Math Achievement Research Articles

The Relationship Between Parents’ Math Expectations and Children’s Math Achievements: Mediating Effects of Home Math Practices by Difficulty Level and Dependency on Private Math Education

Objectives: The study aim to examine the relationship between parents’ math expectations and young children’s math achievements by focusing on the mediating effects of home math practices according to difficulty level and dependency on private math education. Thus, an objective of the current study was to investigate the proper educational environment for enhancing young children’s math achievements.Methods: A total of 297 children aged 4 and 5 years and their parents were included in the study. Parents were surveyed regarding the Home math environments and controlling variables. Home math practices were divided into basic and advanced math practices based on difficulty level. For the children, math achievements, such as numeracy and mathematical problem-solving skills, were assessed using the PENS-B and Woodcock-Johnson Ⅲ Applied Problems tests.Results: Parent’s high levels of math expectations predicted a greater frequency of basic and advanced math practices at home; however, they did not predict a dependency on private math education. Additionally, advanced math practices at home partially mediated the association between parents’ math expectations and young children’s math achievements. Furthermore, the levels of basic math practices and dependency on private math education at home did not predict young children’s numeracy and mathematical problem-solving skills.Conclusion: Findings of this study imply that to improve mathematical achievements in early childhood—including numeracy and mathematical problem-solving skills—, advanced practices with parents ar home is more beneficial than basic practices at home or private math education.

Mathematics self-efficacy, self-concept and anxiety in relation to Mathematics achievement: The case of Kafa Zone School adolescents, Ethiopia

Background It is significant to investigate students’ mathematical self-efficacy, self-concept and anxiety constructs since they have an effect on not only the process of acquiring mathematics, and academic achievement but also potential professional choices and general welfare. This study was aimed at exploring the effects of mathematical self-beliefs, namely self-concept, self-efficacy, and math anxiety on the mathematics achievement of high school adolescents. Methods The sample contains 384 randomly selected grade 12 students (M=199, F= 185) from three preparatory schools in Kafa zone. Tools were adapted from Butler (2016) and Al Mutawah (2015). The Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) was administered to get information on mathematics achievement. Confirmatory factor analysis along with structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Results The results reveal that self-concept and self-efficacy have a positive and significant association with math achievement whereas anxiety has a negative relationship with math achievement but is not significant. Conclusions From the results, we conclude that self-concept and self-efficacy have significant and positive effects on mathematics achievement. We recommend that every concerned body should pay concerted effort to these motivational variables so as to encourage students’ achievements in mathematics.

A longitudinal examination of the relations between motivation, math achievement, and STEM career aspirations among Black students

The current study explored individual and gendered differences in Black students’ motivation for learning mathematics using three key Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) constructs (expectancies of success, interest, and importance). It also evaluated whether math motivational profiles in 6th grade or 10th grade predicted math achievement and STEM career aspirations in 10th grade among Black students while controlling for prior math achievement. Black students (n = 408, 55% female) attending schools in a metropolitan area of Tennessee, USA and mostly from families surviving economic marginalization completed surveys and math achievement assessments across middle and high school. Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles of math motivation in 6th grade, including a profile of high motivation across constructs, and Black girls were less likely to be in the high motivational profile than Black boys. Profile membership in 6th grade predicted 10th grade math achievement. In contrast, math motivation profiles in 6th grade did not predict STEM career aspirations in 10th grade. Parallel analyses for concurrent relations in 10th grade were similar, except that there were no gender differences in profile prevalence. Overall, findings suggest that SEVT is useful for understanding motivation and academic performance among Black students when a person-centered analytic approach is used, but more work is needed to expand the theory to understand the development of Black students’ STEM career aspirations.

Reducing the math and language arts gender gaps in elementary school students through gender integration

Math and English Language Arts (ELA) are two major areas that continue to show gender achievement gaps in U.S. students. Given the importance of peer relations in academic success, the degree of gender integration in classrooms in early elementary school may shift student interest and performance to lessen these gender gaps. We tested the hypothesis that Gender Integration (GI; i.e., when students perceive that boys and girls work cooperatively in a classroom) would positively impact students' math and ELA-related outcomes. Further, we examined both cognitive and affective processes underlying this relation. Participants were 884 3rd to 5th graders (51.1 % boys; Mage = 9.04 years, SD = 0.90; 47.2 % White, 37 % Latine). Over the course of an academic year (fall, winter, and spring), we gathered student and teacher data. Path analyses showed that fall GI directly predicted greater spring ELA but not math achievement. Further, academic beliefs significantly mediated math achievement for girls and ELA achievement for boys. Because GI is malleable, the findings highlighted the importance of promoting GI early in students' educational environments as a way to promote both girls' and boys' educational beliefs and achievement.

