TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tittle Page i
Certification ii
Approval page iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
List of figure x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 11
Purpose of the Study 13
Significance of the Study 13
Scope of the Study 15
Research Questions 16
Hypotheses 16
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 18
Conceptual Framework 19
Concept of Attitude 20
Concept of Self-concept 23
Concept of Achievement 26
Concept of Gender 27
Theoretical Framework 28
Learning theory of Attitude 28
Self-regulation theory 29
Review of empirical Studies 30
Attitude and academic achievement 30
Gender differences in mathematics 36
Self-concept and academic achievement 41
Summary of Literature Review 48
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Design of the Study 51
Area of the Study 51
Population of the Study 52
Sample and Sampling Technique 52
Instrument for Data Collection 52
Validation of the Instrument 53
Reliability of the Instrument 54
Method of Data Collection 54
Method of Data Analysis 54
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 55
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Discussion of Results 65
Conclusion 70
Educational Implications of the Findings 70
Recommendations 71
Limitation of the findings 73
Suggestions for further studies 73
Summary of the Study 73
References 76
Appendices
A: SPSS print out on reliability 84
B: Regression analysis print out 85
C: Sample of questionnaire 99
List of Tables
Table 1. Pearson’s Product moment Correlation Analysis of students’ attitude and their academic achievement in mathematics.
Table 2. Regression Analysis of the relationship between students’ attitude and their academic achievement in mathematics.
Table 3. Pearson’s Product moment Correlation Analysis of students’ self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics.
Table 4. . Regression Analysis of the relationship between students’ self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics.
Table 5. Pearson’s Product moment Correlation Analysis of the difference in the relationship between students’ attitude and their academic achievement in mathematics based on gender.
Table 6. Regression Analysis of the relationship in the difference between students’ attitude and their academic achievement in mathematics based on gender.
Table 7. Pearson’s Product moment Correlation Analysis of the difference between students’ self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics based on gender.
Table 8 Regression Analysis of the relationship between students’ self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics based on gender.
Table 9. A model summary of the inter-relationship between students’ attitude, self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics.
Table 10. Regression Analysis of the inter-relationship between students’ attitude, self-concept and academic achievement in mathematics.
List of Figure
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework 19
Abstract
This study examined the students’ attitude and self-concept as correlates of their achievement in senior Secondary School mathematics in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State of Nigeria. The design was correlational research type. The target populations for the study were mathematics students of senior secondary II (SS II) classes in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. The sample for the study was three hundred and thirty two (332) mathematics students (male: 166 and female: 166) selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Five hypotheses were raised to guide the study. The instruments used to elicit the relevant data were: A twenty item instrument questionnaire called Mathematics Attitude Scale (MAS) and a twenty item instrument questionnaire called Academic Self-concept Questionnaire (ASCQ) designed by the researcher and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd terms examination scores of students in their senior secondary one mathematics were obtained as the students’ academic achievement. The reliability coefficients of 0.80 and 0.83 for MAS and ASCQ respectively were obtained. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that: there is significant relationship between students’ attitude and their academic achievement in mathematics, also the results revealed a significant relationship between students’ self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics in senior secondary school mathematics. A significant difference between male and female students’ attitude, self-concept and their academic achievement in mathematics in secondary school mathematics was also found in favour of female. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that academic achievement is not a gender issue, both genders should be encouraged to excel in academic achievement since equal opportunities is provided for both genders. Students should be discouraged from forming stereotyped attitude and self-concept towards certain subjects, because of their sexes. This will boost positive competition between males and females, and enhance academic achievement and excellence among senior secondary school mathematics students.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Mathematics throughout the world is regarded as essential tool in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, finance and social sciences. Branches of Mathematics include: algebra which are abstract algebra, modules, vector spaces, combinatory and number theory; analysis which include: calculus, real and complex analysis, vector and tensor analysis, differential equations and functional analysis; geometry which includes euclidean and geometry, affine, metric, projective geometry, discrete geometry, differential geometry and algebraic geometry; foundations which are Logic, computability, recursion theory, set theory, category theory and applied mathematics which are probability, statistics, game theory system and control theory and computer science (Obodo, 2004). Applied mathematics as a branch of mathematics is concerned with the application of mathematical knowledge to other fields. This branch of mathematics inspires and makes use of new mathematical discoveries which has led to the development of entirely new mathematics disciplines, such as statistics and game theory. The earliest uses of mathematics were in trading, land measurement, painting and weaving patterns and recording of time. The use of mathematics has since been greatly extended to politics, stock market, financial calculations (like budget), population, competition, and even as a prestige (Usman & Ojo, 2014).
