Dislike of Math CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Overview Why do students and adults alike seem to dislike mathematics? Some will roll their eyes or let out a sigh. They give many reasons, such as “It's too hard,” “I'm not good at math,” or “why do I even need math?” Where does this attitude come from? The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991) made this statement: “One of the curious aspects of our society is that it is socially acceptable to take pride in not being good in mathematics.” Is it something that can be changed? First we need to know why. This study will explore the reasons why students dislike mathematics. There are many possible reasons for these attitudes. There have been several studies on math anxiety (Ho, H., Senturk, D., Lam, A., Zimmer, J., Hong, S., Okamoto, S., Nakazawa, Y.,
Wang, C.,
2000; Ma 1999; Cates & Rymer, 2003) that have attempted to describe the effect math anxiety has on math achievement. It may have something to do with the classroom experience (Schefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995). Some students may believe erroneously that they are not “math people” (Anderson, 2007). Maybe the student fell behind and was unable to catch up because of the sequential nature of mathematics. It’s also possible that has to do with the difficulty of a particular grade level (Cates & Rymer, 2003). Maybe the students don’t
Dislike of Math understand why they will need mathematics and don’t see the real world connections. This study will focus why some students have such a negative attitude about mathematics. Problem of the Study Having a negative attitude toward mathematics may be related to achievement of math students. If students don't like math, they may be able to struggle through the classes and make good grades, but the long-term effect will probably be that they will not pursue the subject any more than they have to. They will certainly not pursue a career in a math related field. If the reasons for this dislike can be determined, then teachers can take steps to change the student’s attitude. Purpose of the Study This study will seek to determine what student attitudes are about mathematics and in particular, if they dislike math, what are the reasons. Significance of the Study Educators and government officials have been seeking to find ways to increase student achievement in mathematics and science. With many students having a dislike of mathematics, it will be difficult to have meaningful change in achievement. If a particular reason can be found for this dislike, then it may be possible to intervene in a timely manner. Definition of Terminology
2
Dislike of Math Dislike of math in this study is defined as a negative attitude toward math causing a desire to avoid mathematics classes.
Limitations The survey used for this study was created by the researcher, and was not validated. The students will take the survey during their math class and may feel some pressure to respond positively. This may be from their parents, the teacher or from their peers. Since the sample is eighth grade students their maturity level may prevent them from taking the survey seriously, or they may find it boring. In an attempt to minimize this, the researcher will be present and administer the survey and attempt to explain its importance and emphasize its confidentiality. Summary This study consists of five chapters. Chapter I introduces the study and defines the problem to be investigated. It also includes the purpose, significance, limitations, and defines terms used in the study. Chapter II will review related research. Chapter III describes the methodology and procedures, which includes the population, sample, data collection instruments, procedures, and research questions and related hypothesis. Chapter IV will analyze and discuss the data collected and chapter V will summarize the findings and give any conclusions, recommendations, or implications of the study.
3
Dislike of Math
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction “I’m not good at math”, “I hate math” or “math is too hard” are common phrases heard by teachers and parents. “One of the curious aspects of our society is that it is socially acceptable to take pride in not being good in mathematics” (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 1991, ¶16). Where do these attitudes and beliefs come from? Can they be changed? Through reviewing literature, three main ideas surfaced as possible reasons students dislike math: math anxiety, lack of motivation in mathematics, and a negative attitude toward mathematics. Math Anxiety Math anxiety is a condition in which students experience negative reactions to mathematical concepts and evaluation methods (Cates & Rhymer, 2003). Math anxiety can lead to several consequences. For example, Suinn and Richardson (1972) found that mathematics anxiety may prevent students from pursuing higher-level math courses and HO, Senturk, Lam, Zimmer, Hong, Okamoto, Chui, Nakazawa, & Wang (2000) stated, “math anxiety has been found to have a negative relationship with mathematics performance and achievement” (p.362).