Weaving in: shifts in youth mathematical engagement through weaving

Despite recent efforts to support learners from traditionally minoritized backgrounds in mathematics, inequities in math achievement and participation still exist, particularly for women and people of color. Additionally, much of how math is taught in schools aligns with a particular epistemology that comes from western mathematicians and philosophers. While a strong link between weaving and mathematics has been established, fewer studies explore the possibilities of this link for supporting youth’s pluralistic engagement with mathematics in educational settings. Thus, we ask: In a making-focused intervention designed to expose youth to the mathematical practices inherent in weaving, how do student-created artifacts showcase learning? In this paper, four cases demonstrate how middle-school youth learning to weave and learning through weaving experimented or leveled up their planned or implemented designs. Their learning processes showcase engagement with mathematics that mirrors that of more experienced weavers. Making visible the mathematical engagement that youth undertake through weaving may be a step toward building frameworks and classroom activities through making that work to combat these disciplinary issues.

Maths anxiety and subjective perception of control, value and success expectancy in mathematics.

Mathematics anxiety (MA) is an academic anxiety related to doing, learning and testing mathematics. MA can negatively affect mathematics performance, motivation and maths-heavy science and technology-related career choices. Previous data suggest that subjective perceptions and interpretations of students are key in the genesis of MA. Here, based on expectancy-value and control-value theory, we aimed to identify potential, theoretically based subjective factors probably key to understanding MA. We analysed data from 151 745 fifteen-year-old children from 65 'countries and economies' from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 dataset. Subjective self-perceptions had a stronger relationship with MA than maths achievement. We found that higher MA was associated with lower perceived control over maths activities and lower subjective expectation of success. Surprisingly, children with higher subjective valuation of maths had higher MA for similar levels of subjective control and success expectancy in maths. Results offer an improved understanding of potential antecedents of MA and suggest that effective interventions could be based on gradual confidence building in maths. These could primarily draw on a deeper understanding of the subject improving subjective success expectancy and feeling of control over maths activities. Cultural variation in findings is discussed.

What counts as STEM, and does it matter?

To accurately measure students' science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career interest, researchers must get inside the 'black box' to understand students' conceptualizations of STEM careers. The aim of Study 1 was to explore whether students' conceptualizations of STEM included medical careers. The aim of Study 2 was to explore whether predictors of STEM career interest (e.g., gender and motivation) varied by STEM definition (inclusion/exclusion of medical careers). In Study 1, the sample was US college students (N = 125) who were mostly White (80%). In Study 2, the sample was US 10th-grade high school students (N = 455) who were mostly Black (79%). In Study 1, students completed an online questionnaire. In Study 2, students completed various measures of math achievement, motivation (science and math expectancies of success, interest and importance value) and career interest with an importance. In Study 1, medical careers were less often classified as STEM careers than traditional STEM careers, but more often classified as STEM than non-STEM careers. In Study 2, science importance value was the only motivational predictor of students' STEM+Medicine career interest, and no motivation constructs predicted traditional STEM career interest. Boys expressed greater interest in traditional STEM careers, while girls expressed greater interest in STEM+Medicine careers. Students' conceptualizations of STEM are not binary. Thus, we recommend researchers are explicit about their definition of STEM with study participants, in their coding and in their publications.

Teaching and Learning Methods and Student’s Performance in Mathematics in Public Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Nyamasheke District

This study focused on assessing the factors influencing teaching and learning methods in mathematics and their impact on student performance in public secondary schools in Nyamasheke, Rwanda. The specific objectives included identifying the teaching and learning methods employed in mathematics, analyzing student performance, and establishing the relationship between teaching methods and student achievement. The research employed a mixed approach with a descriptive and correlation design. The study involved 718 respondents, including 118 teachers and 600 students, selected through purposive sampling. Questionnaires and documentation research techniques were used for data collection, and a pilot study was conducted. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Regarding the first objective, the findings revealed that various teaching and learning methods were widely employed, including group learning, inquiry-based learning, gamification, and role play learning. To the second objective, it was found that these methods positively influenced student performance, as indicated by 91.8% of respondents acknowledging improved grades, 90% recognizing enhanced creativity, and 88.3% associating geometric thinking with teaching methods. The third objective examined correlations between different teaching methods. It discovered significant relationships between various methods, such as inquiry-based learning and group learning, gamification learning and group learning, and problem solving and group learning. In conclusion, the study identified the prevalent teaching methods used in Nyamasheke's public secondary schools and their positive impact on student academic performance. The research recommended collaboration among education stakeholders to enhance English language proficiency, the provision of instructional materials and teacher training by the Ministry of Education, and further studies to explore the link between teaching methods and math achievement in computer-assisted elementary schools and the influence of teaching and learning methods on student creative thinking for Rwanda's development. The study's significance was supported by the statistical significance of the findings, as indicated by p-values less than 0. 05.