Mathematics is a science with the basic scientific skills and objectives. Zakariyya (2014) posited that without mathematics, there will be no science, without sciences there will be no technology and without technology there will be no modern society. From this statement, it is therefore an accepted truth that no society can reach heights of greatness unless there is an ample supply of dedicated men and women in all fields critical to its growth, and developing such experts like scientists and technologists to satisfy the concept, there is a need for a good knowledge of mathematics in order to work efficiently. Education enables science and technology with a good knowledge of mathematics to convert human skills and enterprises into materials wealth and social amenities. It affords man a comfortable living and simplifies man activities. For instance, technology has provided a tractor for farming instead of a hoe and a vacuum cleaner for clearing instead of broom, while science is primarily concerned with the production of knowledge, technology is concerned with its use with mathematics playing an essential role in the development of technology. The future and longevity of any social sector depends on how many talented young people are attracted to mathematics (Usman & Ojo, 2014).
According to Thomaskutty and George (2008), mathematics cannot be considered as a classroom discipline only. This implied that not only an academician, a scientist, or an engineer, need mathematics but also a shopkeeper, a housewife, a sportsman, a farmer, and an employee need mathematics. A common man gets on sometimes very well without learning how to read and write, but he can never pull on without learning how to count and calculate. Thus mathematics has therefore become an everyday and everybody’s phenomenon. Man uses it directly or indirectly in everyday life or activities. It is a human invention, borne out of human in attempt to solve human problems (Kolawole & Oluwatayo, 2005). In spite of all these importance accorded to mathematics in the society, there exist low levels of mathematics attainment of students at every segment of the educational system in the country. This has given many educators/stakeholders a high level of concern (Ajayi, Abiola & Adeyanju, 2011).
There are many factors suspected to be responsible for low level of students’ academic achievement in mathematics. Some of these factors include; students’ mathematical achievement score, teaching materials, teachers’ knowledge of the subject matter, parental background, extrinsic motivation, anxiety, interest, attitude and self-concept (Kogce, Yildaz, Aydiz & Altindaz, 2009).
When reviewing literature on students’ attitude towards mathematics, it reveals that several factors play a vital role in influencing students’ attitude. These factors according to Kogce, Yildaz, Aydiz & Altindaz, (2009) can be categorized into three distinctive groups. Firstly, factors associated with the students themselves. Some of these factors include students’ mathematical achievement score, anxiety towards mathematics, students’ self-efficacy, self-concept, extrinsic motivation and experiences at school. Secondly, the factors that is associated with the school, teacher and teaching. Some of these factors that influence attitudes are teaching materials used by teacher, teachers’ classroom management, teachers’ content knowledge and personality, teaching topics with real life enriched examples, other students’ opinions about mathematics courses, teaching methods, reinforcement, receiving private tuition, teachers’ beliefs towards mathematics, teachers’ attitude toward mathematic. Thirdly, factors from the home environment and society also affect students’ attitude towards mathematics. Factors such as educational background of parents, occupation of parents and parental expectations play a crucial role in influencing students’ attitude towards mathematics. Due to these several factors students have different attitude towards mathematics. More often, the public image of mathematics is labeling it as a difficult, cold, abstract, theoretical and ultra-rational subject (Ernest, 2004). Some studies show that students have a relatively positive attitude towards mathematics (Akinsola & Olowojaiye, 2008; Ranjana & Dhiraj, 2012 Anne, 2013). However some studies suggest that there is no significant difference between attitude towards mathematics among students (Mohd, Mahmood & Ismail, 2011; Kogce, Yildaz, Aydiz & Atindaz, 2009; Nicolaidou & Philippou, 2003). And there are some other studies which suggest that the attitude of the participants of their study towards mathematics was more positive (Grootenber & Lowrie, 2002). Hence it can be said that students’ attitude towards mathematics are very subjective and varies among the students
Aremu and Sokan (2003) submitted that the search for the causes of poor academic achievement in Mathematics is unending. Some of the factors identified by them are: motivational orientation, attitude, self-esteem/self-efficacy, emotional problems, study habits, teacher consultation and poor interpersonal relationships among students. Bolaji (2005) in a study on the influence of students’ attitude towards Mathematics found that the teachers’ method of teaching and his personality greatly accounted for the students’ positive attitude towards Mathematics.
