5 (1)

SEX DIFFERENCES IN MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE, ANXIETY, INTEREST, AND SELF-CONFIDENCE 1
Chapter I
The Problem and Its Scope
Introduction
Sex differences are always part of the hotlist of critical issues around the
world. In the studies of Hausmann, Tyson, and Zahidi (2009), it was found out that
no country in the world has ever reached gender equality particularly in critical
areas such as economic participation or education specifically in the field of
Mathematics. If not all, most researches favored boys to do better than girls in the
said subject. It is indisputable that boys have higher achievement in the subject and
higher levels of enrolment in Mathematics courses (Damasio et al., 2003), because
girls are simply uninterested in the subject (Noddings, 1998) and that they
experience more general anxiety than boys do (Feingold, 1994).
Generally, many studies in the past reported that unlike boys, girls are less
interested and not confident, had weakening causal quality to patterns, perceived
boys to be dominant in Mathematics, and had shown more anxiety in the subject
(Casey et al., 2001; Eccles et al., 1983).
In recent studies, some findings tend to deviate from what literature is
suggesting that girls do better in the subject nowadays. In the study of Egorova and
Chertkova (2016), sex differences were evident in all bounds of math achievement,
that girls outperformed boys in the subject. One study evaluating math performance
on the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement–Second Edition (KTEA-II;
Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004) found that there were no signs of gender differences in
latent Math capacity but that females outsmarted males in terms of Math

computation (Hajovsky, Kaufman, Reynolds, Schwartz, & Scheiber, 2015). In the
study of Smetackova (2015), results show that both sexes achieve similar test scores
and have the same identification with Math. More recent studies show that students
no longer view Mathematics as a domain better suited to males than females (Galdi
et al., 2014; Pasolunghi et al., 2014).
This study is focused on finding out the academic performance of hinterland
high school students as well as their level of anxiety, interest and self-confidence in
Mathematics. Also, the researcher wants to find out if the academic performance,
anxiety, interest, and self-confidence of students when grouped according to sex
differ significantly. This study will give information also to the researcher which can
be used as suggestions and recommendations with regard to catering the needs of
both sexes in the subject using differentiated instruction at the same time proving if
there is a turning point in this phenomenon that girls no longer view the subject as a
domain better suited to boys, that they no longer have higher Math anxiety than the
opposite sex, and that they have gained confidence and interest towards the subject
while paving their way to achieving better academic performance in Math, despite
of the many studies showing that students still explicitly endorse traditional gender
stereotypes advantaging males in the discipline (Cvencek et al., 2001).
Generally, boys still dominate especially in terms of anxiety and self-
confidence in Math as reported in recent studies. What propels the researcher to
conduct this study is that, based on personal observation and initial interviews
conducted, girls are said to be more confident and have a high level of self-
confidence in Math compared to boys.

Theoretical Background of the Study
The study is anchored on the following theories: Gender-Schema Theory,
Sociocultural Learning Theory, Mindset Theory, and Stereotype Threat Theory.
Gender-Schema Theory. This theory, which was formally introduced by
Sandra Bern in 1981, asserted that children learn about male and female roles from
the culture in which they live. According to this theory, children regulate their
behavior to conform to the sex norms of their culture from the earliest stages of
social development. Bern suggested that cognitive development of a child combined
with societal influences primarily affect thought patterns (schema) that dictate
“male” and “female” traits. Gender schema has an effect not only on how people
process information but also on the attitudes and beliefs that drive “gender-
appropriate” behavior. Both boys and girls experience the extreme pressure to
adhere to culturally sanctioned gender roles during adolescence stage (Priess-
Groben, Linberg, & Hyde, 2009)
This theory relates to the study because the performance of students in
school particularly in Math is influenced by their self-concept which is also
influenced by their perception of their functions in their culture. Students tend to
communicate, react, and interact consciously with people around them and in no
time, they attempt to acquire, develop, and organize their perceptions on their
being, and try to evaluate if these perceptions are consistent with whom they are.
Since girls were deemed inferior compared to boys that they cannot perform Math
(Beilock, 2008), their performance in the subject was disrupted. In this connection,
teachers must do their best to employ strategies that are eradicating gender gaps in