The Effect of Gamification on Math Achievement, Motivation, and Learning Strategies in Flipped Classrooms

The aim of this research is to examine the effect of the gamification elements usage in the flipped classroom model on students’ academic success, motivation, and learning strategies in the 9th grade mathematics course clusters subject. The method of the study is a quasi-experimental research design with a pretest/post-test control group. The sample of the study comprises 38 vocational high school students who attend 9th grade. The experimental process was conducted for five weeks in the mathematics lesson on “Clusters.” Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and achievement tests were used as data collection tools. According to the results of the research, while gamification did not make a significant difference in academic achievement and motivation, it caused a significant difference in the elaboration and peer learning dimensions of the learning strategies scale. Although this is not reflected in academic success in the research, it is considered to contribute positively to student performance. In addition, taking the group as the basis instead of the individual in the design of gamification is thought to prevent negativities, such as anxiety and jealousy, that may develop because of gamification, as well as contribute positively to student performance.

PENINGKATAN HASIL BELAJAR MATEMATIKA SISWA KELAS VI SD NEGERI I MINGGARHARJO DENGAN PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN PROBING PROMPTING PADA SEMESTER GANJIL TAHUN PELAJARAN 2022/2023

This research aims to find efforts 1) Improving mathematics learning activities through cooperative model of Probing prompting type. 2) Motivation of math learning outcomes. Learners are the subject of education, who actively shape mathematics learning achievement in themselves. In order to be able to obtain good math achievement, an attitude or motivation is needed as a teaching provision to learn well. The research used the Classroom Action Research method. Conducted as many as two cycles. The subjects in this study were grade VI students of SD Negeri I Minggarharjo even semester of the 2022/2023 academic year. Learning activities were measured by student observation instruments, while math learning achievement and student responses were taken from test results and field notes at the end of each cycle. The results of the analysis showed that the activity and achievement of grade VI mathematics learning at SD Negeri I Minggarharjo increased, which was marked by an increase in the average value of activity and student test results from cycle I to cycle II. The application of probing prompting model learning provides a positive response for students research aims to improve poetry creative writing skills using audio-visual media. The subjects of this.

Catholic and Public Schools Compared: Examining Achievement Growth in an Urban Center

Catholic school achievement studies often use national data to consider how Catholic and public school students compare. Catholic school governance resides at the school level and achievement comparisons likely vary by city. Catholic school research from the 1980s and 1990s suggested a Catholic school advantage, but few studies have sought to update this literature due to a lack of comparable data. We use standardized assessment data from the early 2000s to provide a citywide, point-in-time comparison of student achievement in math and reading in Catholic and public elementary schools. Matching methods allow us to measure differences, comparing similar students in similar schools, and we find no consistent differences during this period.

Foundations for future math achievement: Early numeracy, home learning environment, and the absence of math anxiety

BackgroundMathematics achievement is pivotal in shaping children's future prospects. Cognitive skills (numeracy), feelings (anxiety), and the social environment (home learning environment) influence early math development. MethodA longitudinal study involved 85 children (mean age T1 = 6.4 years; T2 = 7.9) to explore these predictors holistically. Data were collected on early numeracy skills, home learning environment, math anxiety, and their impact on various aspects of math. ResultsThe study found that early numeracy skills, home learning environment, and math anxiety significantly influenced math school achievement. However, they affected written computation, sequences, and comparisons differently. Early numeracy skills strongly predicted overall achievement and comparison subtest performance. ConclusionThese findings underscore the substantial role of math anxiety and home learning environment in children's math achievement. The study emphasizes the need to consider the selective impacts of these factors in future research, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of mathematics achievement determinants.