It is generally believed that students’ attitude towards a subject determines their success in that subject. In order words, favourable attitude result in good achievement in a subject. A student’s constant failure in school subjects and mathematics in particular can make the student to believe that they can never do well on the subject, thus accepting defeat. On the other hand, students’ successful experience can make such students to develop a positive attitude towards mathematics (Akinsola & Olowojaiye, 2008)
The attitude of a learner toward mathematics will determine the measure of the learners’ attractiveness or repulsiveness to mathematics (Usman & Ojo, 2014). This invariably will influence the learner’s choice and even achievement in mathematics. The word attitude is defined within the framework of social psychology as a subjective or mental preparation for action. According to Zan and Martino (2008), attitude defines outward and visible postures of human beliefs. Attitude determines what individual will see, hear, think and do. According to them, attitude means individuals prevailing tendency to respond either favourably or unfavourably to an object (people or group of people, institutions or events). According to Bohner and Wanke, (2002) attitude is a central part of human identity. Everyday people love, hate, like, dislike, favour, oppose, agree, disagree, argue, persuade etc. All these are evaluative responses to an object of thought.
Therefore attitude can be defined as a mental and neural state of readiness organized through experiences, existing directive or dynamic influence upon the individual response to all objects and situations with which it is related. Attitude consists of three components: cognitive, affective and connotative (Pant, 2009). The cognitive components in learner’s behaviour refer to how information about a particular subject such as mathematics is perceived by the learner. That is, at this stage attitude is expressed as beliefs, opinions and perception of the subject. The affective component refers to evaluation, feelings and emotions. At this stage, learners express their likes and dislikes. The connotative suggests learner’s behaviour, intention or preference. Attitude towards mathematics is defined as an aggregate measure of a liking or disliking that one is good or bad at mathematics, and a belief that mathematics is useful or useless.
Attitude can be formed as a result of some opinion or by following the example of someone like parents, teachers, peer group and friends. Among the personality factors that contributes to academic achievement are attitude and self-concept. A learner’s attitude relates to all the factors of his education. According to Ajayi, Abiola and Adeyanju (2011), the attitude of a learner towards mathematics will determine the measure of the learner’s attractiveness or repulsiveness to mathematics. This invariably will influence the learner’s choice and even achievement in that subject, hence it become necessary to investigate the relationship between students’ attitude and their achievement in mathematics. Attitude can be positive or negative. A positive attitude towards mathematics reflects a positive emotional disposition in relation to the subject and, in a similar way, a negative attitude towards mathematics relates to a negative emotional disposition (Zan & Martino, 2008). Research findings (Akinsola & Oluwojaiye, 2008; Lawsha & Hussain, 2011; Ranjana & Dhiraj, 2012; Mensah, Okyere & Kuranchi, 2013) revealed that positive attitude in mathematics lead to higher level of achievement in mathematics. Anne (2013) concurs that students with positive attitudes performed better regardless of the schools than students with negative attitudes in mathematics
Research on attitude in mathematics education has been necessitated by the belief that something called “attitude” plays a crucial role in learning mathematics (Zan & Martino, 2008). It is imperative to continue to search for linkages between attitude of the students and their academic achievement in mathematics. Hence, the need for the present study which is the students’ attitude and self-concept as correlates of their achievement in senior secondary school mathematics in Ankpa Local Government of Kogi State
Self-concept also called self-construction, self identity or self perspective is a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual’s perception of ‘self’ in relation to any number of characteristics (Bong, 1999). It is internal models which comprise self-assessment (Gerrig, Richard, Zimbardo & Philip, 2002). According to Baldwin and Hoffman (2002), self-concept is a variable with which an individual evaluates himself or herself in domains in which they considers important and it is influenced positively or negatively by an individual’s age, gender, educational discipline/level and socio-economic status. It is a person’s perception or view of self which is formed through experiences gained in the environment from reinforcements. It simply refers to how one thinks about oneself.
