Antecedents Of Student’s Motivation For Learning Mathematics And Its Effect On Their Proficiency In Mathematics

Abstract

Student achievement is predicted by school climate, parental involvement, positive attitude, and motivation. However, most studies have looked at these factors separately and very few have looked at how Mathematics achievement and motivation interact as determinants of student mathematical proficiency. Studies have indicated a correlation between students' attitudes towards mathematics and their level of motivation (Wang, Zhang & Cai,2021). This study seeks to close this disparity by examining internal elements (school climate, parental involvement, positive attitude) influencing mathematical proficiency through motivation at lower secondary school levels for both the public and private sectors. We gathered data from 303 male and 251 female students of grades 6 to 9 from public and private schools using an online self-administered Google form. We used 554 valid sample cases out of 602 for hypothesis testing through SmartPLS. The findings from the data analysis indicate that school climate, positive attitude towards mathematics, and parental involvement exert substantial influences on student motivation. Moreover, student motivation is found to be a significant predictor of student mathematical proficiency. Additionally, the research findings state that parental involvement is moderately correlated with (1) students' attitudes toward mathematics (2) mathematical proficiency test scores and (3) mathematical performance assessment scores. We thus recommend that mathematics teachers as well as school management create a school climate that is conducive to enhancing students’ mathematical proficiency. This is possible by making mathematics teaching a joint venture; where teachers motivate students to study mathematics and develop among them a positive attitude towards mathematics and school management involve parents, teachers and students to make informed decisions concerning students’ proficiency during mathematics classes.