Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia

Engida Melese Simegn; Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia

Engida Melese Simegn, Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw

Published in International Journal of Secondary Education (Volume 5, Issue 5)

Received: 21 November 2017 Accepted: 6 December 2017 Published: 10 January 2018

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Abstract

Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students’ attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent – samples t – test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students’ achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables – the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students’ achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students’ attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.

Published in	International Journal of Secondary Education (Volume 5, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
Page(s)	56-69
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Attitude, Achievement, Component, Scale, Mathematics

References

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Engida Melese Simegn, Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. (2018). Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. International Journal of Secondary Education, 5(5), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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Engida Melese Simegn; Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. Int. J. Second. Educ. 2018, 5(5), 56-69. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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AMA Style

Engida Melese Simegn, Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. Int J Second Educ. 2018;5(5):56-69. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11,
  author = {Engida Melese Simegn and Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw},
  title = {Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia},
  journal = {International Journal of Secondary Education},
  volume = {5},
  number = {5},
  pages = {56-69},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  abstract = {Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students’ attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent – samples t – test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students’ achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables – the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students’ achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students’ attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia
AU  - Engida Melese Simegn
AU  - Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw
Y1  - 2018/01/10
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
T2  - International Journal of Secondary Education
JF  - International Journal of Secondary Education
JO  - International Journal of Secondary Education
SP  - 56
EP  - 69
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2376-7472
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
AB  - Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students’ attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent – samples t – test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students’ achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables – the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students’ achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students’ attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.
VL  - 5
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Engida Melese Simegn

Yaberus Wolkite General Secondary and Preparatory School, Wolkite, Ethiopia
Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia

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Engida Melese Simegn, Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. (2018). Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. International Journal of Secondary Education, 5(5), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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Engida Melese Simegn; Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. Int. J. Second. Educ. 2018, 5(5), 56-69. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

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AMA Style

Engida Melese Simegn, Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw. Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia. Int J Second Educ. 2018;5(5):56-69. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11,
  author = {Engida Melese Simegn and Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw},
  title = {Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia},
  journal = {International Journal of Secondary Education},
  volume = {5},
  number = {5},
  pages = {56-69},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsedu.20170505.11},
  abstract = {Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students’ attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent – samples t – test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students’ achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables – the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students’ achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students’ attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessing the Influence of Attitude Towards Mathematics on Achievement of Grade 10 and 12 Female Students in Comparison with Their Male Counterparts: Wolkite, Ethiopia
AU  - Engida Melese Simegn
AU  - Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw
Y1  - 2018/01/10
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
T2  - International Journal of Secondary Education
JF  - International Journal of Secondary Education
JO  - International Journal of Secondary Education
SP  - 56
EP  - 69
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2376-7472
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
AB  - Exploring why more males achieve more than females in mathematics at secondary school level when there appear to be no gender differences in the achievement at earlier years is worthy of investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitude towards mathematics on the achievement of female students in comparison with their male counterparts and also to examine the relationship between attitudes and mathematics achievement. The participants of the study were 240 grade ten and 127 grade twelve students of General Secondary and Preparatory School in Wolkite Town. These students were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Attitude towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to measure students’ attitude, whereas their achievement was measured by the score obtained from Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression Models, Independent – samples t – test, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were employed to analyze the collected data by using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The results, in both grade levels, unveiled that students had positive attitude towards mathematics but at medium level, however, the level of female students was less than males. The regression models were fit in predicting the contribution of components of attitude towards mathematics scales on students’ achievement. In this regard, 42.8% (Grade 10) and 55.4% (Grade 12) of the variation in the achievement of students were jointly accounted for by the three variables – the enjoyment, the motivation, and the confidence attitude scales. In both grade levels, no significant gender differences were shown in attitudes towards mathematics but females showed greater decline in attitudes in terms of grade level. However, significant gender differences were specified on achievement. Attitude towards mathematics and students’ achievement were significantly correlated (r =.660; p <.001 (Grade 10) and r =.735; p <.001 (Grade 12)). Therefore, this study suggests that, the school, the teachers, parents, and concerned bodies have to intervene and design ways in order to enhance students’ attitude and performance in mathematics, in particular female students.
VL  - 5
IS  - 5
ER  -

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