Math Attitudes Research Articles

OYUNLA MATEMATİK ÖĞRETİMİNİN 5. SINIF ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN MATEMATİK DERSİNE KARŞI TUTUMLARI ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Games that have existed since the beginning of cultures are known to have an important place in children's life. Many psychologists and sociologists have conducted studies on the effect of the concept of play on the development of children, and the results have been shared with the education community. The use of games –that are very important to the individual- as a method in the teaching process has been brought up and games have been used as a method in many lessons. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of games on students' attitudes towards Mathematics course, using the game as a method in the Mathematics lessons Turkish students generally have difficulty. For this purpose, a mixed method was used. Quantitative data were obtained using the semi-experimental “single group pre-test and post-test” model, while qualitative data were obtained using the “semi-structured questionnaire”. The attitude scores of the students regarding the teaching of classical mathematics and mathematics with games were determined by using the “Mathematics Attitude Scale”. This research was carried out on twenty-seven (27) 5th grade students of a private college, which allowed for research and is located in Uskudar District of Istanbul province. For seven (7) weeks, Math topics were taught with a game activity every week, and the Math Attitude Scale was applied again at the end of seven (7) weeks. Whether there is a significant difference between students' Math attitude scores was determined by using Wilcoxon-Signed-Ranking test, which is one of the non-parametric tests. When the results obtained were evaluated, it was observed that the games used in teaching mathematics positively affected the attitudes of students towards mathematics, the opinions of the students obtained through the semi-structured interview questionnaire on teaching mathematics with games were positive in favor of mathematics teaching with games. It can be said that a change of method in the teaching of mathematics subjects, which are currently taught with classical methods, will enable Turkish children to develop positive attitudes towards Mathematics.

ATTITUDE OF NIGERIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARD MATHEMATICS SUBJECT

Attitude is an affective variable that can affect the academic life of students significantly. In Nigeria, attitude in mathematics is among the factors influencing performance in maths subject, especially among primary school students. This study aimed at identifying factors that indicate the student’s negative attitude in maths subject. The population of the study is 1,626 from 6 selected primary schools in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano, Nigeria. A sample of 384 respondents were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan table. A Math Attitude questionnaire (MAQ) was completed by the respondents which measure the students affect, behaviour and cognitive aspects. The data collected were analysed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). The results show that the respondents are experiencing a negative attitude in maths subject. It is recommended that parents and teachers are required to provide some supportive measures for changing the student's attitude. If a negative attitude among students is not addressed, the career of students will be very limited and their maths performance will be relatively poor as well

Explaining the gender gaps in mathematics achievement and attitudes: The role of societal gender equality

The gender stratification hypothesis maintains that higher levels of societal gender equity predict smaller gender gaps in mathematics achievement and attitudes. Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) across 56 countries, this study aims to provide a thorough empirical test of the gender stratification hypothesis. We employ a novel two-stage empirical strategy to investigate the link between societal gender equities and gender differences in mathematics achievement and attitudes. In the first stage, we use a semiparametric Oaxaca-Blinder (OB) method to decompose the gender gaps in each country into a part that is explained by gender differences in observable characteristics and a part that remains unexplained. In the second stage, we examine the relationships between the unexplained parts of the gender gaps and country-specific gender equity measures. The results highlight the importance of gender equity in the labor market in explaining cross-country variation in the gender math gap. We find that lower gender wage gap is significantly associated with a smaller unexplained part of the gender math gap favoring boys. In terms of the gender gaps in math attitudes, the results yield mixed support for the gender stratification hypothesis.

Assessing math attitude through the Attitude Toward Mathematics Inventory – Short form in introductory statistics course students

Math attitude refers to emotional responses, beliefs, and behaviors towards mathematics. Several studies measured the relation with math learning and related variables, but very few with statistics learning. To better investigate this relation has become increasingly relevant to have a measure that ensuring multidimensionality and shortness. The aim of the present paper was to confirm the factor structure of the Lin and Huang (2014)'s ATMI - Short Form (ATMI - SF) when administered to Italian college students attending introductory statistics course, and to test its measurement invariance applying a multigroup confirmatory analysis. We also assessed the reliability and the incremental validity of the ATMI - SF by verifying whether it predicted statistics achievement over and above the effect of math knowledge. The overall findings provide that ATMI - SF is a reliable and valid measure to assess math attitude among college students who attend introductory statistics courses in non-mathematical courses.