terms of the self-concept and performance of students in Mathematics. Gender and
Development (GAD) activities should also be enforced in schools since schools are
major contexts for gender socialization because of the fact that students spend large
amounts of time in such settings. Gender and Development (GAD) refers to the
development perspective and process that is participatory and empowering,
equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of
self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender
equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in development choices and
contends that women are active agents of development, not just passive recipients
of development.
Sociocultural Learning Theory. This theory by Lev Vygotsky is based on
the idea that a learner’s environment plays a key role in the development of his/her
learning. This theory takes also into account how learners are impacted by their
peers, and how social scenarios impact their ability to acquire information.
Sociocultural forces which include parents’ and teachers’ perceptions, expectations,
and attitudes, including stereotypes, mold self-concept and attitudes toward the
subject and indeed have an imperative impact on students’ academic choices.
This theory implies that students, particularly girls, are attentive to the
behaviors and attitudes of women in their culture and they try to base their
decisions on this especially when they seem efficacious. That is, if they observe that
women in their culture are not inclined in numbers and did not become engineers
or scientists, they may think and believe that such careers do not belong in the
realm of possibilities for girls and tend to feel anxious about it and as a result, they

avoid and feel hesitant in taking the subject. Indeed, society’s perception about boys’
and girls’ Math skills leads to the discrepancy in the identification of their capacities
and interests at their young ages (Cvencek et al., 2011). In the study of Hu, Teng, and
Leung (2018), results showed that national culture played an important role in
shaping Mathematics achievement.
Mindset Theory. Dweck’s mindset theory (2000, 2006) argues that students
do not have a common approach to challenges. Rather, their response to challenge is
influenced by their attitude, or their perception that skills can be established or are
innate. Those who claim that intelligence is inherent, people with a fixed mindset,
tend to be much highly likely to choose challenging tasks, because they don’t want to
disconfirm their intellect before others. By comparison, those who assume
knowledge is malleable or can be created, growth mentally individuals, tend to take
on challenging material because they don’t think the task at hand means something
unique about their overall intelligence. Thus, fixed mindset individuals are thought
to have weak responses to challenging material, while individuals with a growth
mindset are thought to have masterful responses to challenging materials (Dweck,
2000, 2006).
This theory applies to the study because it has been shown that girls are
more likely to have a fixed mindset (Dweck, 2007) indicating that when faced with a
difficult task they may adopt helpless behaviors. If girls are more inclined to see
their abilities as being fixed rather than malleable, they may also be more likely to
believe that they are unable to cope with setbacks or challenging Mathematics tasks.
In comparison, boys continue to do better in Math since some individuals, such as

teachers, always believed in them to perform naturally better in the subject (Ernest,
1976; Li, 1999).
Stereotype Threat Theory. It is a situational dilemma where people are or
feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to assumptions surrounding their social
group. It is apparently a contributing factor to gender gaps in academic performance
and self-confidence for many years. This theory asserts that stereotype threat
occurs whenever an individual’s performance may confirm a negative stereotype
and that triggering such negative stereotypes in performance circumstances
decrease the quality of the task performance of the group members (Steele &
Aronson, 1995). Also, theories in psychology and some researches support the basic
assumption that awareness of a negative stereotype increases the level of anxiety
and evaluation apprehension as the domain turns more self-relevant (Steele &
Aronson, 1995; Howard & Hammond, 1985). Steele (1997) argued that students
who belong to groups which radiate negative intellectual stereotype display not
only personal embarrassment and failure but also confirm the negative group
stereotype. This, he pointed out, yields an increased anxiety, which makes students
less confident to deal with the subject and drags down performance at preparation’s
every level.
This theory supports this study by claiming that stereotyping is a strong
factor that influences student performance. For instance, since girls were deemed
inferior that they cannot perform Math (Beilock, 2008), their performance in Math is
disrupted under pressure not because of inadequate talent but because they feel
threatened with the likelihood of their success reinforcing the negative stereotypes

