Abstract
The study explored Taiwanese students’ mathematics learning at the junior high school level. Utilizing structural equation modeling, it examined the relationships between math self-concept and mathematics achievement with longitudinal data. Participants included 1,256 Taiwanese seventh graders in the first wave and declined slightly to 1,211 eighth graders in the second wave. Findings indicated the following. First, the longitudinal effects were all significant: (a) prior mathematics achievement significantly predicted subsequent math self-concept (skill development model), (b) prior math self-concept significantly predicted subsequent mathematics achievement (self-enhancement model), and (c) the reciprocal effects model was supported, and the effects of achievement tended to become stronger and more systematic. Second, results showed significant gender variation with respect to math self-concept and mathematics achievement. Boys had significantly higher math self-concept than girls, whereas girls exhibited higher mathematics achievement than boys. The implications of these findings for cultivating students’ interest in mathematics learning were discussed.
Highlights
Recent studies consistently indicate group differences in mathematics achievement among children from different cultural backgrounds, and this issue has piqued the interest of many educators and psychologists (House, 2006; Shen, 2005; Tsui, 2007)
Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the constructs of math self-concept and mathematics achievement
The results indicated that (a) prior mathematics achievement significantly predicted subsequent math self-concept; (b) prior math self-concept significantly predicted subsequent mathematics achievement; (c) the reciprocal effects model was supported, and the effects of achievement tended to become stronger and more systematic; and (d) significant gender variation was found for math self-concept and mathematics achievement
Summary
Recent studies consistently indicate group differences in mathematics achievement among children from different cultural backgrounds, and this issue has piqued the interest of many educators and psychologists (House, 2006; Shen, 2005; Tsui, 2007). Based on results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, Mullis et al (2012) reported that Taiwanese fourth and eighth grade students’ math performance exceeded the international average; fourth graders ranked 4th and eighth graders ranked 3rd among all the participating countries. Studies have examined the influence of social-cognitive factors on school performance (Casey, Nuttall, & Pezaris, 2001; Ercikan, McCreith, & Lapointe, 2005; Leung, 2002), and the results have suggested that certain social cognitive factors are critical in influencing students’ mathematics achievement. Results generally show a positive relationship between students’ mathematics achievement and math self-concept. The general consensus in related studies is that boys outperform girls in mathematics
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