4
Dislike of Math Anxious individuals may avoid mathematics classes, may be more likely to have negative attitudes toward mathematic related activities, or if they become elementary teachers, may not spend as much time teaching mathematics as their less anxious colleagues (Ho et al., 2000). Several studies have proposed that math anxiety has two dimensions: affective (nervousness, tension, dread, fear) and cognitive (worry) (Meece, Wigfield, & Eccles, 1990; Wigfield & Meece, 1988; Ho et al., 2000). Ho et al. conducted a study across three nations consisting of 671 sixth grade students from China (211, 92 girls and 119 boys), Taiwan (214, 106 girls and 108 boys), and the United States (246, 111 girls and 135 boys). The focus in this study was to address the differential predictions of the affective and cognitive factors of math anxiety for mathematics achievement. For the anxiety measure the MAQ (Math Anxiety Questionnaire) was used. It contained 11 items using a Likert scale and contained items in the cognitive and affective dimensions. For the math achievement dimension, two similar tests were given 4 to 6 weeks apart with reliability coefficient of .82. One third of the items were from textbooks, one-third from another crossnational study, and the other third developed by the researchers. The relationship between the affective math anxiety factor and achievement showed a strong negative effect (p<.05). Cognitive anxiety was inconsistent across the samples. China and U.S. samples
5
Dislike of Math were not significant, whereas, Taiwan had significant and positive effects (p<.05) from cognitive anxiety. Analysis of the gender interaction showed only Taiwan had significant effect with girls having higher affective anxiety (p<.05). Taiwanese and U.S. girls had higher cognitive anxiety (p<.05) than Taiwanese and U.S. boys. Gender differences in China were not significant. In mathematics achievement only the main effect for nation was significant (p<.05). Gender and interaction of gender by nation were not significant. The results suggest that the affective factors of math anxiety are consistently related to mathematics achievement, while the cognitive factors yield inconsistent results. Ho et al. (2000) conclusion is that the affective dimension of math anxiety correlates more strongly with negative performance than does the cognitive dimension. Meece, Wigfield, & Eccles (1990) conducted a 2-year long longitudinal study that focuses on the influence of math anxiety on students' course enrollment plans and performance in math. The study had two goals; to identify important predictors of math anxiety and assess the predictive influence math anxiety has on enrollment plans. The sample included 250 students in 7th through 9th grade at predominantly white middle-class suburban communities. The 7th and 8th grade students were enrolled in classes of approximately equal difficulty. Ninth grade students were enrolled in regular algebra or advanced algebra. Seven students were enrolled in a slow-paced
6
Dislike of Math algebra class. Questionnaires were administered in the spring of year one and two. The Student Attitude Survey (SAQ) was used which contains items to assess students expectancies for success, perceived values, perceived ability, perceived effort, perceived task difficulty in both math and English, and several other items. Most items were assessed using two or more 7 point Likert scale items. Predictor variables were divided into three factors. The perceived math ability measure consists of three items tapping students' sense of their math ability and how well they were doing in math. The expectancies measure consists of two items asking students how well they expected to do in their current math class. The importance measure consists of items asking students to rate how important it is for them to do well at math and to get good grades. The SAQ also includes an item asking students to indicate whether they would take more math classes in the future if they were not required. A measure of math anxiety was included in the second year of the study. It contained 11 items to assess cognitive (concern about doing well in math) and negative affective dimensions of math anxiety. Math achievement information was collected on each student for both years from school records. The final grade for each year was used. The study suggests those students' current performance expectancies in mathematics (highly significant at p<.01) and to a lesser extent perceived importance of mathematics have the strongest direct effect on their anxiety and are stronger
7
Dislike of Math predictors of performance and course enrollment than math anxiety. Their findings also support the idea that it is the students’ interpretations of their achievement outcomes and not the outcomes themselves that have the strongest effects on students' affective reactions to achievement. Other studies have focused on the effect anxiety has on achievement. In one such study, Ma (1999) conducted a meta-analysis consisting of 26 individual studies that investigated the relationship between math anxiety and achievement in math. The population correlation for the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement between the studies was significant (p<.01). The U3 statistic corresponding to the population correlation is .71. This indicates that “the measures (or treatments) that resulted in movement of a typical student in the group of high anxiety into the group of low anxiety would be associated with improvement of the typical students level of achievement from the 50th percentile to the 71st percentile” (Ma, 1999, p. 528). This study suggests that there is a significant relationship between anxiety and achievement. It also quantified the potential improvement when anxiety is reduced. Most studies have emphasized addressing affective factors, but the significance of the relationship indicates the value of addressing cognitive based treatments such as skill development (Ma, 1999). Cates & Rymer (2003) conducted a study that builds on MA’s