associated with their social group. Societal stereotype plays an imperative role in
shaping the identity of young individuals which definitely can influence students’
academic self-concept (Cheryan et al., 2015).
The above-mentioned theories, where this study is anchored on, contribute
meaningfully to the existing phenomenon, sex differences in Mathematics. There
was an extreme pressure saddled onto the shoulders of students particularly to girls
that distracted and led them to not like Mathematics and perform low in the subject.
Students, especially girls, became hesitant to deal with the subject because aside
from the stereotype that they cannot do Math (Beilock, 2008), they were
underrepresented in the subject and were not provided the same opportunities like
boys for the reason that they are deemed inferior not just by people whom they do
not know but by their teachers and parents. Teachers believed that boys naturally
perform better in the subject than girls that they tend to overestimate boys’
capabilities (Ernest, 1976; Li, 1999) which results in making their parents believe
that Math is a difficult subject for their daughters (Yee & Eccles, 1998).
The diagram on page 9 shows the interrelatedness of the theories and their
relevance in the existing phenomenon, sex differences in Math. These theories are
closely related particularly in this study since all of these theories discussed how
individuals’ learning and perception of themselves are influenced by the kind of
environment and society that they are in since it plays a key role in the development
of their learning. As discussed in the theories above, students learn from the culture
that they live in that’s why their ability to think and perform mathematical tasks is
most of the time impacted by the norms and standards imposed by their

environment. They tend to base their decisions on what their peers and what other
people perceive of them, be it positive or not. Their learning and acquisition of
knowledge as well as their view of themselves as learners and thinkers are greatly
affected by the kind of environment and culture that they have, by the society that
they belong in which has imposed norms and standards that they thought they have
to adhere to and meet, and also by the people that surrounds them especially their
gender-based perception of every individual. These factors have planted and
cultivated fear in students, making them feel anxious, less interested and confident
in the subject, resulting in poor academic performance.

Figure1. Schematic Diagram of the Theoretical Framework of the Study
Gender-
Schema
Theory
Sex Differences
In Math
Sociocultural
Learning
Theory
Mindset
Theory
Stereotype
Threat
Theory

Review of Related Literature and Studies
Mathematics has been considered one of the core subjects because of its
usefulness beyond the pillars of every institution. It seems to be generally agreed
that in order for individuals to work (reasonably well) in an increasingly complex
environment, a basic level of numeracy is needed (All Party Parliamentary Group on
Financial Education, 2011; Burghes, 2012; Gove in Foreword to Vorderman et al.,
2011; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2013;). Numeracy, or
mathematical knowledge, is seen as crucially important (Ofste, 2012; Vorderman et
al., 2011) which is increasingly necessary in a range of life-skills. But for the past
decades, a lot of studies implied that not both sexes excel in the said discipline. If so,
what can be the underlying factors?
Sex differences in students’ performance in Math. The literature on sex
differences in Mathematics performance is wide and well-studied. Some researches
(Jacobs, Fennema, Carpenter, Franke & Levi, 1998; Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974;
Shibley-Hyde, Fennema & Lamon, 1990) laid down a vast amount of research
findings about differences in sex-related Mathematics performance over the past
decades. Traditionally, data always favor males to excel in Math performance
compared to females. The prevalence of this viewpoint has been enforced by
individuals who strengthen the development of youth, such as teachers, who
believed ever since that those males perform naturally better at Math and tend to
overvalue males’ abilities in comparison to females’ (Ernest, 1976; Li, 1999), and
this trend has been followed by parents, assuming their sons have tremendous
mathematical ability (Furnham, Reeves, & Budhani, 2002) and thinking that Math