Helping or Hurting: The Effects of Retention in the Third Grade on Student Outcomes

We evaluate the effects of grade retention on students’ academic, attendance, and disciplinary outcomes in Indiana. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that third-grade retention increases achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) and math immediately and substantially, and the effects persist into middle school. We find no evidence of grade retention effects on student attendance or disciplinary incidents, again into middle school. Our findings combine to show that Indiana’s third-grade retention policy improves achievement for retained students without adverse impacts along (measured) nonacademic dimensions.

The effect of mathematics self-beliefs on mathematics achievement: the case of undergraduate university students in Ethiopia

Background: This study aimed at exploring the influence of mathematics self-beliefs on mathematics achievement. Methods: Data was obtained on a random sample of 400 undergraduate students (M=245 and F=155) from three Ethiopian public Universities by using self-reported questionnaire. The instrument, which was adapted from Butler (2016), consists of measures of self-beliefs, expectancy-value, and achievement goal-related motivation. In addition, a 25-item Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) was developed and validated to measure mathematics achievement. The internal consistency reliability of the MAT was found to be high (alpha =0.84). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed to assess systematic relationship between math self-beliefs and math achievement. Results: Results reveal that mathematics self-beliefs have a significant influence on mathematics achievement, whereas expectancy-value and achievement goal have no significant influence on mathematics achievement. Conclusions: Finally, the study outlines the implications for teaching and learning, and research.

A pilot study evidencing the effectiveness of a new maths intervention

AimThis study evaluated a maths intervention programme, devised by the first author from psychological research into maths learning, difficulties, and intervention.MethodUsing a case series design, the first author collaborated with a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) and seven teaching assistants (TAs), who delivered the intervention to nine children (between four- and ten-years-old) of most concern to their teachers. Eight hours of training was provided for the adults, on the psychology of maths learning and use of a diagnostic assessment and intervention framework. Personalised intervention programmes were planned for the children. The adults worked one-to-one with the children, for 15–20 minutes a day, up to five times a week, over ten weeks. Researcher support and observational monitoring visits were provided each week. Pre- and poststandardised assessments were used to assess the intervention’s impact on the children’s maths achievement. Impact on the adults and children, and possible causal mechanisms, were explored through individual interviews.FindingsPre-/post-assessments, interview and observational data showed that children’s maths levels and attitudes had improved significantly. Thematic analysis evidenced that adults’ knowledge, skills, and confidence had increased.LimitationsLimitations include the small-scale nature of the study, coherence across structural elements (diagnostic assessment, framework, plans), lack of specific training on instructional methods, generalisability from out-of-class learning to classroom teaching, and problems associated with the operationalisation of mathematical constructs.ConclusionsThis study provides tentative evidence for the programme’s effectiveness, feasibility, and potential to address both moderate and severe maths needs, justifying larger-scale evaluation.

B - 102 Is Working Memory a more Accurate Predictor of Math Ability than Visuospatial Skills?

This study used the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) to compare working memory (WM) and perceptual reasoning (PR) as predictors of math ability measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test-Fourth Edition (WRAT-4) after controlling for age and education. The healthy adult sample (N = 417) derived from a de-identified database in the Neuropsychology Assessment Center (NAC) at Nova Southeastern University has a mean age of 27.9 and was predominantly white (61.45), non-Hispanic (84.9%), and female (57.1%). The mean education of the sample was 15.7years. In a multiple linear regression model, age, education, WM, and PR were used to predict math ability. These four factors combined accounted for 32.6% of the variance in the math scores. WM alone accounted for 20.8% of the variance (p < 0.001) while PR alone accounted for 9% of the variance (p < 0.001). Age did not significantly correlate with math scores. Education was significantly correlated but only explained 2% of the total variance (p = 0.008). WM and PR were positively correlated with math abilities. WM accounted for 63.6% of the variance in math scores explained by the model while PR accounted for 28.0%. This suggests that WM is better than PR as a predictor of math achievement. The results support the important roles of WM and PR in carrying out basic mathematical computations and how WM is a better predictor of math performance than PR. Keywords: math ability, visuospatial skills, working memory, adults.