8
Dislike of Math (1999) meta-analysis study, by connecting it to the learning hierarchy. The learning hierarchy suggests that there are four stages of learning: acquisition, fluency, generalization, and adaptation. Their purpose was to investigate the extent to which level of math anxiety may be related to a more advanced stage of the learning Hierarchy than to the initial acquisition stage by assessing fluency as opposed to overall accuracy. The study involved fifty-two college students taking an introductory psychology. They were given the FSMAS (a mathematics anxiety test) and divided into a low anxiety group and a high anxiety group. These groups were then given a timed math probe with multiple operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and linear equations. The results showed a significant difference (p<.05) on fluency between high and low anxiety groups. “Students with lower anxiety completed more digits correct per minute an all probes. There was no significant difference in error rates between high and low anxiety groups. Both groups were equally accurate on basic mathematics operations” (Cates & Rymer, 2003, p 30). These results suggest that fluency in math may be more related to math anxiety than overall performance. In other words, math anxiety may increase with problem complexity. One implication is that as students progress through high school and classes become more complex their anxiety level will increase. Motivation
9
Dislike of Math Motivation can be divided into two categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is desire to obtain rewards for academic tasks, such as grades, or avoid punishments. "Academic intrinsic motivation is the drive or desire of the student to engage in learning ‘for its own sake’” (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 66). Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi (1995) conducted a study to answer questions related to motivation. First, is quality of experience when doing mathematics more dependent on ability or motivational characteristics? Second, are subject-matter-specific measures of motivation more predictive of quality of experience and achievement than general measures of motivation? Third, do motivational characteristics and quality of experience when doing mathematics predict achievement in mathematics independently of ability? The study included 108 freshman and sophomores from two suburban high schools. From the 108 students, teachers nominated students they thought were talented in one or more subject matters. Students were given a questionnaire to gauge interest in mathematics and achievement motivation. Ability was measured by scores on the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test). Quality of experience was measured using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). This method provides the subject a pager and throughout the day whenever the subject is signaled they fill out the questionnaire. Semester grades were used as an indicator of mathematics achievement. Students who
10
Dislike of Math were talented in mathematics had significantly higher (p<.001) values for mathematic ability, better grades for the first four years, and a higher course level than those talented in other subjects. The results clearly indicate that interest was the strongest predictor of quality of experience in the mathematics class (Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995). Specifically, interest showed significant relations to potency (p<.01), intrinsic motivation (p<.05), self-esteem (p<.01), and perception of skill (p<.001). “Surprisingly, level of mathematic ability was not related to experience at all” (Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995, p. 173). This study suggests that teachers should create more interest in order to improve motivation. Wiess (cited in Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995), for example, found that teachers tend to emphasize learning facts and principles and to develop a systematic approach to problem solving. Their methods were lecture, discussion, and seatwork. These approaches however, may not create much interest in mathematics. Anderson (2007) conducted a qualitative study to address “the notion of identity, drawn from the social theories of learning as a way to view students as they develop as mathematics learners” (p. 7). The students in this study were participants in a larger study of students’ enrollment in advanced mathematics classes. Fourteen students were selected from one high school for semi-structured interviews. Two groups were formed: students enrolled in Precalculus or Calculus and
11
Dislike of Math students not taking a mathematics course that year. All of the students had taken the two required and any elective high school mathematics in the same high school. “One teacher taught most of these courses. When interviewed, this teacher indicated the ‘traditional’ nature of the curriculum and pedagogy: ‘We’ve always stayed pretty traditional… We haven’t really changed it to the really ‘out there’ hands-on type of programs.’” (Anderson, 2007, p. 7-8) Anderson (2007) describes the four faces of mathematics identity (how we define ourselves and how others define us as mathematics learners) as engagement (direct experiences in the classroom), imagination (envisioning how activities fit into the big picture), alignment (how the curriculum fits with future plans), and nature (abilities we’re born with). From the interviews, the social learning theory, and previous studies conclusions are drawn about how the four faces impact a students’ mathematic identity. “Some students may not identify themselves as being a ‘math person’. Students may mistakenly believe that they are unable to learn mathematics or they weren’t born with the genetics needed to be good at math, but scientific evidence does not support these ideas” (Anderson, 2007, p. 8). While all four faces contribute to the formation of students’ identities as mathematics learners, the nature face provides the most unsound and unfounded explanations for students’ participation in the mathematics community. To allow for the