appears to be more difficult to their daughters (Yee & Eccles, 1998). In previous
studies of Tyler (1965), Anastasi (1958), and Maccoby (1966), male students
generally do better than female students in numerical and spatial aptitudes and in
arithmetical reasoning tests.
In today’s era, girls started to do better in the subject and had higher
achievements in Mathematics based on school grades (Egorova & Chertkova, 2016).
In the study of Cotton and Price (2013) on “Gender differences in repeated
competition: Evidence from school math contests”, results show that in any
subsequent time the male advantage is not detected, and females also outperform
males in later periods.
There are also some research findings which tend to suggest that there are
no significant differences in the academic performance of both male and female in
Math, and if there is, the difference is minor (Voyer & Voyer, 2014) . One study
assessing math performance on the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement–
Second Edition (KTEA-II; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004) for students whose ages range
from 7 to 19 found that there were no signs of gender differences in latent Math
capacity but that females outsmarted males in terms of Math computation
(Reynolds, Scheiber, Hajovsky, Schwartz, & Kaufman, 2015). Also, in the study of
Ajai and Imoko (2015), it was reported that male and female students did not differ
significantly in Mathematics achievement and retention scores, thereby showing
that male and female students are both capable of competing and collaborating in
Math.

Sex differences in students’ anxiety in Math. Math anxiety is described as
“feelings of stress and anxiety which interfere with the manipulation of
mathematical problems in a wide range of ordinary life and academic
circumstances” (Richardson & Suinn, 1972, p.551). It is more than just disliking
math and leads to a global avoidance pattern - whenever possible, students avoid
taking math classes and avoid situations in which math will be necessary (Sparks,
2011; Hellum-Alexander, 2010; Ashcraft & Krause, 2007). Beilock and colleagues
(2010) concluded that “the fears that math-anxious individuals experience when
they are called on to do math prevent them from using the math knowledge they
possess to show what they know. This is a negative affective response to Math
circumstances (Maloney & Beilock, 2012) that correlates with low Math
achievements and predicts avoidance of math-related courses, tasks, and careers
(Hembree, 1990). In other words, as students’ math anxiety increases, their test
scores decrease (Furner & Berman, 2004; Woodard, 2004).
Previous studies report that girls tend to show higher anxiety and lower self-
concept about their Math competence than boys (Casey, Nuttall, & Pezaris, 1997;
Pajares & Miller, 1994; Meece, Wigfield, & Eccles, 1990).
In some recent studies, girls tend to be consistent in having higher Math
anxiety than boys (e.g. Devine, Fawcett, Szucs, & Dowker, 2012; Frenzel, Pekrun, &
Goetz, 2007; Jain & Dowson, 2009; Kvedere, 2012), making boys have more positive
attitudes towards math than girls (Krinzinger, Wood, & Willmes, 2012). It was also
found out that girls were more anxious about Math in general than boys but both do
just as well on the subject (Goetz, Bieg, Ludtke, Pekrun, & Hall, 2013; Stoesz et al.,

2016). This seems to be linked to variations in how well they think they are at Math
between boys and girls. The boys’ ratings of their Math skills were consistently
higher than girls’ ratings. Statistical tests suggest that these rating inequalities were
associated with differences in general anxiety in Math.
By comparison, there are also some recent studies which have revealed no
sex differences in Math anxiety (e.g. Dede, 2008; Kyttala & Bjorn, 2014). In an
interesting study of Jolejole-Caube, Dumlao, and Abocejo (2019), it was revealed
that both male and female students experience a moderate level of anxiety towards
Mathematics which was on the same level. These findings suggest helping all
children get more educated about how well they are doing in Math classes would be
worthwhile. Knowing their performance level might help them reduce their anxiety
over Math in general. Furthermore, it may be useful to take children with general
Math anxiety and to help them to realize that they do not experience so much
anxiety when they do Math.
Sex differences in students’ interest in Math. There are actually different
conceptualizations of interest (Hidi & Renninger, 2006). In line with Krapp’s
concept of the person-object (2002), interest is defined as a characteristic of a
student-domain relationship. In some studies, it is being manifested differently by
both sexes particularly in the area of Mathematics.
Math interest is fundamental to self-determined practices, and is likely to be
reciprocally connected with Math achievement (Garon-Carrier et al., 2016; Marsh et
al., 2015; Ryan & Deci, 2000). This feeling and attitude towards Mathematics are
vital since these affect how well or how often they do it, and how much enjoyment

