Cagayan State University: Shially B. Tamayo
Cagayan State University: Shially B. Tamayo
Shially B. Tamayo
Cagayan State University
[email protected]
ABSTRACT: This study identified the profile, mathematics performance and the attitude of the
respondents. Furthermore, it determined the difference on the mathematics performance of the
respondents when grouped according to profile and correlated the relationship between the attitude
of the respondents in mathematics and their academic performance. The study used the descriptive
design. The survey-questionnaire and the Mathematics Attitude Scale Inventory were used to
gather data and the data were analyzed using the frequency counts, mean, percentage, multiple
Regression, T-test and ANOVA. The study found out that majority of the respondents are early
adults, females and General Academic Strand (GAS) graduates. The respondents’ fathers are high
school graduates; while, their mothers are college graduates with family income that range from
2,100-5,000. The mathematics performance of the respondents is “good”. The respondents have
positive attitude and disposition towards Mathematics. And the attitude of the respondents is
significantly related to their performance in Mathematics. This means if the respondents have
positive attitude and disposition towards Mathematics, the better is their Mathematics Performance
or the higher is their grade.
I. INTRODUCTION
Mathematics performance greatly rely on the person’s belief, disposition and attitude
towards it. It is expected then, that university students by all means should have a positive
attitude toward mathematics to have a better academic achievement and must do all their best
to finish any academic task related to Mathematics.
Significantly, parents and teachers should collaboratively work in developing
positive attitude of the schooling children towards mathematics. It is understood that a positive
attitude towards mathematics reflects a positive emotional disposition in relation to the
subject and, in a similar way, a negative attitude towards mathematics relates to a
negative emotional disposition. These emotional dispositions have an impact on an
individual’s behavior, as one is likely to achieve better in a subject that one enjoys, has
confidence in or finds useful. For this reason, positive attitudes towards mathematics are
desirable since they may influence one’s willingness to learn and also the benefits one
can derive from mathematics instruction. This is supported by the studies of Nicolaidou and
https://ijase.org [265]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Philippou (2003) who revealed that there is a significant correlation between attitudes
and Mathematics performance. They stated further those students having positive attitudes
achieved better in Mathematics.
Similarly, Mathematics educators should help their students not only to develop a
deep, conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, but also to extend
effort in developing a positive attitude towards mathematics. Through having a positive attitude,
a student is intrinsically motivated to learn exigent mathematical problems and expectedly be
determined to progress with or without the supervision of the instructor. The students with
diverse backgrounds must be guided as well so that the teacher’s and the learners’ goal will be
mutually achieved
Dramanu and Balarabe (2013) as cited by Peteros, stated that self-concept is
multifaceted, hierarchical, organized and structured, descriptive and evaluative, stable, and yet
increasingly situation specific. Moreover, academic self-concept is an evaluation of the
perception of students based on their experience and interpretation of the events that they
experience in school which leads to the formation of specific attitudes, feelings, and perceptions
about one’s intellectual and academic abilities based on the academic scenario.
In the study of Guay et al. (2010), which aimed to investigate the self-concept of the
students, they found that students who have high academic self-concept have higher grades
because they are more motivated to perform well in school. However, students who have low self-
concept avoid school tasks because they consider these as threats, which led them to have poor
performance.
Timmerman et al. (2017) examined the relationship between the Math self-concept and
Math achievement of the 108 twelve to 14-year-old students from a secondary school in the
Netherlands. They found that there is a significant positive correlation between Math self-concept
and achievement of the students in all four domains of Math, such as measurement, relations,
numbers, and scale. Furthermore, the regression analysis showed that Math self-concept was
significantly accounted for in the variance of Math scores of the students.
Similarly, Kamoru and Ramon (2017) investigated the relationship between self-concept
and Math achievement of 200 senior secondary school students from Ibadan Metropolis using
random sampling. Students were asked to answer the 20-item Math Self Concept Questionnaire
and took a 30-item multiple choice Math Achievement Test. Results uncovered that there was no
noteworthy distinction in gender for Math self-concept. Furthermore, there was a significant
positive correlation between the self-concept and the Math achievement of the students. Thus, they
suggested that teachers should develop a positive self-concept of the students towards Mathematics
and provide a pleasant teaching experience in order to enhance higher self-concept and better
performance of the students in Mathematics.