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

Although the Attitudes toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI; four-factor model with 40 items) has been well-established as a viable tool to test the multidimentionality of math attitudes, studies have pointed out that the ATMI is lengthy, and analyses have typically been conducted on individual samples from either western or non-western cultural contexts. To address these concerns, the present study aimed to evaluate a shorter version of math attitude scales (three-factor model with 11 items) using data from three nationally representative samples (USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore). The primary goal of the current investigation was to establish reliabilty and validity of the factor structure of Affective-Behavioal-Cognitive math attitudes. Alpha coefficients (.74 - .91), factor loadings (.49 - .90), and inter-item correlation matrices supported strong reliability and clear convergent and discriminant validity of all three subscales of math attitudes. Findings were consistent with the well-documented theoretical model of ABC math attitudes (Eagly & Chaiken, 1998, 2007; Walker, 2018; Zan & Di Martino, 2007, 2014) as well as the classical tripartite model of attitudes from social pyschology (Breckler, 1984; Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960). Implications of the ABC model of math attitudes on math education, limitations of the present study, and future research are discussed.

Gender Differences of Theoretical Physics of Undergraduates Major in Physics

Gender differences exist in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math. There are differences between male and female undergraduates in the learning of various subjects. This paper analyzed the gender differences caused by intellectual and non-intellectual factors, such as math ability, verbal ability, spatial capability, learning motivation, learning interest, and learning attitude. On the base of the scores of theoretical physics, we analyzed the gender differences of undergraduates major in physics, and put forward teaching strategies for the improvement of theoretical physics.

Children’s and Adults’ Math Attitudes Are Differentiated by Number Type

People’s attitudes toward mathematics are multifaceted. Across four studies, we found that children and adults have different attitudes about mathematics when asked specifically about whole numbers, as opposed to fractions. The vast majority of children and adults reported negative attitudes toward fractions despite having positive attitudes toward whole numbers. Across both children and adults, the difference in fraction and whole-number attitudes was present across levels of math achievement, indicating that it was not just participants who were worse at math whose attitudes differed by number type. These findings may have important implications for how children and adults engage with numerical information when presented as fractions.

Parental occupation and children’s school outcomes in math.

We investigate the relationship between math attitude and students’ math scores using data obtained from PISA 2012 and a 2SLS model. Math attitude is approximated by an indicator that takes into account intangible (parental attitude, student instrumental motivation and student math anxiety) and tangible (parental help in math homework) factors. The presence of one family member in a math-related career is our instrumental variable. We find that an increase of one standard deviation in math attitude increases the student score by approximately 30 points, a relevant effect since 40 points is the equivalent of one year of schooling.

The Effect of Scenario-Based Learning Method on Students' MathSelf-Efficacy, Math Attitude and Anxiety

Bu araştırmanın amacı, matematik derslerindesenaryo tabanlı öğrenme yöntemi kullanımının öğrencilerin tutumuna, öz yeterlik algısına ve matematik kaygısına olan etkisinin incelenmesidir. Çalışma nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden yarı deneysel desen modeli ile yapılmıştır. Çalışma grubunu 2016-2017 Eğitim Öğretim yılında bir devlet okulunda öğrenim görmekte olan 45 dokuzuncu sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Araştırmanın verileri “Matematiğe Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği”, “Matematiğe Karşı Öz Yeterlik Algısı Ölçeği” ve “Matematik Kaygısı Değerlendirme Ölçeği” ile toplanmıştır. Normal dağılım gösterdiği belirlenen verilere parametrik testler uygulanmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda senaryo tabanlı öğrenme yönteminin deney grubu öğrencilerinin öz yeterlik algısı ön test ve son test puanları arasında anlamlı farklılık ortaya çıkardığı görülmüştür. Buna ilave olarak senaryo tabanlı öğrenme yönteminin öğrencilerin matematiğe yönelik tutumuna ve matematik kaygılarına etki etmediği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Descripción de una escala de actitudes hacia la matemática temprana (ESAMAT)