they derive from it (Moenikia & Zahed-Babelanb, 2010) as well as influence the
willingness of the students to learn the subject and the advantage that it will bring
to math instruction (Atanasova-Pacemska et al., 2015). Furthermore, Zan and Di
Martino (2007), as cited in the study of Sanchal and Sharma (2017), revealed that
students who feel comfortable in doing math tasks and activities are linked with
being successful in mathematics. Indeed, it was found that there is a strong mutual
relationship between Math interest and achievement (Liu, 2009; Pinxten et al.,
2014; Yoon, Eccles & Wigfield, 1996).
Many studies in the past have documented that boys are more interested in
the subject than girls (Eccles et al., 1983; Hoffmann et al., 1998; Fredricks & Eccles,
2002). Köller et al. (2001) also reported that in secondary years, boys showed a high
level of interest in Mathematics than girls.
In recent studies conducted in the domains of Mathematics, it was reported
that males still typically report greater levels of interest in Mathematics than
females (e.g., Fredricks & Eccles, 2002; Frenzel et al., 2010; Marsh et al., 2005).
These interest gaps in Mathematics seem to appear quite early in the academic path
as it has been observed as young as grade 1 students (Cvencek, Meltzoff &
Greenwald, 2011).
More recent studies have also identified minor differences in sex (Pinxten et
al., 2014) and the strengths of effects for math to interest results can be slightly
stronger for girls than for boys. (Ganley & Lubienski, 2016). Such gender differences
in students’ interest are often interpreted as a result of gender stereotypes, which
are socially held views that certain attributes should be assigned to individuals

based on their sex (Lips, 2005). Despite a few studies showing that students still
explicitly endorse traditional gender stereotypes advantaging males in Mathematics
(Cvencek et al., 2011), most others show that students no longer view Mathematics
as a domain better suited to males than females (Galdi et al., 2014; Pasolunghi et al.,
2014). Therefore, equal opportunities should be provided to all students while
letting them work with one another. According to the report from the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2011), it is said that group work in
mathematical education plays an essential role in students’ question acquisition and
in criticizing constructively (Koçak, Bozan, & Işık, 2009), all leading to productive
and beneficial outcomes in student learning. Also, Ellis and Dryd (1997) claimed
that students have positive thoughts and feelings about Mathematics in general and
that they enjoy problem solving and calculations.
In the field of Science, it was found out that interest is significantly
decreasing over time for boys but not for girls (Alexander et al.,2012, p. 774).
Though it is in the domain of Science, still it can be linked to Mathematics since both
disciplines are just related and belong to natural science in general.
Sex differences in students’ self-confidence in Math. Self-confidence is
one of the most important psychological structures and is the subject of much of the
existing research on students’ Math achievement (Hammouri, 2004; Hosein & Harle,
2018; Kadijevich, 2018; Kvedere, 2014; Waini, et al., 2014). Sanchal & Sharma
(2017) supported the notion that confidence in learning Mathematics improves
students’ interest and participation

