Attitudes and Beliefs of Primary School Teaching Undergraduate Students towards Mathematics and Their Effects on Mathematics Achievement

Year 2020, Volume: 49 Issue: 2, 826 - 841, 28.10.2020

Ayten Pınar Bal

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine undergraduate students’ attitudes and mathematics beliefs and examine the effects of these variables on mathematics achievement. The study was designed according to the relational survey model. Total of 334 undergraduate students educated in the primary school teaching department formed the study group of research. In the study, as data collection tools, “Attitude towards Mathematics Scale” and “Mathematics Belief Scale” were applied respectively. In the process of data analysis; descriptive statistics, Pearson Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis were applied. As a result, it was found out that the attitudes and beliefs of primary school undergraduate students towards mathematics were moderate. On the other hand, it was concluded that students' attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics also predicted their mathematics achievement scores. Besides, it can be suggested to examine the variables such as anxiety, self-efficacy and professional attitude among the affective factors affecting mathematics achievement.

Keywords

Mathematics attitude, mathematics achievement, Mathematical Belief

Sınıf Öğretmenliği Lisans Öğrencilerinin Matematiğe Yönelik Tutumları ile İnançlarının Matematik Başarısı Üzerine Etkisi

Abstract

Bu araştırmanın amacı, sınıf öğretmenliği lisans öğrencilerinin matematiğe yönelik tutum ve matematik inançlarını belirleyerek bu değişkenlerin matematik başarısı üzerine etkisini irdelemektir. Araştırma, nicel araştırma desenlerinden ilişkisel tarama modeline göre tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, Sınıf Öğretmenliği Anabilim Dalı’na devam eden toplam 334 lisans öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Matematiğe Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği” ve “Matematik İnanç Ölçeği” uygulanmıştır. Verilerin analiz sürecinde ise sırası ile betimsel istatistik, Pearson moment korelasyon değeri ve çoklu regresyon analizi uygulanmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda, araştırmaya katılan sınıf öğretmenliği lisans öğrencilerinin matematiğe yönelik tutumları ve inançlarının orta düzeyde olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Diğer taraftan çalışmada matematiğe yönelik tutum ve inançların lisans öğrencilerinin matematik başarılarını yordadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Buna göre bundan sonra yapılacak çalışmalarla, matematik başarısını etkileyen duyuşsal faktörlerden kaygı, öz yeterlilik, mesleki tutum gibi değişkenlerin irdelenmesi önerilebilir.