Dentro de lo que se conoce como dominio afectivo, las actitudes hacia las matemáticas hancobrado gran interés en las últimas décadas. Diversos estudios encuentran que estas son un factor clave a la hora de comprender y explicar la variabilidad de resultados de los estudiantes en matemáticas. No obstante, los instrumentos en castellano disponibles en la actualidad para medir estas actitudes no son muy numerosos y están destinados en su mayoría, a la etapa de Educación Secundaria. En menor medida, a la etapa universitaria y primaria. En la etapa de la Educación Infantil no se disponen de este tipo de instrumentos de evaluación. Este estudio trata de presentar el diseño y la elaboración de una Escala de Actitudes hacia la Matemática Temprana (ESAMAT). Se describen las diferentes etapas para el diseño de la prueba. Asimismo, se exponen las distintas dimensiones incluidas dentro del concento general de Actitudes, como son: el gusto hacia las matemáticas, la percepción de dificultad, la percepción de importancia, el autoconcepto matemático y la curiosidad hacia la materia. La detección precoz de una predisposición desfavorable a las matemáticas puede resultar de gran relevancia para disminuir el riesgo de fracaso académico en esta materia.

The Effectiveness of a Contextualized Developmental Course in Intermediate Algebra for Community College Students

ABSTRACTThis paper compares the effectiveness of contextualized developmental intermediate algebra to the more traditional developmental intermediate algebra approach, for students at two community college campuses located in two counties in the Pacific Northwest. We assessed four student outcome measures of effectiveness: likelihood of passing algebra, grade in subsequent college-level statistics, change in math attitudes, and change in algebra problem-solving proficiency. We find that, overall, the contextualized course had a significantly higher pass rate than the traditional course, and that the contextualized course promoted significantly more positive attitudes toward math. Overall, the contextualized course was slightly less effective than the traditional course with respect to grade in subsequent college-level statistics and to improvement in algebra problem-solving proficiency, but these results were not statistically significant. In addition, when the small number of Hispanic students was compared to the much larger number of White students in separate analyses, we found some marked differences which, while only suggestive in our study, merit further research with larger numbers of Hispanic students.

How mathematics attitude of mothers in rural area affects their children’s achievement

Math attitude has been considered as the essential variable determining students’ math achievement. It has been perceived that mothers and children math attitude play a significant part in children math achievement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was specifically to describe the role of the mother in assisting their children’s math achievement. This research was conducted in Manggarai Regency, a rural area in East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia to investigate how mother’s perspective and attitude about mathematics can help their children to shape their idea about math and lead them to shape their math attitude. Most families here are from low-income communities and have low levels of formal education. Total 90 students of the age ranging from 9 to 12 (4th to 6th grade) selected based on their mathematics test achievement and their mothers participated in the study. Four mothers who felt able to communicate were investigated further through interviews. Data were obtained through mathematics achievement test results, questionnaire, and an interview. The data analysis and interpretation showed that mothers’ perspective and attitude about mathematics affected their children’s math attitude. Although the relationship were not very strong, the significant relationship between these two variables should be acknowledged. Mothers with better math attitude performed better to assist their children’s math achievement. Parent especially mother serve as consistent role models for their children as their children closely observe the mothers’ attitude. The math attitude is shown to the children in the way the mothers consider mathematics as a valuable and understandable subject. Students can get a better learning result if besides supported by teachers’ quality of teaching, and they also receive full attention from their mothers on what they are learning. The findings lead to the recommendation to design an activity to engage parents especially mother in the math activities in school so that they can support their children at home.