Literature has suggested lack of trust among women as a major source of
explanation for sex differences in competitive educational and career choices. For
example, Gneezy et al. (2003) argue that women underestimate their ability
compared to men, and they feel less confident and competent in solving problems.
Since before, boys report to have greater confidence than girls (Hyde et al.,
1990). Previous studies using general measures of confidence, such as grade
prediction or potential ability to pass a test, have found that girls are less confident
than boys in their abilities in Mathematics and problem solving (Campbell &
Hackett, 1986; Hornig, 1987; Johnson, 1989; Matyas, 1984). This finding of lesser
confidence in girls was observed at sixth grade level (Fennema & Sherman, 1978),
junior and senior high level (Rosen & Aneshel, 1978), and undergraduate and
graduate (Dix, 1987). Females tend to underestimate themselves even if they do
well or better than their male counterparts (Fennema & Sherman, 1978; Zukerman,
1987). Moreover, this general lack of confidence does not end with academy
graduation. Successful professional women may also underestimate their capacities
and overestimate others’ abilities; a tendency Clance and O’Toole (1988) labeled the
“Imposter Phenomenon”.
Sex differences in Math confidence were observed in one longitudinal study
as early as the first grade, although this disparity decreased over the course of
schooling (Fredricks & Eccles, 2002; Wigfield et al., 1997).
The current literature has well-identified a correlation between gender gaps
in confidence and competitiveness by demonstrating how men are more confident
than women, resulting in different competitive choices and achievements among the

sexes. In fact, overconfidence among men is a major determinant of their excessive
involvement in competition (Niederle & Vesterlund, 2007; Buser et al., 2014).
Generally, boys still dominate especially in terms of anxiety, interest, and
self-confidence in Math as reported in recent studies. What propels the researcher
to conduct this study is that, based on personal observation and initial interviews
conducted, girls are said to be more confident and have high level of self-confidence
in Math compared to boys, especially in hinterland settings. That is why, the
researcher wanted to identify the sex differences for it will help teachers create a
differentiated instruction which is mandated by DepEd.
As mentioned, this study is focused on identifying sex differences.
Biologically speaking, sex differences consist of five factors present at birth: the
presence or absence of the SRY gene (an intronless sex-determining gene on the Y
chromosome), the type of gonads, the sex hormones, the internal reproductive
anatomy (such as the uterus), and the external genitalia. Since the term used is ‘sex’,
which relates to biological differences and is defined by genetic factors, respondents
in this study were treated based on how they are biologically defined --- male and
female.
Conceptual Framework of the Study
Numerous studies suggest that sex differences tend to be innate or genetic.
One of the reasons why girls performed low, have less confidence and interest, and
higher anxiety than boys in Math is that fewer girls than boys have the intrinsic
ability to deal with the subject. They are inclined in verbal activities which is why
they score higher than boys in the said activities (Hyde & Linn, 1988), and the

particular reason for this circumstance is that the normal process of communication
and language skills development is faster and more advanced in girls compared with
boys (Adani & Cepanec, 2019).
The conceptual framework of the study shows the relationship between the
independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the students’ sex
while the dependent variable is limited to the following: students’ Mathematics
performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence.
The researcher has the presumption that students’ sex is related to the
following: students’ academic performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence.
The findings of this study will help the researcher figure out if there is a turning
point in the phenomenon, that girls no longer view Mathematics as a male domain,
have less anxiety, if there is, than boys, and perform well in the subject while gaining
enough confidence and interest. It will also give ideas not just to the people in
different societies but to students in particular that they need not to be pressured by
external factors and do in accordance to what people have perceived of them
because they are not obliged to.

Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Figure1. Diagram of the Conceptual Framework of the Study
Students’ Sex
Students’ Mathematics:
 Performance
 Anxiety
 Interest
 Self-confidence

Statement of the Problem
This study aims to identify sex differences in the academic performance of
hinterland high school students towards Mathematics in relation to some selected
dependent variables. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the academic performance of students in Mathematics?
2. To what extent do the students displayed the following in Mathematics class:
2.1 anxiety;
2.2 interest; and
2.3 self-confidence?
3. When grouped according to sex, is there a significant difference in the students’:
3.1 academic performance;
3.2 anxiety;
3.3 interest; and
Research Hypothesis
The null hypothesis of the study is:
H01: When grouped according to sex, there is no significant difference in the
students’ academic performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence.
Significance of the Study
This study is important to the following:
Teachers. Results of the study will give teachers insights while reminding
them that their perception of students plays a vital role in students’ participation in
the educative process. It will allow them to realize that girls and boys can both