Keywords

Matematiksel Tutum, Matematik Başarısı, Matematik İnancı

References

• Abalı Öztürk, Y., & Çavuş, Ş. (2015). Matematiğe ilişkin akademik başarı-özyeterlilik ve tutum arasındaki ilişkilerin belirlenmesi. International Journal of Social Science, 31, 343-366.
• Abosalem, Y. (2014). Khalifa University of science, technology and research students’ attitudes towards mathematics in the light of variables such as gender, nationality, mathematics scores and the course they are attending. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational & Social Sciences, 1, 446-460.
• Ağaç, G., & Masal, E. (2010). The relationship between 8th grade students’ opinion about problem solving belief about mathematics, learned hopelessness and academics success. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 216-229.
• Ajisuksmo, C. R. P., & Saputri, R. G. (2017). The influence of attitudes towards mathematics, and metacognitive awareness on mathematics achievements. Creative Education, 8(3),486-497.
• Akay, H., & Boz, N. (2011). Examining the relationships among prospective primary school teachers’ attitude towards mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy beliefs, teacher self-efficacy beliefs. The Journal of Turkish Educational Science, 9(2), 281-312.
• Aksu, M., Demir, C. E., & Sümer, Z. H. (2002). Students’ beliefs about mathematic: A descriptive study. Education and Science, 27(123), 72-77.
• Alkhateeb, H. M. (2014). Elementary education student attitudes to teaching mathematics. Innovative Teaching, 3(6), 1-6.
• Altun, M. (2004). Matematik Öğretimi. Ankara: Asil Yayın Dağıtım Ltd. Sti.
• Azar, A. (2010). Self-efficacy beliefs of secondary school science and mathematics teacher candidates. ZKU Journal of Social Sciences, 6(12). 235-252.
• Beswick, K. (2006). Changes in pre-service teachers’ attitudes and beliefs: The net impact of two mathematics education units and intervening experiences. School Science and Mathematics, 106(1), 36–47.
• Bloom, B. S. (1998). Human characteristics school learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2002). Sosyal Bilimler için Veri Analizi El Kitabı. Ankara: PegemA Yayıncılık.
• Dodeen, H. M., Abdelfattah, F., & Alshumrani, F. A. (2014). Test-taking skills of secondary students: the relationship with motivation, attitudes, anxiety and attitudes towards tests. South African Journal of Education, 34(2), 1-18.
• Ercilean, K., McCreith, T., & Lapointe, V. (2005). Factors associated with mathematics achievement and participation in advanced mathematics courses: An examination of gender differences from an ınternational perspective. School Science and Mathematics, 105(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2005.tb18031.
• Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
• Goldin, G. A. (2002). Affect, meta-affect, and mathematical belief structures. In G. C. Leder, E. Pehkonen, and G. Törner (Eds.), Beliefs: A hidden variable in mathematics education? (pp. 59-72). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Hacıömerlioğlu, G. (2012). Matematik inanç ölçeğinin Türkçe‘ye uyarlama çalışması. Ç.Ü. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 21(3), 175-184.
• Hacısalihoğlu Karadeniz, M., & Kelleci, D. (2015) Meslek yüksekokulu öğrencilerinin matematik dersine ilişkin tutumlarının başarıya etkisi. Karadeniz Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 7 (02), 21-38.
• Handal, B. (2003). Teachers’ mathematical beliefs: A review. The Mathematics Educator, 13(2), 47–57.
• Hannula, M. S. (2002). Attitude towards mathematics: Emotions, expectations and values. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 49(1), 25-46.
• Hannula, M.S., Op‘t Eynde, P., Schlöglmann, W., & Wedege, T. (2007). Affect and mathematical thinking. CERME 5 (pp.202–208). https://www.mathematik.uni-dortmund.de/~erme/CERME5b/WG2.pdf.
• Ma, X., & Kishor, N. (1997). Assessing the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28, 26-47.
• Maaß, J., & Schlöglmann, W. (2009). Beliefs and attitudes in mathematics education new research results. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
• Mata, M. L., Monteiro, V., & Peixoto, F. (2012). Research article attitudes towards mathematics: Effects of ındividual, motivational, and social support factors. Child Development Research, 1-10. doi:10.1155/2012/876028
• Mcleod, D. B. (1992). Research on affect in mathematics education: A reconceptualization. In A. D. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics learning and teaching (pp. 575-596). New York: Macmillan.
• Michelli, M. P. (2013). The relationship between attitudes and achievement in mathematics among fifth grade students. Honors Theses. Paper 126. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses
• Mkhize, M. V., & Maistry, S. M. (2017). Pre-service accounting teachers’ attitudes to mathematics. South African Journal of Education, 37(2), 1- 12.
• Mohamed, L., & Waheed, H. (2011). Secondary students’ attitude towards Mathematics in a selected school of Maldives. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(15), 277–281. Available at http ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_15_Special_Issue_October_2011/34.pdf. Accessed 23 Feb 2020