The Impact of Computer-Assisted Abstract Algebra Instruction on Achievement and Attitudes Toward Mathematics: The Case of ISETL

The research aims to test whether a computer-assisted abstract algebra instruction has significant influence on students’ achievement levels and their attitudes toward the mathematics. The sample of the study consists of a total of 30 students studying in the elementary mathematics teacher training program of the faculty of education of a state university in Turkey. The methodology of this study is nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group experimental design. The traditional teaching method was used in the control group and the ACE (activities, class discussion, exercises) teaching cycle based on the APOS theoretical framework was used in the experimental group. In this framework, ISETL programming language was used in the computer activities which was the first step of ACE cycle in the experimental group. The data were collected through academic achievement test, math attitude scale and interviews. The results showed that the use of ISETL programming language in abstract algebra teaching increased academic achievement and attitudes towards mathematics course. Findings from interviews showed that the experimental group students' understanding of the concepts of normal subgroup and quotient group was more advanced than the control group students.

The Impact of Computer-Assisted Abstract Algebra Instruction on Achievement and Attitudes Toward Mathematics: The Case of ISETL

The research aims to test whether a computer-assisted abstract algebra instruction has significant influence on students’ achievement levels and their attitudes toward the mathematics. The sample of the study consists of a total of 30 students studying in the elementary mathematics teacher training program of the faculty of education of a state university in Turkey. The methodology of this study is nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group experimental design. The traditional teaching method was used in the control group and the ACE (activities, class discussion, exercises) teaching cycle based on the APOS theoretical framework was used in the experimental group. In this framework, ISETL programming language was used in the computer activities which was the first step of ACE cycle in the experimental group. The data were collected through academic achievement test, math attitude scale and interviews. The results showed that the use of ISETL programming language in abstract algebra teaching increased academic achievement and attitudes towards mathematics course. Findings from interviews showed that the experimental group students' understanding of the concepts of normal subgroup and quotient group was more advanced than the control group students.

Quantitative Skill and Introductory Finance Does Ability Dominate Attitude?

This study examines quantitative skill among 164 students in an introductory finance course. Results indicate that undergraduate Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) students exhibit alarming deficiencies in content-specific quantitative skills for introductory finance with only about one in four students demonstrating even the basic required skills. We augment extant BBA quantitative skill literature, which focuses primarily on ability, by introducing standardized metrics of student attitudes toward mathematics. We utilize ACT Math scores as direct measure of ability and GPA as an indirect proxy for ability. The Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) provides a direct measure of math attitude and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dictionary for “work” words provides an indirect measure of math attitude. Both proxies for ability and both proxies for attitudes are significant determinants of quantitative preparedness. Furthermore, dominance analysis, a statistical technique to rank order the importance of predictors, indicates that student attitudes about mathematics accounts for more variance in quantitative performance than GPA, the commonly employed proxy for ability. These attitude measures are viable tools for assessing quantitative preparedness in math intensive business courses, such as introductory finance.

Predictive Value of Sense of Self-efficacy and Attitudes of High School Students for Their Resistance to Mathematics

This study aimed to determine the power of sense of self-efficacy in and attitudes toward math in predicting resistance to mathematics for high school students. In accordance with the aims of the study, a correlational survey model was used to determine covariance between the variables. The data for this study were collected through surveys given to 10th graders in 2016 spring semester. The students who were administered the surveys were chosen using simple random sampling. 831 students participated in the study (413 females with 49.70% and 418 males with 50.30%). Three surveys were used for data collection: The Resistance Scale for High School Students (RSHSS), Math Self-Efficacy Survey and Math Attitudes Survey. Pearson correlation, means, standard deviation and simple linear regression were performed for data analyses. The significance level was accepted to be .01 for the analyses used in the study. According to the findings, there is a significant correlation at -.24 level between students' sense of self-efficacy in math and their resistant behavior toward math; a significant correlation at -.27 level (p<0.05) between their attitude toward math and resistant behavior toward math. According to the regression analyses, sense of self-efficacy in math accounts for six percent of the variance for resistant behavior toward math and attitudes toward math account for seven percent of the variance for resistant behavior toward math.