12
Dislike of Math development of all students to identify as mathematics learners, students and teachers must discount the nature face and build on the other three faces of identity (Anderson, 2007, p. 11). “Mathematical tasks that engage students in doing mathematics, making meaning of mathematics, and generating their own solutions to complex mathematical problems can be beneficial in engaging students and supporting their identity as mathematics learners” (NCTM as cited in Anderson, 2007, p.12). Anderson (2007) suggests that to increase interest, instruction should involve more active and studentcentered activities. “Teachers can reinforce the idea that mathematics is an interesting subject, used in other disciplines, and is an admission ticket for colleges and careers. Teachers could have working professionals to visit the classes and share how they use mathematics in their profession” (Anderson, 2007 p. 12). Stipek, Salmon, Givvin, & Kazemi (1998) ask the question: What are the associations between teaching practices, student motivation and mathematics learning? In their study, twenty-four 4th through 6th grade teachers were selected from schools in a large urban ethnically diverse area. Three groups were formed. Two groups had expressed a commitment to implementing reforms and agreed to teach using a reform-oriented unit on fractions. One of those groups was given training on implementing reforms. The third group taught using standard methods and textbooks and expressed no interest in reforms.
13
Dislike of Math Six hundred ninety four (694) students of diverse ethnic backgrounds participated. Each teacher was videotaped for at least two periods and evaluated for teaching practices and a questionnaire was given asking teachers about their assessment practices. Students completed a questionnaire twice: once before the intervention and once after the unit on fractions related to motivational dimensions. Students were also evaluated from the videotapes of the classroom. Students were assessed on fractions from routine to conceptually challenging. Tests were given at the beginning of the year and after the fractions unit. The effects on student motivation based on teacher practices were significant between help seeking (p<.001) and enjoyment (p<.05) with the positive affective practices of the teacher. The effects were also significant for positive emotions (p<.05), enjoyment (p<.05) and learning conceptual items (p<.05) with the learning orientation practices of the teacher. The learning orientation of the teacher refers to the teacher giving timely and substantive feedback and focuses on improvement and mastery over grades. The study suggests that the affective climate is a strong predictor of students’ motivation and fosters mastery orientation in students. “Students’ feeling of relatedness to their teachers was strong predictors of their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement in classroom activities” (Stipek et al., 1998, p. 483). Davis, Maher, and Noddings (1990) gave this example:
14
Dislike of Math Jaime Escalante, the real-life hero of the film Stand and Deliver, insists that he must teach his students for three years if they are to succeed in AP calculus. He conscientiously builds relations of care and trust with each student. He shows steady concern for the integral development of his students – how they are doing in English, how their home lives are going, what jobs and sports they participate in. This attitude and effort that accompanies it are part of teaching mathematics. As we build such relations, our students learn to trust us. When the work is not as exciting as we’d like it to be or when they have low moments (as we all do), students will often persist in mathematical endeavors for their teacher. “Okay, if you say so. I’ll do it - just for you” (p. 191). Middleton & Spanias (1999) conducted a review of literature to “describe theoretical orientations guiding research in mathematics motivation and to discuss findings in terms of how they facilitate or inhibit achievement" (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 65). The conclusions are as follows: “students' perception of success in mathematics are highly influential in forming their motivational attitudes” (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 79); “motivations towards mathematics are developed early, are highly stable over time, and are influenced greatly by teacher actions and attitudes" (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 80); “providing opportunities for students to develop intrinsic motivation in mathematics is generally superior to providing
15
