nina Klang et al. (2021), "Mathematical Problem-Solving Through Cooperative

Learning—The Importance of Peer Acceptance and Friendships", said that by examining the

impact of a cooperative learning instructional style on students' mathematics problem-solving

in heterogeneous fifth-grade classrooms where kids with special needs are taught alongside

their peers, the study hoped to advance prior studies. The intervention included teaching

students problem-solving techniques, such as proportionality, geometry, and mathematical

models of multiplication and division, along with a cooperative learning method. According

to Atanasova-Pacemska et al. (2015), a student's attitude toward mathematics has an impact

on how well they succeed in the subject. This unfavorable attitude is associated with a

student's low self-esteem, sense of worth, enjoyment, and emotional state. Poor performance

in the subject can be attributed to a variety of factors, according to Chand et al. (2021),

including students' negative attitudes toward mathematics, the ineffectiveness of secondary

school mathematics curricula, and primary school teachers' lack of ability and competence to

instruct mathematics at the primary school level. The study made a number of

recommendations to boost math performance, including a review and revision of the year 12

and 13 mathematics curricula, the use of technology to teach math, the development of better

primary school math teachers, a decrease in the importance of exams, and the inclusion of
internal assessments, projects, and fieldwork in the mathematics curriculum. Furthermore, an

investigation by Wu et al. (2012) titled "Mathematics Anxiety and Its Relationship to Overall

Anxiety and Performance among Multicultural High School Students". The study investigates

the association between general anxiety, academic performance, and mathematics anxiety

among multicultural high school students. According to European Journal of STEM

Education (2021) “Highlighting the Relevance of Mathematics to Secondary School Students

through Career Awareness” found that lack of knowledge and appreciation of the prominence

of mathematics in different careers can have a negative impact on a student’s engagement

with the subject. A perceived lack of relevance can result in disinterest, and even

disengagement with mathematics entirely.

The goal of Isabelo V. Silao, Jr.’s (2018) study at Kiamba Central School SPED Center in

Kiamba, Sarangani, the Philippines, was to identify the variables influencing Filipino

students' abilities to solve mathematical problems. According to the study, there is a

substantial correlation between students' ability to solve problems and their mastery of

fundamental abilities, attitude toward mathematics, and parental involvement. The study also

showed that the researcher was drawn to investigate the variables influencing the

mathematics performance of Kiamba SPED Center students because of their desire for

mathematical excellence. Dr. Lourdes R. Quisumbing-Baybay (2010) conducted research at

the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, with the goal of identifying the

challenges that students have when attempting to solve mathematical problems. According to

the study, children struggled to distinguish important information from irrelevant information

and to comprehend mathematical ideas. Dr. Maria Victoria Trinidad (2013) set out to look

into the methods Filipino students used to solve problems in 2013 at De La Salle University

in Manila, Philippines. According to the study, students employed a variety of techniques,

found it challenging to use these techniques successfully. Garcia (2010), it was found that

students who have low self-esteem in mathematics have lower academic performance in other

subjects as well. Mendoza (2010), it was found that students who have difficulty in

mathematics have lower self-esteem and confidence which affects their academic

performance. Dinah C. Vidad and Maria Ana T. Quimbo (2021) titled "Students' Problem-

solving Difficulties and Coping Strategies in Mathematics: Model-Building Study" that could

be useful. According to the study, children who have trouble with math problem-solving

activities adopt coping mechanisms that can be categorized as either problem- or emotion-

focused. Utilizing a model-building framework with four stages—analysis, development,

implementation/validation, and evaluation—the study was carried out utilizing a design-

research methodology. The student's academic plans and sexual orientation were also

connected to the models containing the two variables. Through the administration of a

problem-solving test, difficulties were counted using descriptive statistical metrics like

frequency count and percentages. However, it should be remembered that a response might

have at least one difficulty in the different phases of problem-solving.