Self-Concept is an important construct in psychology and education. Byrne (1984) concluded that self-concept is a multidimensional construct, having one general facet and several specific facets, one of which is ‘academic self-concept.’ The term ‘academic self-concept’ can be characterized by two elements consistent with the Shavelson model. First, academic self-concept reflects descriptive (example, I like mathematic) as well as evaluative (example, I am good at mathematic) aspects of self-perception. Second, self-perceptions associated with academic self-concept tend to focus on scholastic competence, rather than attitudes. It is referred to as a person’s perception of self with respect to achievement in school. A student’s self-perception of academic ability or achievement will affect their school performance. Psychologists have recognized the important role of self-concept in an individual’s personal adjustment while educators are becoming increasingly aware that a students’ perception may have a significant influence on their academic achievement in school.
Self-concept is the collection or impression a student makes about their appearance. The impressions form the cognition or the understanding in dealing with persons or things. Thus, what makes up the cognitive map or self-concept may not be fully known. Every one shares some factors or constructs. These constructs are self-concept traits that become valuable when choosing a career. The environments such as formal education have played a major role in the formation of constructs. Organizations of personality or self-concept constructs are evident in three situations. First the individual sees the factors that could potentially change self-concept. Second, only certain environmental factors impinge upon the individual. These environmental factors enter into the ideas that the individual has had about themselves.
An individual self- concept may either be positive or negative. A positive self-concept in an individual is expressed in the development of interest to school subjects like mathematics, having many friends, putting oneself up before others, accepting compliments, always happy and humorous, always trying new things and non- jealous (Berger, 2008). On the contrary, several signs which indicates that an individual has a negative self-concept include; poor attitude towards school subjects like mathematics, having few friends, putting down oneself, rejecting compliments, teasing others, showing excessive amount of anger, being excessively jealous, appearing conceited and hesitating to try new things (Berger, 2008).
Negative self-concept during adolescence has been associated with maladaptive behaviours and emotions while positive self-concept has been linked to positive, social and emotional development. Adolescence is the time between childhood and adulthood – between the ages of 12 to 18 – that is marked by growth and change, and physical and emotional development. While according to the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004), in Nigeria, secondary schools is for children from ages 10 to 18. This period coincide with adolescence period. For the fact that negative self-concept in adolescence has been associated with various maladaptive behavioural and emotional problems, it is important to address signs of negative self-concept in adolescence. Furthermore by determining the specific cause of self-concept, adolescents can be helped to combat any negative views that they hold about themselves. Also by intervening to improve on adolescent’s self-concept, social academic and behavioural adjustment can be improved upon.
It is a truism that the way you present yourself is the way you will be seen and addressed. Self-concept is purely a case of how and what you think about yourself. It could be positive or negative. As widely believed by many, that improved self-concept in a subject will lead to greater happiness and academic achievement. According to Yara (2010), self-concept will enable students to build self-confidence in them both at school and at work and will equally stir them to pursue academic excellence (achievement).
