Poor Performance in Grade 9 Mathematics: Students’ Attributions

- Saeedullah

Abstract


The present study investigated secondary school students’ views about their poor performance in the subject of mathematics in Lahore. The study was descriptive in nature and survey research design with a qualitative approach was used. The researcher developed an open-ended questionnaire and purposively selected 40 participants (20 boys and 20 girls) from 10 secondary schools to collect the data. The thematic analysis was done to analyze the qualitative data. It was found that the students’ idleness and their negative attitude towards mathematics were the main reasons for their poor performance in mathematics. Incompetency and strictness of the teachers were also the reasons for their students’ poor performance in mathematics. It was recommended that counseling centers for the students may be established to overcome external and internal factors of students’ failures in mathematics. Moreover, the pieces of training for pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers were also recommended.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ali, H. O. (2012). Family type and students’ academic achievement in junior secondary schools: A case study of Abua/Odua local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Journal of Research and Development, 4(2), 47-55.

Arthur, Y. D., Oduro, F. T., & Boadi, R. k. (2014). Statistical analysis of Ghanaian students' attitude and interest toward learning mathematics. International Journal of Education and Research, 2(6), 661-670.

Başturk, S. (2016). Secondary school mathematics student teachers’ causal attribution for success and failure in mathematics. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 4(3), 365‐379.

Benolken, R. (2015). Gender-and giftedness-specific differences in mathematical self concepts, attributions and interests. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 464–473.

Blazar, D., & Kraft, M. A. (2017). Teacher and teaching effects on students’ attitudes and behaviors. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(1), 146-170.

Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, (2017). Gazette, class 9 & 10, Session 2016-2017. Lahore: Author.

Boruchovitch, E. (2004). A study of causal attributions for success and failure in mathematics among Brazilian students. Inter-Asmerican Journal of Psychology, 38(1), 53-60.

Brodie, K. (2004). Rethinking teachers’ mathematical knowledge: A focus on thinking practice. Perspectives in Education, 22(1), 65-80.

Enu, J., Agyman, O. K., & Nkum, D. (2015). Factors influencing students’ mathematics performance in some selected colleges of education in Ghana. International Journal of Education Learning and Development, 3(3), 68-74.

Erten, İ. H., & Burden, R. L. (2014). The relationship between academic self-concept, attributions, and L2 achievement. System, 42, 391–401.

Feza-Piyose, N. (2012). Language: A cultural capital for conceptualizing mathematics knowledge. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 7(2), 62-79.

Geary, D. C. (2011). Consequences, characteristics, and causes of mathematical learning disabilities and persistent low achievement in mathematics. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 3(2), 250-291.

Getahun, D. A., Adamu, G., Andargie, A., & Mebrat, J. D. (2016). Predicting mathematics performance from anxiety, enjoyment, value, and self-efficacy beliefs towards mathematics among engineering majors. Bahir Dar j educ, 16(1), 16-33.

Government of Pakistan, (2017). National educational policy 2017. Islamabad: Ministry of Education.

Guy, G. M., Cornick, J., & Beckford, I. (2015). More than math: On the affective domain in developmental mathematics. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(2), 13-27.

Hoong, Kin, & Pien, (2015). Concrete pictorial abstract. Surveying its origins and charting its future. The Mathematics Educator, 16(1), 1-18.

House, J. (2006). Mathematics beliefs and achievement of elementary school students in Japan and United States: Results from the third international mathematics and science study. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 167(1), 31-45.

Kahn, M. (2001). Changing science and mathematics achievement: Reflection on policy and planning. Perspectives in Education, 19(3), 169-176.

Kibrislioglu, N. (2015). An investigation about 6th grade students’ attitudes towards mathematics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186, 64-69.

Kolenski, J. ( 2009). Consumer attitudes toward food, Nutrition and health. London: Sage Publications.

Makgato, M., & Mji, A. (2006). Factors associated with high school learners’ performance :A spotlight on mathematics and physical science. South African Journal of Education, 26(2), 253- 266.

Mazana, M. Y., Montero, C. S., & Casmir, R. O. (2019). Investigating students’ attitude towards learning mathematics. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14 (1), 207-231.