Dislike of Math extrinsic incentives for achievement” (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 81); and “Last, and most important, achievement motivation in mathematics, though stable, can be affected through careful instructional design” (Middleton & Spanias, 1999, p. 82). Attitude “Attitude toward mathematics is defined as a general emotional disposition toward the school subject of mathematics” (Haladnya et al., 1983, p. 20). Maple and Stage (as cited in Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995) found that “attitude toward mathematics significantly influenced choice of mathematics major” (p. 177). “One of the most important reasons for nurturing a positive attitude in mathematics is that it may increase one’s tendency to elect mathematics courses in high school and college and possibly to elect careers in a math related field” (Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi, 1995, p. 177). One important factor in students’ attitude toward mathematics is the teacher and classroom environment. Haladnya et al. (1983) conducted a study designed to examine teacher and learning environment variables that were believed to be the most powerful causal determinants of attitude toward mathematics. Over 2,000 students in grades 4, 7, and 9 participated in the study. The students were given the Inventory of Affective Aspects of Schooling (IAAS) that addressed student motivation, teacher quality, social-psychological class climate, management-organization class
16
Dislike of Math climate and attitude toward math. The correlations of each independent variable with attitude and motivation were all significant (p<.05) using a one-tailed test. A path analysis was also conducted to determine causal relationships. The findings suggest that teacher quality (enthusiasm, respect, commitment to help students learn, fairness, praise and reinforcement) seems to be consistently related to attitude toward mathematics. Wilkins & Ma (2003) conducted a study to answer questions about how student attitudes changed from middle school to high school. Data came from Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), a national study, which tracked over 3,000 seventh-grade students for six years. Information about student affect was collected (via questionnaires) and three measures created: attitude toward mathematics, social importance of mathematics (usefulness of math in daily lives and on the job), and nature of mathematics (whether changes in science theory over time cause more good than harm). The findings show that mathematical beliefs and attitudes change gradually. “However, the important trend highlighted in this study is that students in secondary school become increasingly less positive with regard to their attitude toward mathematics and their beliefs in the social importance on mathematics” (Wilkins & Ma, 2003 p. 58). Students’ notions of the nature of science showed little change. In regard to middle school changes, attitude and social importance of
17
Dislike of Math mathematics declined at a significantly slower rate (p<.001) for students with positive teacher push and positive peer influence. Parental push was also a significant (p<.05) influence. In high school, positive peer influence (p<.001), positive teacher push (p<.05), and curriculum (students taking higher math) (p<.001) were related to slower rates of decline in attitude and social importance. Wilkins and Ma (2003) make several observations and suggestions such as: “If teachers hold high expectations and present students with challenging mathematics, then students may be more likely to enjoy mathematics and recognize it usefulness” (p. 59) and “teachers’ choice of activities and mathematics problems can have a strong impact on the values that are portrayed in the classroom and on how students view mathematics and its usefulness” (Wilkins and Ma, 2003, p. 59). Supporting positive peer networks and involving parents in school activities involving mathematics can help slow decline of students’ negative attitude toward mathematics (Wilkins & Ma, 2003). Ma & Kishor (1997) conducted a meta-analysis of 113 studies to examine the relationship between attitude toward math and achievement in math. Although the study produced no significant results, there was an indication that junior high may be the most important period for students to understand and shape their attitude as it relates to their achievement in math. Therefore, the junior high years may provide teachers an opportunity to treat negative attitudes
18
Dislike of Math toward math and foster high achievement. Summary It is clear from the research reviewed that math anxiety, motivation, and attitude all play important roles in whether or not students will pursue advanced mathematics courses and careers in math related fields. As the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991) suggests, it has not only become acceptable to not be good at mathematics, but acceptable to be proud of not being good in mathematics. Many suggestions have been offered to address the problem, for example: change teaching methods, get students actively involved in learning mathematics, show students the relevance of mathematics in their lives, build relationships with the students, promote a positive affective environment, and create interest in the mathematics field are just a few. In any case, the affective environment can play a large role in reversing the trend of negative attitudes about mathematics, lack of motivation, and the adverse effect of math anxiety on our students.
19
Dislike of Math CHAPTER III METHOD Introduction This chapter describes the methods and procedures of the study and how data will be collected and analyzed. It will state the purpose of the study and the research question. Also discussed will be any limitations of the procedure that may affect the outcome and how the subjects will be debriefed. Purpose There seems to be a widespread dislike of mathematics. Research suggests that students who dislike math will avoid taking higher level math classes and may not seek careers in a math related field or any field that will require math. The purpose of this study is to determine, from the students’ perspective, why students dislike mathematics. Research Question If students dislike math, what are the reasons? Procedures Subjects The sample consisted of 49 eighth grade math students at a rural northeast Tennessee school. The school has about 800 students and is K-8. The school consists of mostly white (98%) low to middle income students from a farming community.