In educational institutions, academic achievement is the outcome of educational goals that are achieved either by students or the teacher that is how well a student meets standards set by local school authority or the institution (Hughes, 2004). Academic achievement refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teacher (Hatcher & Prul, 1996). It is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate your knowledge verbally or down on paper. Thus, it implies a process where a student success in school is measured to determine how they stand up to others in the same area.
Achievement is the capability to operate efficiently, react quickly or perfectly to a given task. Achievement in mathematics is the ability of the learner to operate efficiently, react quickly or perfectly to a given mathematics problem. Therefore to achieve is to accomplish, acquire or gain by effort or do something successfully with an effort or skill. It describes the level of success in relation to a task or job carried out. Academic achievement is an outcome of teaching and learning encountered. It reflects the extent to which students have attained their educational stated objectives as well as students’ cognitive attainment in the core subject at school level. Academic achievement has become an index of a child’s future in the competitive world. In order to develop an identity in the society, children are becoming more concerned about their academic achievement. For example, the head, National Office of the council for West Africa Examination Council (WEAC) Eguridu announced that over 60 percent of WAEC candidates fail to make five credits Mathematics and English Language inclusive. Eguridu who announced the result in Lagos said that of the total 1,593,442 candidates that sat for May/June 2015 WAEC, 616,370 representing 38.68 percent obtained credit in five subjects and above, including mathematics and English language. Also the result of November/December 2014 show that out of 241, 161 candidates who sat for the examination, only 72, 522 scored five credits with English language and Mathematics giving a pass rate of 29.27 percent. In 2013, out of 298,971 candidates who sat for the exams, a total of 86,612 candidates representing 29.17 percent obtained five credits including Mathematics and English Language (Premium Times Thursday, 18 December, 2014). Children’s academic achievement may differ due to predictor factors like attitude and self-concept.
Gender differences are a recurrent theme throughout the literature in academic studies in general and in math studies in particular. Mathematics is often considered to be a domain in which boys are higher achievers, both in terms of attitudes and self-concept. Contrary to this, findings show that mathematics school achievement and grades do not differ significantly between boys and girls (Scafidi & Bui, 2010: Lindberg, Hyde, Petersen & Linn, 2010). This similarity in academic achievement between males and females is clear in the meta-analysis conducted by Lindberg, Hyde, Petersen and Linn (2010), indicating no gender differences and nearly equal male and female variances. There are, however, noticeable differences in the beliefs held by boys and girls. Research has consistently shown that girls have lower math self-concept than boys (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2004). Results concerning gender differences in attitudes are less consistent than those in self-concept. Some studies have reported significant differences when compare girls and boys attitudes towards mathematics (Eshun, 2004: Asante, 2012), nevertheless there are a number of studies where these differences are not identified (Nicolaidou & Philippou, 2003: Kogce, Yildiz, Aydin & Altindag, 2009: Mohamed & Waheed, 2011). Asante (2012) states that, when compared with boys, “girls lacked confidence, had debilitating causal attribution patterns, perceived mathematics as a male domain, and were anxious about mathematics”. The finding showed that boys had more positive attitudes towards mathematics.
According to Asante, school environment, developmental changes in gender identity, and teacher and parent attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics are factors that may contribute to the differences identified between boys and girls in their attitudes towards mathematics. Mathematics achievement of the students has been one of the trending topics at educational journals. Numerous scholars have tried to identify the different causes that can be associated to a lack of satisfactory achievement of the learners in mathematics. The attitudes of the students and their self-concept regarding their own aptitude in mathematics have been identified as important factors in predicting the mathematics achievement. However, none of such studies are complete in the sense that they have not identified or given due importance to each face of the problem of underachievement. Moreover, an overwhelming majority of such studies have been conducted in developed countries of the west. The prevailing educational climate in such nations is very different from Kogi State and Ankpa to specific and approaches of the people also differ. Hence it is necessary to investigate the students’ attitude and self-concept as correlates of their achievement in senior secondary mathematics in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State
Statements of Problem