Dramanu and Balarabe (2013) examined the relationship between self -concept and the
academic performance of Junior High School students in Ghana. Students were asked to complete
the self-concept questionnaire and answer the Math achievement test. Results uncovered that there
was a critical connection between results revealed that there was a significant relationship between
self-concept and academic performance of the students. Further, a significant difference between
the self-concept of the urban and rural high school students has also observed wherein urban high
school students had higher scores.
Lee and Kung (2018) explored the relationship between Math self-concept and Math
achievement of the Junior High School Taiwanese students using structural equation modeling.
They found that there was a considerable gender contrast concerning the student’s Math self-
https://ijase.org [266]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
concept and Math achievement. Boys showed a higher self-concept than girls, but girls had
higher Math achievement than boys.
Correspondingly, Ajogbeje (2010) investigated the relationship between self-concept and
academic achievement of the 450 secondary students in Ekiti State using multiple regression
analysis. Results uncovered that there was a critical connection between self-concept and
Mathematics performance of the students.
Subia et. al (2018) conducted a study titled “Attitude and Performance in Mathematics I of
Bachelor of Elementary Education Students: A Correlational Analysis”. They found out that their
respondents whose overall performance in Mathematics 1 is below average 82.10 which implied
that their respondents are weak in Math 1. His findings also revealed that entering freshmen
students were weak in almost all areas of Mathematics and were not ready for College
Mathematics. Furthermore, they also found out that first year college’s level of proficiency in
Mathematics is poor, and that majority of the students performed poor in their achievement in
Mathematics.
At Cagayan State University, Philippines some students have not fully mastered the basics
of Mathematics most especially those who were enrolled in non-board courses. Perceptibly,
majority of them have less interest in solving word problems. Most preferred simple drills which
do not require Higher Order Thinking skills (HOTS). Noticeably, during the first two weeks of the
second semester last 2020, some students honestly revealed that they do not like Mathematics that
much because of its complexities and exigent nature. Most students also narrated that they have
poor foundation in Math; while, several students bravely related that their Math teachers during
their elementary and high school days favored more those students who are mathematically
advanced than those who are mathematically challenged. Consequently, it made them passive
learners, and have negative attitude towards the subject. Similarly, there were students who have
the same perceptions and experiences as other students had. They also found difficulty in solving
Math problems. During their informal interview with them, one of the reasons why they are not
confident in solving Math is because they had not fully mastered the basics of Mathematics and
their foundation in Math is not fully strengthened. Some problem-solving skills were not fully
taught to them when they were in the elementary and high school. Consequently, some of them
have negative perception and attitude towards Mathematics.
The study is anchored on Integration Theory and Attitude change of Anderson. This
theory of information integration is applied to attitude. For analysis, a simple attitudinal model
of judgment is used, qualitative comparisons are made to relate whether attitude has a bearing
to one’s achievement in Math.
Congruity of attitude and Mathematics performance are shown to be consequences of
the theory of information integration. Finally, it is noted that integration theory has had
reasonable success in the areas of learning as well as attitude change. In this study, attitude is
considered as one of the factors affecting the academic performance of the respondents in
mathematics. It is the researcher’s belief that students with positive disposition and attitude can
lead to better Mathematics performance. This is further moored to the idea that motivation
drives the students to perform well in the class.
In this study, the research questions such as “What is the profile of the respondents in
terms of age, sex, Senior High School track, father’s highest educational attainment, mother’s
highest educational attainment and monthly income of parents?”; “What is the mathematics
performance of the respondents?”; “What is the attitude of the respondents towards
https://ijase.org [267]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Mathematics?”; “Is there a significant relationship between the attitude of the respondents
in mathematics and their academic performance?” were answered.
This study determined the attitudes of the respondents and their mathematics
performance and it identified the relationship between the attitude of the respondents in
mathematics and their academic performance.
II. METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The study used the descriptive design to describe the profile of the respondents, attitude of the
respondents and Mathematics performance of the respondents.
Participants
The respondents of the study were the second-year students of College of Teacher Education,
College of Business Entrepreneurship and Accountancy, College of Allied Health Sciences and
College of Hospitality Management, who were officially enrolled for the first semester, School
Year 2019-2020. Stratified Random Sampling procedure for equal proportional allocation of
respondents was employed. The total second year population is 1,596 but only 75% of the total
population was taken as the respondents. After determining the needed number of respondents per
college. The researcher used the fishbowl technique in identifying the actual number of
respondents.