20
Dislike of Math Tests/surveys A confidential survey was given to the students during their normal math class time. The survey did not ask for names or any other identifying information. Parents were given an informed consent request to sign. Once consent was obtained the survey was given. It consisted of fourteen Likert scale questions and three open ended questions that asked questions about math anxiety, interest, motivation, their expected grade, their suggestions to make math more enjoyable, and their experiences in math. A copy of the survey is in the appendix. Data Collection The researcher collected data on the same day the survey is given. The data was then be analyzed for results. Data Analysis Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson r correlation analysis and descriptive statistics. Debriefing A copy of the results of the survey and conclusions will be made available to the school and school board office. Limitations The survey will be conducted during the normal math class time and therefore the students may feel rushed or affected by peer pressure. The survey was constructed by the researcher and not
21
Dislike of Math validated. Summary This chapter focuses on the procedure through which data will be collected. Students will be asked to fill out a survey to determine if they dislike math and why. The survey will allow the reasons to be analyzed to determine if there is a particular reason students dislike math.
22
Dislike of Math CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Introduction This chapter presents the results and conclusions of the data. The data are analyzed using various statistical methods and presented in written and graph form. Results Of the approximately 90 eighth grade students, 49 returned consent forms and were given the survey. The survey consisted of 14 Likert scale questions and three open-ended questions. The Likert scale range was from 1 (strongly agree) to 6 (strongly disagree). A score of 1 also indicates a strong negative attitude toward math for that specific question. One of the open-ended questions was “what grade do you think you will make in this class?” which indicates the students perception of their achievement in that math class. The other two open-ended questions were related to classroom affective environment. (see appendix 1) The students mean score for the 14 Likert scale questions was compared to their expected grade. The results showed a highly significant correlation (df=47, r=.704, p<.001) indicating that students with a negative attitude toward math expect worse grades than those with positive attitudes. This was an expected result and emphasizes the need to change negative attitudes toward math. The results are
23
Dislike of Math plotted in Graph 1 showing the strong positive correlation. Scatter Graph 100
90
80
70 Expected Grade
60
50 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Mean of Scores (df=47, r=.704, p<.001)
Graph 1
The questions covered many areas that could possibly be related the negative attitudes. Of the 49 students 18 (37 percent) indicated a dislike for math (see question 1). While there is no comparison to students who dislike other subject matter areas, 37 percent is a large number of students who dislike math. Like vs Dislike
37%
63%
Graph 2
24
Dislike of Math Graph 3 compares the answers of students who like and dislike math using the mean for each question. Answer Comparison 6
5
4
3
Dislike Like
Answer
Agree = 1, Disagree = 6 2
1
0 1
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
Question
Graph 3
This study’s focus was on students who dislike math, therefore those students’ answers are now considered. For the students who dislike math, there were many answers that were correlated. Some of the interesting and important correlations are discussed. Table 1 shows the correlations between answers of the students who indicated they dislike math. The correlations are for each question compared to every other question. For example, the first column shows the correlation of answers on question 1 with questions 2 through 15.