Competing numerical magnitude codes in decimal comparison: Whole number and rational number distance both impact performance

A critical difference between decimal and whole numbers is that among whole numbers the number of digits provides reliable information about the size of the number, e.g., double-digit numbers are larger than single-digit numbers. However, for decimals, fewer digits can sometimes denote a larger number (i.e., 0.8 > 0.27). Accordingly, children and adults perform worse when comparing such Inconsistent decimal pairs relative to Consistent pairs, where the larger number also has more digits (i.e., 0.87 > 0.2). Two explanations have been posited for this effect. The string length congruity account proposes that participants compare each position in the place value system, and they additionally compare the number of digits. The semantic interference account suggests that participants additionally activate the whole number referents of numbers – the numbers unadorned with decimal points (e.g., 8 < 27) – and compare these. The semantic interference account uniquely predicts that for Inconsistent problems with the same actual rational distance, those with larger whole number distances should be harder, e.g., 0.9 vs. 0.81 should be harder than 0.3 vs. 0.21 because 9 < < 81 whereas 3 < 21. Here we test this prediction in two experiments with college students (Study 1: n = 58 participants, Study 2: n = 78). Across both, we find a main effect of consistency, demonstrating string length effects, and also that whole number distance interferes with processing conflicting decimals, demonstrating semantic interference effects. Evidence for both effects supports the semantic interference account, highlighting that decimal comparison difficulties arise from multiple competing numerical codes. Finally, for accuracy we found no relationship between whole number distance sensitivity and math achievement, indicating that whole number magnitude interference affects participants similarly across the spectrum of math achievement.

Building fraction magnitude knowledge with number lines: Partitioning versus analogy.

Understanding fraction magnitudes is foundational for later math achievement. To represent a fraction x/y, children are often taught to use partitioning: Break the whole into y parts and shade in x parts. Past research has shown that partitioning on number lines supports children's fraction magnitude knowledge more than partitioning on area models. However, partitioning may not take full advantage of children's prior knowledge or the structure of the number line. We tested an alternative fraction number line lesson that leveraged children's preexisting whole number knowledge using a domain-general learning tool: analogy. In a preregistered online experiment, second and third graders (N = 84, M = 8.83 years) were randomly assigned to an analogy lesson (e.g., if I know how big 3 is on a 0-4 line, I know how big ¾ is on a 0-1 line), a partitioning lesson on number lines, or a control lesson using square area models. Results showed that the analogy lesson was more effective for promoting fraction magnitude understanding than the control lesson, and it was at least as effective as the partitioning lesson. The analogy group, but not the partitioning group, significantly outperformed the control group with large-denominator fractions at retention (i.e., 1-week delayed posttest) and on transfer tests (i.e., fraction comparison). We also replicated past findings that fraction partitioning lessons are more effective on number lines than on area models, and this advantage was partially sustained after a 1-week delay. Overall, these findings highlight the power of domain-general analogy to support mathematical development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the Influence of Teacher-Student Relationship on Mathematics Achievement: Evidence From Korean Students

Learning does not occur through one-way lecturing. Rather, it occurs through reciprocal interactions. This means that a student’s response to a teacher’s guidance is critical in their learning. Moreover, it has been known that student learning can be influenced by school mean SES (socioeconomic status) insofar as it impacts the shared learning environment. In the present study, we examine (1) the relationship between math teacher support and student motivation on student mathematics achievement; and (2) whether student motivation interacts with teacher support in learning mathematics and how those interactions affect student mathematics achievement across various school mean SES (low, medium, high). The Programme for International Student Assessment 2012 survey data for 5,033 South Korean students was used in this research. In this study, the results show that (1) the effects of math teacher support and student motivation differ by school mean SES; and (2) there is no interaction between student motivation and math teacher support. Therefore, the findings of this study indicate that school SES impacts the shared learning environment and has a strong influence on student response to math teacher support and the relationship between student motivation and math achievement. Based on these results, implications for teacher education to improve teacher support are suggested.

Tracking informal fraction knowledge and its correlates across first grade.

Young children have informal knowledge of fractions before learning about fraction symbols in school. In the current study, we followed 103 children in the Mid-Atlantic United States from the fall to the spring of first grade to characterize the development of individual differences in early informal fraction knowledge, as well as its relation to other mathematical and cognitive skills. Most children in our sample showed some early fraction knowledge at the beginning of first grade, especially with nonsymbolic fractions and halving, and this knowledge improved over the school year without explicit instruction in fractions. However, there were large individual differences in early fraction knowledge at the start of first grade, which explained significant variance in math achievement at the end of first grade, even when controlling for whole number knowledge and a variety of cognitive skills. Start-of-year whole number knowledge, but not spatial scaling or proportional reasoning, also predicted early end-of-year fraction knowledge. These data can inform activities for learning in the early years to foster both early fraction and integer knowledge in parallel, which may better prepare students for later formal instruction in fractions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).