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EFFECTS OF STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THEIR PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS
performance in Mathematics. The outcome Mathematics attitudes and Mathematics
of this study helps education authorities to achievements. Ali Reza and Mansoureh,
think in different ways in developing the (2003) showed that the school pupils have
curriculum and programs which enhance the positive correlation between students’
students’ performance in Mathematics. attitude and student performance.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW And also attitudes can also be gender
related and there are many who hold the
Several studies had been conducted to
find out the relationship between the view that boys do better in Mathematics than
attitudes towards Mathematics and girls. This belief tends to affect the girl’s
Mathematics achievements of the students. attitudes towards Mathematics. Farooq and
Most of these studies showed that there is a Shah (2008) found that there was no
positive correlation between students’ significant difference in confidence of male
attitudes towards Mathematics and their and female students towards Mathematics at
mathematics achievements (Mohd et al, secondary school level. They rather found
2011; Bramlett & Herron, 2009; that students’ success in Mathematics
Papanastasiou, 2000). depended on the attitudes towards the
subject.
Students may express liking or disliking
mathematics, because of their emotions, Studies done by Case et al. (1997),
expectations and effect of students’ attitudes Norton and Rennie (1998) show that
towards their performance in Mathematics compared gender differences in
values, was studied by Hannula, 2002. Ing Mathematics self-confidence have mostly
and Nylund-Gibson, 2013 identified reported that girls had lower self-confidence
mathematics and science attitudes constructs in Mathematics than boys. According to
based on social cognitive career theory. Casey et al. (1997), boys were more
They found significant differences in the confident than girls even when their
Mathematics achievements and attitudes Mathematics achievements were similar to
variables. According to Hemming et al, that of the girls.
2011, there are relationships among attitudes But Sarwat, Saeed and Manzoor (2013)
towards Mathematics, ability and showed female students tended to obtain
mathematical achievements with Australian better results on Mathematics in
secondary school students and found that examinations as compared to that of the
females were more likely to hold more male students. Though there is positive
positive attitudes towards Mathematics. The correlation between the attitudes towards
relationship between Mathematics self- Mathematics and Mathematics
concept and Mathematics achievement was achievements, the relationship was
studied by Marsh (1993) and Hamachek, significant only in case of girls.
(1995). According to Wilhite (1990), Bryen 3 METHODOLOGY
and Shavelson (1987), and Campbell,
Connolly and Pizzo (1986), Low self- The necessary data were collected from
concept tends to appear together with both the Zonal Educations Office and a
students’ low performance. survey, which was conducted in schools in
Giriulle Educational Zone. Stratified
Most findings in this area showed that Sampling technique was used to select the
those who have higher self- concept like schools and a simple random sampling
having more confidence in Mathematics technique was used to select the students
gain higher scores in Mathematics. from the selected schools. Only G.C.E O/L
According to Minato and Yanase (1984), classes were considered for this survey.
Randhawa and Beamer (1992), and Giriulle Zone is divided into three other
Schenkel (2009), there is a strong and educational divisions namely Alawwa,
significant relationship between
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