Survey questionnaire was used to gather the needed data and the mathematics performance of
the respondents was based on the respondents’ grades in Mathematics in the Modern World
which were taken from the University Registrar’s Office.
Data Analysis
Frequency counts, mean and percentage were used to treat the profile variables of the
respondents. The weighted mean was used to describe the mathematics performance of the
respondents. And to treat the relationship between the attitude of the respondents in
mathematics and their academic performance, Pearson R correlation was used.
https://ijase.org [268]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
In terms of age, it is revealed in the table that 1085 respondents or 90.7% falls on the age bracket
of 19-21 while 0.01% falls on the age bracket of 28-40 years old. This infers that majority of the
respondents are early adults.
Considering their personal profile as to sex, the table shows that 899 respondents or 75.2% are
females; while, 297 or 24.8% are males. Hence the respondents are female dominated.
As regards the Senior High School track, 1028 or 85.95% are Academic track (GAS) graduates;
while, 168 respondents or 14.04 percent are Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track graduates. So
far, there were no Sports and Arts Design Tracks graduates enrolled at CSU Andrews. This can be
attributed to the kind of courses offered at the said campus where the said tracks are related.
For the monthly income of the respondents’ families, it is shown in the table that 409 or 34.2%
falls on the income bracket of 2,100-5,000; while 348 or 29.1% falls on the income bracket of
10,000 and above; conversely, 284 or 23.7% falls on the income bracket of 5,100-9,999 and the
rest of 155 or 13.0% have below 2,000 monthly income. This means that majority of the
respondents belong to families who are not earning that much. Their monthly income is just enough
to finance family basic needs.
With regard to the highest educational attainment (HEA) of their father, it is revealed that 284 or
23.7% are high school graduates; while, 277 or 23.2% are college graduates. Conversely, 194 or
16.2% are college undergraduates. On the other hand, 161 or 13.5 are elementary undergraduates;
124 or 10.4% are high school undergraduates; 122 or 10.2% are elementary graduates; 24 or 2.0%
are master’s degree holders and 10 or 0.8 % are doctorate degree holders.
On the other hand, with regards to highest educational attainment of the respondent’ mother, 332
or 27.8% are college graduates; 271 or 22.7 percent are high school graduates; 193 or 16.1% are
college undergraduates; 131 or 11.0% are elementary graduates; 123 or 10.3% are High School
Undergraduates; while 96 or 8.0 % are elementary undergraduates; on the other hand, 39 or 3.3%
are master’s degree holders and the rest of 0.9% or 39 are doctorate degree holders. This finding
shows that majority of the mothers of the respondents have undergone to higher level of education.
https://ijase.org [269]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
This finding means that the respondents, who believed to have a good foundation and who
enjoyed Math, have positive attitude. They perceived positively that improvement on thinking
and reasoning skills and becoming more successful in life were the benefits of being good in
Mathematics.
This is in consonance to the findings of Subia, Salangsang and Medrano (2018). They found
out that their respondents have positive attitude and perceptions particularly on the first three
positive statements. Their study revealed that through mathematics reasoning skills of the
college students are enhanced.
However, the positive statements in items 13, 17, and 27 which are “My favorite subject is
Mathematics.”, “I feel happier in my Mathematics class than in any other class” and “In
Mathematics, I am not satisfied with just a passing grade; I want really something high.” have
https://ijase.org [270]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
weighted means that fall within the bracket of 2.6-3.39 which have a descriptive value of
“uncertain”.
This finding means that the respondents are not so sure or not totally convinced that
Mathematics is their favorite subject compared to other General Education Curriculum subjects.
The respondents also perceived that they are not quite sure if they are happier in Mathematics
class compared to other class. For them, passing a subject is already a consolation. This can be
attributed to the degree of difficulty of the subject compared to other basic subjects.
The revealed data conform to the finding of Subia, et.al (2018) particularly on item 13.
They found out that their respondents considered Mathematics as their least favorite subject;
however, they inferred that although their respondents do not like Mathematics, they are aware
that an individual who is involved in Math will be most likely to develop critical thinking skills
and will be more likely to succeed in life.
