Secondary school students’ attitude towards mathematics word problems

Abstract

Students’ positive attitude towards mathematics leads to better performance and may influence their overall achievement and application of mathematics in real-life. In this article, we present the findings of an investigation on students’ attitude towards linear programming (LP) mathematics word problems (LPMWPs). An explanatory sequential quasi-experimental design involving a pre-intervention-intervention-post-intervention non-equivalent control group was adopted. A sample of 851 grade 11 Ugandan students (359 males and 492 female) from eight secondary schools (public and private) participated. Cluster random sampling was applied to select respondents from eight schools; four from central Uganda and four from eastern Uganda. The attitude towards mathematics inventory-short form (ATMI-SF) was adapted (with α=0.75) as a multidimensional measurement tool for measuring students’ attitude towards LPMWPs. The results revealed that students’ attitude towards LPMWPs was generally negative. Enjoyment, motivation, and confidence were weekly negatively correlated while usefulness was positively correlated. Additionally, the results found no significant statistical relationship between students’ attitudes towards LPMWPs and their age, gender, school location, school status, and school ownership. The discrepancy is perhaps explained by both theoretical and/or psychometric limitations, and related factors, for instance, students’ academic background, school characteristics, and transitional beliefs from primary to secondary education. This study acknowledges the influence of and supplements other empirical findings on students’ attitude towards learning mathematics word problems. The present study provides insight to different educational stakeholders in assessing students’ attitude towards LPMWPs and may provide remediation and interventional strategies aimed at creating students’ conceptual change. The study recommends that teachers should cultivate students’ interests in mathematics as early as possible. Varying classroom instructional practices could be a remedy to enhance students’ understanding, achievement, and, motivation in learning mathematics word problems. The teachers’ continuous professional development courses should be enacted to improve instruction, assessment, and students’ attitude. Overall, the study findings support the theoretical framework for enhancing the learning of mathematics word problems in general and LP in particular.