perform better in Mathematics, especially when treated fairly and provided equal
opportunities. Also, results of this study can be used in preparing and designing
teaching-learning activities using differentiated instructions, which is mandated by
the Department of Education.
Principals. Results of this study could also serve as a guide for school
principals in their attempts to strengthen instructional support such as allocation of
budget for more Mathematics manipulative objects and the like.
Mathematics coordinators. Mathematics coordinators can also utilize the
results of this study in giving technical assistance and instructional support to
school heads and Mathematics teachers.
Parents. Results of this study will encourage parents even more to support
and motivate their children to do better in school without having to compare them
to others regardless of their standing in school. This will also help them realize that
they should not be the one to put down, underestimate, and be in doubt of their
children’s capacities but be a strong support system instead.
Curriculum. The data obtained from this study could act as a basis for
assessing and improving the Mathematics Curriculum.
Society. The society plays an imperative part in molding better and
successful individuals. The results of this study will widen its concept of
mathematical ability and competence, making it open-minded and a safe place for
students to explore on their own, be proud of who they are, be confident on their
own skills, and most importantly, it will remind society to be a gender-sensitive
environment where anyone, regardless of sex, can excel and participate.

Students. This study aims to boost the confidence of students, particularly
girls, in the subject Mathematics and make them believe in themselves that they can
also excel in the subject just like boys do so that they may no longer hesitate to
participate in any mathematical activity for the reason that they were deemed
inferior. This will also make them realize that they need not to conform to anybody’s
standards and perception of them, that they should be only working hard for them
to acquire meaningful and substantial learning and not for the purpose of trying to
impress somebody.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
Scope of the study. This research focused on determining the academic
performance, level of anxiety, interest, and self-confidence in Mathematics of
hinterland high school students and how these variables are related to their sex. The
data gathered were used in analyzing and concluding whether there is a turning
point in the phenomenon, sex differences in Mathematics, that girls excel in the
subject with enough interest and confidence. The respondents of this study were
from the selected hinterland high schools of Tanjay City, Sto. Niño High School,
Namonbon High School, and Pilipigan Indigenous People Integrated School (PIPIS).
Limitations of the study. Now that we are in a pandemic and the face-to-
face learning modality is not available, the physical and emotional conditions of
students during the conduct of the study as well as the location of their respective
homes were considered as limitations.

Research Methodology
This research study focused on finding out sex differences in mathematics in
terms of academic performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence in the selected
hinterland schools in Tanjay City Division. To conduct the study efficiently and
successfully, the researcher employed and followed the following:
Research design. This study employed the descriptive-correlational survey.
It is descriptive because the researcher described the students’ academic
performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence in Mathematics. On the other
hand, it is also correlational because students’ sex was correlated to the mentioned
variables.
Research environment. The questionnaires were answered by the students
in their respective homes since the face-to-face learning modality is not possible
because of the pandemic. Respondents are students from Sto. Niño High School,
Namonbon High School, and Pilipigan Indigenous People Integrated School (PIPIS).
Sto. Niño High School is located in Barangay Sto. Niño which is the farthest
barangay of the city. The school is quite accessible with any vehicle especially when
the weather is fine but when rain comes, the road becomes muddy and gunky. The
school has electricity and there is an abundance of water. It has enough facilities for
students to explore and learn with concrete classrooms. Though signals in
hinterland are not really strong, the school still managed to have a Wi-Fi connection.
Namonbon High School is a remote school located in Sitio Namonbon,
Barangay Pal-ew, Tanjay City. There is electricity and water in this area but signal is
quite difficult to have. The school is also accessible with vehicles especially when the