25
Dislike of Math Questio n 1
1 1
2
2
0.129
1
3
0.233
4
0.487 -0.04 2
5
3
4
0.508
1 -0.01 8
1
0.025
0.230
0.250
0.104
1
6
0.315
0.414
0.485
0.057
0.263
1
7
0.176
0.534
0.468
0.282
0.455
0.253
1
8
0.267
0.551
0.286
0.220
0.456
0.218
0.447
1
9
0.439
0.431
0.006
1
0.174
0.076
0.164 -0.11 0
0.189
0.179
0.385 -0.40 9
0.219
10
0.020 -0.30 1
0.130
0.036
0.371
1
11
0.153
0.387
0.052
0.322
0.536
0.135
0.453
0.600
0.189
0.098
1
12
0.346
0.215
0.107
0.194
0.422
0.697
0.273
0.595
1
0.166
0.234
0.589 -0.28 5
0.348
13
0.170 -0.00 5
0.484
0.355
0.223
0.338
0.223
0.343
0.365
0.183
14
0.025 -0.17 0
0.159
0.280
0.354
0.261
0.068
0.311
0.111
0.342
0.196
0.282
0.401
1 -0.12 5
0.197
0.261
0.311
0.257
0.213
0.523
0.410
0.061
0.154
0.408
0.395
0.352
15
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Table 1 (df=34, p<.05=.331, p<.01=.428. p<.001=.527)
Although there are many correlations, three important correlations related to the research question of this study and previous research are discussed. First, “I don’t like math” had highly significant correlations with: “I’m not good at math” and “I dread having to do math”, and a significant correlation with: “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class”. Second, “The personality of the math teacher is not very important” had significant correlations with “Math is too hard”, “When taking a math test, I usually feel nervous and uneasy” (highly significant), “I’m afraid to ask questions in math class” (highly significant), “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class”, and “I will only take math courses that are required” (highly significant). Lastly, “I 26
12
13
Dislike of Math will only take math courses that are required” had significant correlations with “The personality of the math teacher is not very important”, “Math is boring”, “When taking a math test, I usually feel nervous and uneasy”, “It scares me to think I will be taking harder more advanced math”, and “I’m afraid to ask questions in math class.” Of the 18 students who indicated they dislike math, a tally was taken of the questions for which the students strongly agreed (1 on the Likert scale) and is shown in table 2 below.
“It scares me to think I will be taking harder or more advanced math “I’ve had at least one year I fell behind in math” “I’m not good at math” “I will only take math courses that are required” “When taking a math test, I usually feel nervous and uneasy” “Math is too hard” “Math is boring” “I dread having to do math” “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class” Table 2 Further insight into students’ thoughts about math and the classrooms affective environment can be obtained in reviewing answers to the last two open-ended questions. For this analysis, all students’ responses were used (like and dislike). The first question was “What can teachers do to make math more enjoyable?” Following is a list of the most popular responses along with the number of students making that suggestion:
27
6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1
Dislike of Math Play more math games – 19 Fun activities/Make it more fun/interesting – 12 Have group assignments - 5 Less homework – 4 Use real life examples – 4 The second question was “Describe your best and worst experience in math.” The overwhelming responses for both best and worst experiences were related to achievement (grades, understanding particular topic, test scores, etc.). Some examples of the students’ answers are:
“My best experience was when I could answer all the questions and worst was when I really make a bad grade on an important test”
“Ratio was my best and integers was my worst”
“Best – when I actually started to understand, worst – when we do algebra”
“best – making a B, worst – making a C”
“Well, the best would have to be when I pass a math test. I have my worst experience when I do poorly on a math exam” Summary
This chapter analyzed the data from the surveys. These results
28
Dislike of Math suggest a significant number of students dislike math and there were several significant correlations between answers that may indicate the cause of their dislike.