• Mohd, N., & Mahmood, T. F. P. T. (2011). The effects of attitude towards problem solving in mathematics achievements. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(12), 1857-1862.
• MEB, (2018). Matematik dersi öğretim programı ilkokul ve Ortaokul 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 ve 8. sınıflar). Ankara: MEB Yayınları.
• NCTM, (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics, Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Neale, D. C. (1969). The role of attitudes in learning mathematics. Arithmetic Teacher, 16(8), 631-640.
• Papanastasiou, C. (2002). Effects of background and school factors on the mathematics achievement. Educational research and evaluation, An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 8(2), https://doi.org/10.1076/edre.8.1.55.6916
• Pehkonen, E., & Törner, G. (1996). Mathematical beliefs and different aspects of their meaning. International Reviews on Mathematical Education, 28(4), 101-108
• Peker, M., & Mirasyedioglu, S. (2003). Lise 2. sınıf öğrencilerinin matematik dersine yönelik tutumları ve başarıları arasındaki ilişki. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14, 157-166.
• Randhawa, B. S., Beamer, J. E., & Lundberg, I. (1991). Role of mathematics self-efficacy in the structural model of mathematics achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 41-48.
• Raymond, A. (1997). Inconsistency between a beginning elementary school teacher’s mathematics beliefs and teaching practices. Journal Research in Mathematics Education, 28 (5), 550-576.
• Reçber, S., Işıksal, M., & Koç, Y. (2018). Investigating self-efficacy, anxiety, attitudes and mathematics achievement regarding gender and school type. Anales de Psicología, 34(1), 41-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps. 34.1.229571
• Richardson, V. (1996). The role of attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach. In J. Sikula (Ed.). Handbook of research on teacher education (second edition, pp. 102-119). New York: Macmillan.
• Roesken, B., Pepin, B., & Toerner, G. (2011). Beliefs and beyond: Affect and the teaching and learning of mathematics. ZDM: The international journal on mathematics education, 43(4):451-455. DOI:10.1007/s11858-011-0354-1
• Simegn, E. M., & Asfaw, Z. G. (2017). 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. Doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20170505.11
• Singh, K., Granville, M., & Dika, S. (2010). Mathematics and Science Achievement: Effects of Motivation, Interest, and Academic Engagement. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(6), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220670209596607.
• Tabuk, M. (2019). Matematiğe ilişkin tutum ile matematik başarısı arasındaki ilişki üzerine bir meta-analiz çalışması. Marmara Üniversitesi Atatürk Eğitim Fakültesi Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 49, 166-185. DOI: 10.15285/maruaebd.358096
• Tabuk, M., & Tabuk, M. (2018). Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes to Mathematics and Teaching Mathematics. Anadolu University Journal of Education Faculty, 2(1), 52-66.
• Tabuk, M., & Haciömerlioğlu, G.(2015). Matematiğe yönelik tutum ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlama çalışması. Eğitimde Kuram ve Uygulama, 11(1), 245-260.
• Tapia, M., & Marsh, G. E. (2000). Effect of gender, achievement in mathematics, and ethnicity on attitudes toward mathematics. Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, Bowling Green, KY, USA. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED449044
• Tapia, M., & Marsh, G. E. (2004). An instrument to measure mathematics attitudes. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 8(2),
• Tektaş, M. (2010). Meslek yüksekokulu öğrencilerinin matematik tutumları ve bireysel farklılıklarının incelenmesi. SÜ İİBF Sosyal ve Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 13(19), 241-250. http://dergipark.gov.tr/susead/issue/28416/302513
• Thompson, A. G. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: a synthesis of research. In D.A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning, (pp. 127–146). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Umay, A. (2003). Matematiksel Muhakeme Yeteneği. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 24, 234-243.
• White, A. L., Way, J., Perry, B., & Southwell, B. (2006). Mathematical attitudes, beliefs and achievement in primary pre-service mathematics teacher education. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 7, 33-52.
• Wilson, V. L. (1983). A meta-analysis of the relationship between science achievement and science attitude: Kindergarten through college. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20(9), 839-850.
• Yücel, Z., & Koç, M. (2011). The relationship between the prediction level of elementary school students’ math achievement by their math attitudes and gender. Elementary Education Online, 10(1), 133-143.