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

According to J M. Kim (2010) research on "The Effect of Mathematics Anxiety and

Mathematics Self-Efficacy on the Mathematical Problem Solving Ability of High School

Students in STEM. Program". The goal of the study was to see how high school students

enrolled in STEM programs responded to mathematical anxiety and mathematical self-

efficacy. The study discovered that mathematical self-efficacy had a favorable impact on

mathematical problem-solving abilities whereas mathematical fear had a negative impact. M.

Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills of Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities”,

Students ability to apply mathematical knowledge to various situations has been one of the

major concerns in mathematics education research. However, little is known about the

assessment strategies that have a substantial contribution to the development of mathematical

problem-solving skills in kindergarten children through to upper secondary school students.

In this review of existing literature, we discuss the contribution of assessment strategies in the

last three decades in strengthening learners’ acquisition of mathematical problem-solving

skills. “The Effects of a Computer-Based Mathematics Program on the Mathematical

Problem-Solving Skills of Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities” by M. J.

Riccomini published in 2012. There are issues, challenges, and demands everywhere. Many

times, it has been reported that math students have trouble solving problems. Therefore, the

primary goal of this study was to create models that might address students' issues in problem

solving by utilizing their coping mechanisms. In particular, it sought to ascertain the students'

coping mechanisms along the four stages of problem solving—understanding the issue (UP),

coming up with a plan (DP), putting the plan into action (CP), and looking back (LB)—

according to a) gender and b) academic programs, specifically: The study used a case-study

design approach. M. J. Riccomni (2013). “Problematizing teaching and learning mathematics

as “given” in STEM education” Many occupations, notably those in science, technology, and

engineering, depend on mathematics. However, mathematics is sometimes regarded as being

challenging, and as a result, many students drop out of STEM (science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics) subjects, closing the door to jobs in such fields. In this

editorial, we contend that the traditional notion of mathematics as a "given" or "fixed" subject

for students' anticipated acquisition alienates many students and calls for problematization.
We suggest an alternate strategy for reforming mathematics instruction and demonstrate how

it also works for STEM education.

In the thematic analysis of the recent study of Arnold Pascua (2015), revealed that the

word problems which place a greater emphasis on the students’ abilities to understand the

situation and use the best approach to come up with the solution are frequently linked to

problem-problem. A teacher made-test was employed in the study. For the purpose of

analyzing the sources of the pupil’s difficulty, simple frequency and percent were used. The

findings indicated that some pupils had trouble articulating the issue. A student who

effectively portrayed the issue was able to generate the right equation and ultimately arrive at

the solution. The students’ challenge is in expressing the unknowable quantities. By

employing the word matching method, some of those who did not try to express the problem

at all and others who did not represent it correctly can also come up with the right euqation.

This method, which cannot be used in the number problem since it uses a less inconsistent

problem, is not relevant in that case. There were very few students that had trouble solving

equations.

According to Genesis Camarista (2015), the study looks at how well sixth-graders

from a few Iloilo elementary schools perform when solving mathematics problems in terms

of inventiveness, self-efficacy, and anxiety. Based on their cognitive abilities and sense of

self-efficacy, the participants were divided into High Potential Mathematically Gifted

(HPMG) and Low Potential Mathematically Gifted (LPMG). The Mathematical Creativity

Test (MCT), Mathematical Seld-Efficacy Rating Scale (MSRS), Mathematical Problem-

Solving Test (MPS), and Parental Support Rating Scale (PSRS) were among the tools

employed in the study. The findings revealed that all endognous factors were highly

influenced by cognitive capacity, but parental support predicted self-efficacy and anxiety.

The influenced of cognitive capacity and parental support was mediated by self-efficacy,
anxiety, and creativity, with their respective total impacts on problem-solving performance

being larger than their direct effects. According to the study, mathematically gifted students

have average creativity, problem-solving skills, good cognitive capacity, self-efficacy, and

low anxiety. Parental support predicts these factors, but cognitive capacity significantly

impacts performance.