29
Dislike of Math CHAPTER V IMPLICATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, CONCLUSIONS Introduction This chapter will discuss the findings of the study, implications for educators, and recommendations for future research. Summary of Findings The finding of this study was that 37 percent of the eighth grade students who took the survey disliked math. This is a large percentage and indicates how widespread the problem may be. Wilkins and Ma (2003) found that students’ attitudes toward math became less positive as they entered high school. Since 37 percent already dislike math when they leave middle school and they get even less positive in high school, its no wonder that there is such a widespread dislike of math. There was a highly significant correlation (p<.01) of those students who did not like math and those that indicated they weren’t good at math. This agrees with the highly significant correlation (P<.01) between the students answers on the survey and their expected grade in their current math class. One possible reason students say they’re not good at math is may be that they had at least one year they fell behind. Table 2 shows that 5 of the 18 students who dislike math agreed strongly with that statement. Also, answers on the open-ended question asking about their best and worst experiences in
30
Dislike of Math math were overwhelmingly related to achievement (test scores, grades, understanding). This indicates that students’ achievement in math is an important factor in whether or not they like math. Therefore, this suggests students place a lot of emphasis on extrinsic motivation. In this case, extrinsic motivation can lead to a negative attitude toward math. Affective anxiety also had significant correlations with the dislike of math. Affective anxiety can be described as nervousness, fear, dread, or tension (Ho et al., 2000). The two questions: “I dread having to do math” and “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class” had significant correlations (p<.01 and p<.05 respectively) with “I don’t like math.” There were some other interesting correlations that may shed some light on why students dislike math. The question: “The personality of the math teacher is not important,” relates to the affective environment of the classroom and had significant correlations to “Math is too hard”, “When taking a math test, I usually feel nervous and uneasy” (highly significant), “I’m afraid to ask questions in math class” (highly significant), “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class”, and “I will only take math courses that are required” (highly significant). These results suggest that the affective environment in the classroom (in this case the teachers personality) plays an important role in the students’ affective anxiety, future plans of the students, and
31
Dislike of Math their perception of the difficulty of math. Previous research has indicated that students with negative attitudes will avoid taking math classes that are not required or choosing a career in a math related field. For example, Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi (1995) stated “One of the most important reasons for nurturing a positive attitude in mathematics is that it may increase one’s tendency to elect mathematics courses in high school and college and possibly to elect careers in a math related field” (p. 177). The definition of dislike for this study is the desire to avoid math classes. The last correlation discussed relates to that definition. The question: “I will only take math courses that are required” had significant correlations with the teacher personality, lack of interest (boring), anxiety, and perceived ability. Implications for Educators The results of this study suggests that educators should focus on improving the classroom affective environment, addressing affective anxiety, and reducing the effects of negative extrinsic motivation in order to foster positive attitudes in math. The students gave some interesting suggestions on how to make math more enjoyable. They were play more math games, have some fun activities, make it interesting/relevant, have some group activities, use real life examples, and less homework. All of these suggestions address the results of this study. In discussions with the classes, the idea of bringing in
32
Dislike of Math professionals in various fields (not just math/science) was offered. The students seemed to like the idea and it would help them envision where math fits in the “big picture.” The students were asked whether they would like and/or use a homework “chat room” where the teacher would be available during certain times to answer questions. The students seemed very receptive and excited about the idea. Since most students had Internet access and since “instant messaging” is so popular with the students this may be an innovative way to get them interested in doing homework. One eighth teacher indicated that in eighth grade the requirements and amount of curriculum to cover increased greatly over sixth or seventh grades. Thus, she felt she didn’t have time to engage in most of the students’ suggestions such as playing math games. This is a conundrum a lot of teachers face. Educators should look for ways to foster positive attitudes in students at all grade levels, but since a negative attitude toward math is evident by eighth grade, educators at earlier grade levels should help students build positive identities as math learners. For those students who dislike math, focusing on the students understanding instead of grades may help counter the negative effects of extrinsic motivation. The results of this study agree with the findings of Stipek et al. (2000) which found students enjoyment and positive emotions toward math were higher when there was a focus on improvement and mastery over grades. To address the problem of students’ affective
33
Dislike of Math anxiety (e.g. being afraid to answer questions in math class), teachers should focus on creating an emotionally safe environment where students feel comfortable and know they won’t be looked down upon by the teacher or other students if they get the answer wrong or don’t understand. Since falling behind may be reason students say they aren’t good at math and therefore don’t like math, teachers should strive to make sure as many students as possible obtain mastery of the subject. Tutoring is now available in most schools (including the middle school surveyed) and should be encouraged and expanded. Peer tutoring during class time or group work may help those students who are falling behind. Math skills build on earlier skills and understanding and become more complex. Limitations The survey was conducted at only one school and only 49 of the approximately 90 eighth graders participated. The school is ethnically (98% white) and economically (low to middle income) homogeneous providing no diversity. Summary The results suggest that the reasons students dislike math are related to the negative effects of extrinsic motivation, affective anxiety and the affective environment of the classroom. Recommendations for Future Research Since the dislike of math is evident in eighth grade, future
34
Dislike of Math research should focus on when students begin to dislike math. Research should also study the effects of interventions suggested for effectiveness. Conclusion This chapter discussed the results and findings of the survey, implications for educators, and recommendations for future research. With the widespread dislike of math and focus of government and the society on improving math and science achievement, educators should focus on changing these negative attitudes.
35