It can be gleaned also in the same table that the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 19th, 22nd, 28th
and 30th negative statements, “I feel uncomfortable with numbers and symbols.” , “I am too
nervous to think in my Mathematics class.”, “I am unable to think clearly when working with
Mathematics.”, “Mathematics makes me feel as though I am lost in a jungle of numbers and I
cannot find my way out.” , “Mathematics problems scare me.” , “I easily give up when I cannot
solve a Mathematics problem.”, “I think I will stand a better chance to succeed in my college
course if it does not require Mathematics.” and “My poorest mark is usually in Mathematics.”
have weighted means that fall within the bracket of 2.6-3.39 which have a descriptive value of
“uncertain”
This means that the respondents are not fully confident and comfortable with
numbers and symbols. They are not really sure in if they have a better chance to succeed in their
college course if it does not require Mathematics. Further, they are unsure on their answers
when tasked to solve Math problems.
This agrees to the claim of Bianco (2017) that learning Math can be difficult but
some people believe Math is significant since it is everywhere and it is used in everyday life.
Math is there to keep people to be well-ordered and to be organized essentially. In fact, Delos
Angeles (2020) noted that learning style play a dynamic role in the lives of learners.
On the other hand, the negative statements found in items 12, 26 and 29 have
weighted means that fall within the bracket of 2.6-3.39 which have a descriptive value of
“uncertain”. These negative statements are “I would willingly exchange my Mathematics
subject for an easier subject in school.”, “I consider Mathematics as my most difficult subject.”,
“I always need someone to help me with Mathematics because it confuses me.”
This finding implies that the respondents are not so sure of their perceptions and
attitudes if they would exchange Mathematics subject for an easier subject in school; if
Mathematics is their most difficult subject, and if they need someone to help them with
Mathematics because it confuses me.” This reality partly proves that freshmen students have
math anxiety.
This finding jointly favors the findings of Subia, et al (2017) that the BEED respondents
in their study have math anxieties in terms of solving problems. He stated that highly anxious
math students will avoid situations in which they have to perform mathematical calculations. A
Math anxious student become so uncomfortable when confronted on mathematical tasks that
he/she can experience physical symptoms including increased heart rate, nervous stomach and
breathing difficulties that prevent them from concentration and learning. These feelings have
https://ijase.org [271]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
https://ijase.org [272]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Table 3 shows that 560 or 46.82% of the respondents were at the grade range of 87- 92
with a descriptive value of “Good”. While, 421 or 35.21% were at the grade range of 81- 86
with “Satisfactory” as the descriptive value. Whereas, 147 or 12.29% were at the grade range
of 93- 98 with a descriptive value of “Very Good”. There were also 64 respondents or 5.35%
of the population whose grades fall on the grade range of 75-80 which means passing, 4
respondents or 0.33% have grades that fall on the grade range of 99-100% which has a
descriptive value of “Excellent”.
The computed mean value is 87.26 with descriptive value of “good”. This finding intends
to convey that the respondents are not weak in Math. They are not that highly intellectual, but
they are not poor in numeracy and abstract comprehension.
This finding negates the findings of Subia, et. al (2018) in their study “Attitude and
Performance in Mathematics I of Bachelor of Elementary Education Students: A Correlational
Analysis”. They found out that their respondents whose overall performance in Mathematics 1
is below average 82.10 which showed that their respondents are weak in Math 1. His findings
also revealed that entering freshmen students were weak in almost all areas of Mathematics and
https://ijase.org [273]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
were not ready for College Mathematics. Furthermore, they also found out that first year
college’s level of proficiency in Mathematics is poor, and that majority of the students
performed poor in their achievement in Mathematics.
Correlation between the Attitude and the Performance in Mathematics in the Modern
World of the Respondents
Table 4 presents the significant relationships that exist between the attitudes of the
respondents and their performance in Mathematics in the Modern World.
The attitude of the respondents is significantly related to their performance in
Mathematics. The P-value is lesser than 0.01 level of significance. Thus, the null hypothesis is
rejected. This means that there is significant relationship between the attitude and the
performance in mathematics of the respondents. If the respondents have positive attitude and
disposition towards Mathematics, the better is their Mathematics Performance or the higher is
their grade. Likewise, if the respondents exhibit negative attitude in Mathematics, the lower is
his/her performance in Mathematics. This implies that students with positive attitude in
Mathematics performed better than those students with negative attitude.
This is related to the findings of Zan, et al. (2008). They claimed that a positive attitude
towards mathematics reflects a positive emotional disposition in relation to the subject and, in
a similar way, a negative attitude towards mathematics relates to a negative emotional
disposition. One is likely to achieve better in a subject that he/she enjoys, has confidence in or
finds it useful. For this reason, positive attitudes towards mathematics are desirable since they
may influence one’s willingness to learn.