Reliability, Validity, and Measurement Invariance of Attitudinal and Social Norm Factors in Math

The purpose of the present study was to provide a deeper understanding of multidimensional aspects of attitudes and social norms in educational contexts. Specifically, the current investigation aimed to (1) examine reliability and validity of factorial structure of math attitudes (Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive factors) and perceived math social norms (Parent, Peer, and Teacher factors) and (2) test whether measurement of all factors would be invariant across national groups. Three nationally representative sample data (USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore; N = 15,019) were obtained from the 2012 Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) database. High values in Cronbach’s Alpha, Composite Reliability scores, and factor loadings indicated strong internal consistency and convergent validity of all factors. Estimated correlations among latent factors were ranged from small to moderate in value (rs = .21 - .51, ps &lt; .001) and each square root of average variance extracted turned out to be greater than all bivariate correlations (.71 - .85), which supported clear discriminant validity. Furthermore, the results of Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) yielded that measurement of the six factors was equivalent across national groups at the level of strong (scalar) factorial invariance. Implications for math education and future research are discussed.

Parental Occupation and Children's School Outcomes in Math

We find a positive relationship between math attitude and students' math scores using data obtained from PISA 2012 and a 2SLS model. Math attitude is approximated by three subjective measures: parental attitude and student instrumental motivation, which assess beliefs about math importance for the job market, and student math anxiety. The presence of one family member in a math-related career is our instrumental variable. Regardless of the proxy that is used for math attitude, an increase of one standard deviation increases the student score by at least 40 points, the equivalent of one year of schooling.

The Effects of the Course of Intelligence Games Towards Student's Attitudes

Various games and activities of students can be used as an effective tool in the development of mental capacities, skills and intelligence games. Intelligence games are games that have all kinds of problems, including real problems. So it is a good tool to teach problem solving. The course of intelligence games will enable students to develop capacity for problem perception and assessment, to create different perspectives, to be able to make quick and correct decisions when they encounter problems, to develop a problem-solving and problem-solving habit, and to use reasoning and logic effectively. Therefore, it is appropriate to use a stepwise teaching approach to teaching mental games. In the middle school the course of intelligence games teaching program, learning areas are divided into 6 categories according to game categories: Reason Execution and Transaction Games, Verbal Games, Geometric - Mechanics Games, Strategy Games, Memory Games and Intelligence Questions [1]. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of the course of intelligence games on the mathematics attitudes of Grade 5 students. Research was conducted in the 5th Grade of a private school in Antalya province. The experimental part of the research is comprised of the effects of the course of intelligence on students’ mathematics attitudes. This part of the research is conducted by the pretest-post-test control group design. Of two equal classes, one group is randomly assigned to be the experimental group and the other the control group; pre-test and post-test measurements were carried out in both groups. Experimental design with control group was used in the research. Mathematics attitude scale was used as pre-test and post-test in the research. In the analysis of the data, t test was used to compare the pretest and posttest scores. Between the pretest and the posttest, the lectures in the experimental group were carried out during the education period, including 2 hours per week. The lessons are supported each week by different activities of mental games. In the control group, teaching was done according to the current curriculum. To determine whether there is a meaningful difference between pre-test and post-test scores of experiment and control groups, analyzes were tried to determine the effect of mental games on math attitude. According to the results of the analysis, it was found that the students in the experimental and control groups had a significant difference between their pre-test scores and post-test scores within the mathematics attitude scale.

Reciprocal relations among motivational frameworks, math anxiety, and math achievement in early elementary school

ABSTRACTSchool-entry math achievement is a strong predictor of math achievement through high school. We asked whether reciprocal relations among math achievement, math anxiety, and entity motivational frameworks (believing that ability is fixed and a focus on performance) can help explain these persistent individual differences. We assessed 1st and 2nd graders’ (N = 634) math achievement, motivational frameworks, and math anxiety 2 times, 6 months apart. Cross-lagged path analyses showed reciprocal relations between math anxiety and math achievement and between motivational frameworks and math achievement. Entity motivational frameworks predicted higher math anxiety. High math achievement was a particularly strong predictor of lower math anxiety and less entity-oriented motivational frameworks. We concluded that reciprocal effects are already present in the first 2 years of formal schooling, with math achievement and attitudes feeding off one another to produce either a vicious or virtuous cycle. Improving both math performance and math attitudes may set children onto a long-lasting, positive trajectory in math.