McMillan, W. (2015). Identity and attribution as lenses to understand the relationship between transition to university and initial academic performance. African Journal of Health Professions Education, 7(1), 32–38.

Mohamad, A. H. (2012). Attitude toward mathematics of secondary schools students in Malaysia: Current status, development and some relations to achievement[ Ph.D. thesis], Bloomington: Indiana University.

Murmane, R., & Ganimian, A. (2016). Improving educational outcomes in developing countries: Lessons from rigorous impact evaluations. Review of Educational Research, 86 (3), 719-755.

Nenty, H. J. (2010). Analysis of some factors that influence causal attribution of mathematics performance among secondary school students in Lesotho. Journal of Social Science, 22(2), 93-99.

Ngussa, B. M., & Mbuti, E. E. (2017). The influence of humor on learners’ attitude and mathematics achievement: A case of secondary schools in Arusha city, Tanzania. Journal of Educational Research, 2(3), 170 -181.

Noraini, I. (2006). Teaching and Learning of Mathematics: Making Sense and Developing Cognitive Ability. Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publication.

Nyatanga, E. K., & Ndudzo, (2015). Disparities in performance in mathematics between boarding and non-boarding schools: A study of the seven districts of Manicaland province, Zimbabwe. Journal of Business and Management, 4, 11-25.

Nyaumwe, L. (2004). Students’ perceptions of factors and gender differences that influence their achievement in “O” level mathematics in Mashonaland central region. The Zimbabwe Bulletin of Teacher Education, 13(1), 21- 29.

Ojose, B. ( 2011). Mathematics literacy: Are we able to put the mathematics we learn into everyday use? Journal of Mathematics Education, 4(1), 89-100.

Rohana, K. (2010). Students’ conception on the quality of learning environment and academic performance. 4th International Conference on University Learning and Teaching. Jakarta: University of Technology.

Saad, T. U., Adamu, A., & Sadiq, A. M. (2014).The causes of poor performance in mathematics among public senior secondary school students in Azari metropolis of Bauchi state, Nigeria. Journal of Research and Method in Education, 4, 32-40.

Sadia, B., Imran, M.,Yousuf, & Parveen, Q. (2012). A study of attribution patterns among high and low attribution groups: An application of Weiner’s attribution theory. Kamla-Raj Anthropologist, 14(3), 193-197.

Saeedullah, (2014). Evaluating the uses of mathematical skills of secondary school students in daily life activities. An unpublished MPhil thesis. Bahawalpur: The Islamia University of Bahawalpur.

Salman, M. F. Mohammed, A. S., Ogunlade, A. A., & Ayinla, J.O. (2012). Causes of mass failure in senior school certificate mathematics examinations as viewed by secondary school teachers and students in Ondo, Nigeria. Journal of Education and Practice, 3(8), 79-88.

Schultz, P. (2004). School subsidies for the poor: Evaluating the Mexican PROGRESA poverty program. Journal of Development Economics, 74(1), 199-250.

Shores, M. L., & Smith, T. (2010). Attribution in mathematics: A review of literature. School Science and Mathematics, 110, 24‐30.

Tella, A. (2008). Teacher variables as predictors of academic achievement of primary school pupils mathematics. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 1(1), 17-33.

Tshabalala, T., & Ncube, A. C. (2013). Causes of poor performance of ordinary level pupils in mathematics in rural secondary schools in Nkayi district: Learner’s attributions. Nova, 1, 4-14.

Vezzani, C., Vettori, G., & Pinto, G. (2018). Assessing students’ beliefs, emotions and causal attribution: Validation of ‘Learning Conception Questionnaire’. South African Journal of Education, 38(2), 1-18.

Vijayashree, L. (2011). Locus of control and job satisfaction: PSU employees. Serbian Journal of Management, 6(2), 193-203.

Wale, O. (2011). Causal attributions and affective reaction to academic failure among undergraduates in Nigeria premier university of education. European Journal of Scientific Research, 52(3), 406-412.

Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review, 92(4), 548-573.

Weiner, B. (2010). The development of an attribution-based theory of motivation: A history of ideas. Educational Psychologist, 45(1), 28-36.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Maintained By: Hatib Shabbir, Directorate Of ICT, AIOU