In like manner the finding of the study is parallel to the findings of several studies that
had been conducted to find out the relationship between attitude towards mathematics and
academic achievement of the students. Most of these studies showed that there is a positive
correlation between students’ attitude towards mathematics and academic achievement of
students (Mohd et al, 2011; Bramlett & Herron, 2009) and also achievement in problem solving
(Nicolaidou & Philippou, 2003). Their studies have also shown that students’ attitude towards
problem solving has a positive relation with students‟ mathematics achievement (Mohd et al,
2011).
Table 4. Relationship between the Attitude and the Performance in Mathematics in the
Modern World of the Respondents
Variables r-Coefficient P-vaue
Academic Performance 0.306* 0.000
Math Attitude
https://ijase.org [274]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
*Significant at α= 0.01
In the light of above-mentioned findings, the study concluded that the mathematics
performance of the respondents is “good” which means that the respondents are not poor and
are not that highly intellectual in analytical comprehension and they have positive attitude
which is significantly related to their performance in Mathematics. This means if the
respondents have positive attitude and disposition towards Mathematics, the better is their
Mathematics Performance or the higher is their grade. Significantly, this implies that they value
the importance of Math not only in their academic endeavor but also in the different facets of
life. This further implies that the significance of the subject is appreciated by the respondent’s
despite of its complexities. This is then interrelated to the Integration Theory and Attitude
change of Norman H. Anderson where attitude and Mathematics performance are shown to be
consequences of the theory of information integration. It is noted that integration theory has
had reasonable success in the areas of learning as well as attitude change.
It is recommended that the Mathematics instructor should motivate and help the
university students to have a sustained positive attitude towards Math. The syllabi, instructional
materials and teaching strategies to be used should be enriched and be enhanced to help the
students achieve their learning objectives and for them to have a better Mathematics
performance.
Moreover, curriculum planners should develop a Math curriculum that is experiential
and learner-based as embodied in CMO 46, s. 2012 to help the students sustain their positive
disposition towards mathematics.
REFERENCES
Akey, T. (2006) “School context, students’ attitudes and behavior and academic
achievement: an exploratory analysis,” Tech. Rep
https://ijase.org [275]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Cvencek, D., Kapur, M., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Math achievement, stereotypes, and
math self-concepts among elementary-school students in Singapore. Learning and Instruction,
39, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2015.04.002
Delos Angeles, Marie Ann Gladys. (2020). Learning Style and Preferences of Students
in Skills-Based Courses. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 24. 2203-2011.
10.37200/IJPR/V24I3/PR200969.
Georgiou, S., et. al (2007) “Is Victor better than Victoria at maths?” Educational
Psychology in Practice, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 329–342.
Hemmings, B. and R. Kay (2010) “Prior achievement, effort, and mathematics attitude
as predictors of current achievement,” Australian Educational Researcher, vol. 37, no. 2, pp.
41–58, 2010. View at Publisher
https://ijase.org [276]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Kamoru, U., & Ramon, O. G. (2017). Influence of self-concept, study habit, and
gender on attitude and achievement of secondary school students in mathematics. Journal for
Leadership and Instruction, 16(1), 49-52. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2XD0cb
Kishor, N. (2000) “Assessing the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and
achievement in mathematics: a meta-analysis,” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education,
vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 26–47.
Lindberg, S.M. (2010), “New trends in gender and mathematics performance: a meta-
analysis,” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 136, no. 6, pp. 1123–1135.
Maat, S. and E. Zakaria (2010) “The learning environment, teacher’s factor and
students’ attitudes towards mathematics amongst engineering technology
students,” International Journal of Academic Research, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 16–20, 2010.
https://ijase.org [277]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
Scafidi, T. and Bui, K. (2010) “Gender similarities in math performance from middle
school through high school,” Journal of Instructional Psychology, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 252–255,
2010.
Talosa, A. D., Javier, B. S., & Dirain, E. L. (2021). The flexible-learning journey:
phenomenological investigation of self-efficacy influencing factors among higher education
students. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S3), 422-434.
https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5nS3.1590
Unal, Ali (2019). The Impact of Relative Age Effect on Mathematics Achievement.
International Education Studies. May 2019. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333470096 on December 2019
https://ijase.org [278]
International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education ISSN: 2799 - 1091
Volume 2 Issue 1 | December 2021 Page No. 265-278
https://ijase.org [279]