Non-intellectual predictors of achievement in mathematics

Abstract

Findings presented herein are a part of a large international study of primary school final grade student achievement in mathematics and science (TIMSS 2003). Studies were also conducted on the degree of correlation between student family socioeconomic status, mathematical self-concept and achievement in mathematics. Pilot studies, whose findings are discussed comprised 112 seventh-grade students. "Family socioeconomic status" was defined by variables such as the number of family members, economically disadvantaged/affluent home, and parental educational status. "Mathematical self-concept" was defined as one of the more narrow domains of academic self-concept. "Achievement in mathematics" was measured by the test assessing two dimensions of knowledge of mathematics: content and cognitive skills. The analyses of partial correlations indicate that the most significant predictors of achievement in mathematics test are as follows mathematical self-concept, mother’s educational status and some indicators of family socioeconomic status (access to the Internet, number of household members, number of books available at home). Concerning the correlation found between family characteristics and mathematical self-concept and achievement in mathematics, the developers of current changes in mathematics teaching should not disregard the findings of this study.

U radu su izloženi nalazi koji predstavljaju deo obimnog međunarodnog istraživanja obrazovnih postignuća učenika završnih razreda osnovnih škola u oblasti matematike i prirodnih nauka (TIMSS 2003). Ispitivan je, pored ostalog, stepen povezanosti socioekonomskog statusa porodice, matematičkog koncepta o sebi i postignuća u matematici učenika završnih razreda osnovne škole. Probnim istraživanjem, o čijim je nalazima reč, obuhvaćeno je 112 učenika VII razreda jedne gradske i jedne prigradske osnovne škole u Beogradu. Matematički koncept o sebi definisan je kao jedan od važnih domena akademskog koncepta o sebi i ispitivan je posebnim upitnikom za učenike. Analiza parcijalnih korelacija ukazuje da su najznačajniji prediktori postignuća na testu iz matematike: matematički koncept o sebi, obrazovni status majke i neki indikatori socioekonomskog statusa porodice (dostupnost interneta, broj članova domaćinstva, broj knjiga u kući). S obzirom na to da je utvrđena povezanost između karakteristika porodice i matematičkog koncepta o sebi sa postignućem u matematici, kreatori aktuelnih promena u nastavi matematike trebalo bi da imaju u vidu i nalaze ovog istraživanja.