Secondary school students attitudes towards mathematics
Date of Award
8-1-2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
This small-scale research study set out with two purposes. The first purpose of the study was to investigate the difference between public and private school students' attitudes towards mathematics at the secondary level in Quetta, Pakistan. Another aim of the study was to find out whether there is a difference between male and female students' attitudes towards mathematics. The population in this study consisted of (n = 387) students of ninth grade selected through stratified random sampling from twelve secondary schools. Data was collected through an adapted questionnaire 'Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory' (ATMI) (Tapia, 1996) that consisted of 40 statements arranged under four subscales (self-confidence, value, enjoyment, and motivation). Students were asked to indicate their degree of agreement with each statement in the ATMI, from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. Data were analysed using the non-parametric equivalent of the independent t-test. The results of the study indicated that there were no significant differences between public and private school students' attitudes towards mathematics at the secondary level. Results at subscale level also revealed that no significant differences between the public and private systems were found except for the subscale 'value of mathematics'. Furthermore, the results of the study indicated that there were significant differences between male and female students, where male students reported to have a significantly high degree of positive attitude towards mathematics as compared to their female counterparts. Interestingly, results in each school type also revealed that male students claimed to have a more positive attitude towards mathematics than female students. The results of the study provide significant insights into male and female students' attitudes towards the discipline in both public and private secondary schools. Based on the results of the study, some recommendations have been put forward for policy and practice. Furthermore, the results of the study can be used as a baseline for further research.
Recommended Citation
Khan, A. (2011). Secondary school students attitudes towards mathematics (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.