Factors Influencing the Achievement in Mathematics of Malay Secondary School Students
The present situation of many secondary school students having difficulty in learning mathematics needs to be thoroughly investigated. Various factors need to be studied in order to determine why these students failed to perform satisfactorily in mathematics. For this research, a group of three h...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2001
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8301/1/FEP_2001_15%20ir.pdf |
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| Summary: | The present situation of many secondary school students having difficulty in
learning mathematics needs to be thoroughly investigated. Various factors need
to be studied in order to determine why these students failed to perform
satisfactorily in mathematics. For this research, a group of three hundred
secondary school students were studied in order to determine the influence of
students' internal characteristics on achievements in mathematics. This research
focused on the following seven internal characteristics: Attitudes towards
mathematics, mathematics anxiety, motivation to study mathematics, personality
and behavioural characteristics, cognitive readiness, learning strategies, and
learning styles.For learning styles, Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (1985) was used. Cognitive
readiness test consisted of questions involving abstract reasoning, logical
thinking, and numerical computation. For the other variables. the tests consisted
of questionnaires using likert scale from one to five. Mathematics achievements
were determined by the scores that the students got for mathematics in the Trial
SPM Examination, 1999.
The research findings showed that mathematics achievements were significantly
and positively correlated with attitudes towards mathematics. motivation to study
mathematics, and personality and behavioural characteristics. Mathematics
anxiety, on the other hand, had negative influence on achievements in
mathematics. The result suggested that efforts must be made to reduce the level
of mathematics anxiety in order to raise the students' performance in
mathematics.
Mathematics achievements were found to correl ate strongly with abstract
reasoning, logical thinking, and numerical computational abilities. As for
learning strategies, higher achievers were found to be more oriented towards
meaningful learning, as opposed to rote memorising. The findings for learning
styles indicated that higher achievers were more oriented towards abstract
conceptualisation and active experimentation modes of learning. Convergence
was found to be the dominant learning style of students who were excellent in
mathematics.In the inter-groups comparison analyses, the findings showed that weak students
did not have positive attitudes and strong motivation to succeed in learning
mathematics. Their levels of mathematics anxiety were relatively high, and their
personality and behavioural characteristics1 were relatively unfavourable. Weak
students also had a relatively lower level of ability in abstract reasoning, logical
thinking, and numerical computation. Weak students were more oriented towards
rote memorising and concrete experiencing mode of learning. |
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