weather is fine but will take you to walk a distance of 20 meters if not. The school
does not have enough facilities. Classrooms of grades 7-10 are concrete while
classrooms of grades 11 and 12 are makeshifts.
On the other hand, Pilipigan Indigenous People Integrated School (PIPIS) is
also a remote school located in Barangay Pal-ew, Tanjay City. There is no electricity
in this area but there is abundance of water coming from a spring. It is quite remote
that teachers have to trek for hours in the woods just to get there. Classrooms in this
school are not concrete. The school only has makeshift classrooms and does not
have enough facilities. Signal is also not quite evident in this area.
Research respondents. The respondents of this study were all the students
of Sto Niño High School, Namonbon High School, and Pilipigan Indigenous People
Integrated School (PIPIS) which were randomly selected using single-stage cluster
sampling. This means that all elements in the selected clusters are included in the
sample. The distribution of the students is as follows:
School Number of Students
Sto. Niño High School 370
Namonbon High School 64
PIPIS 173
Total 607
Research instruments. The researcher used a questionnaire that is
composed of 3 parts. The first part was made for the purpose of gauging the level of
anxiety of students. The researcher used the Turkish Children’s Anxiety in Math
Scale (T-CAMS) instrument of Kandemir, Jameson, and Palestro (2016). This 11-
item questionnaire revealed a valid and reliable measure of students’ Mathematical
anxiety with alpha coefficient of 0. 856.

For the second part, it was for measuring the level of interest of students in
the subject. The questionnaire used was self-made that is why the researcher
conducted a dry run from 30 respondents which were not part of the final sample.
The researcher employed Cronbach’s alpha and it yielded a valid and reliable
measure of students’ Mathematical interest with alpha coefficient of 0.923.
Lastly, the third part of the questionnaire was for measuring self-confidence
of students in Mathematics which was taken from the instrument of Majeed,
Darmawan and Lynch (2013) on attitudes towards. It has a Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient of 0.928.
Ethical considerations. The researcher showed on the entire duration of the
study all the necessary ethical considerations. Full consent was obtained from the
participants by the researcher prior to the study. The researcher made sure that the
protection of their privacy as well as the adequate level of confidentiality of the
research data will be ensured.
The researcher followed the ethical protocols stipulated in the Ethics
Committee of Foundation University. To ensure that the research topic will be
evidently sound, significant and ethically correct consultation was pursued. The
researcher also displayed a non-judgmental attitude during the entire process to
ensure that censure will be avoided.
Research procedure. In gathering data for the study, the researcher sent a
letter to the Schools Division Superintendent then to the school administrator and
teacher-in-charge of the different schools covered by the study for an approval.
Since we are facing the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, the

learning delivery modality adopted was the modular distance learning which is why
with regard to the gathering of data, questionnaires were floated during the
distribution of modules. The researcher asked for assistance from the different
advisers of the respondents to place the questionnaires in the envelope together
with the learning modules before handing it to parents with proper instructions.
After the retrieval of the questionnaires, the researcher asked permission from the
teacher to have the grade in Mathematics of each respondent from the previous
school year, 2019-2020, reflected in the form 10.
The results were then tallied using MS Excel, analyzed and interpreted.
Statistical Treatment of the Data
The tools that were used by the researcher in analyzing the data were the
following:
Percent. This was used in presenting the academic performance of the
students.
Mean. This was used in getting the extent of performance of students.
Mann-Whitney U test. This was used to identify the significant difference
between anxiety, interest, and self-confidence of male and female students. This test
was considered since the data are in ordinal scale.
z-test. This was used to identify the significant difference between the
academic performance of male and female students. Also, this was chosen because
the data was in ratio scale and the number of samples in every group was greater
than 30.

The proficiency level or academic performance at which the students were
performing was based on the following criteria (DepEd Order No. 8, s 2015).
Rating Verbal
Equivalent
*Explanations
90% and
above
Outstanding The student at this level exceeds the core
requirements in terms of knowledge, skills and
understanding, and can transfer them automatically
and flexibly through authentic performance tasks.
85% - 89% Very
Satisfactory
The student at this level has developed the
fundamental knowledge and skills and core
understandings, and can transfer them
independently through authentic performance tasks.
80% - 84% Satisfactory The student at this level has developed the
fundamental knowledge and skills and core
understandings, and with little guidance from the
teacher and/or with some assistance from peers, and
can transfer these understandings through authentic
performance tasks.
75% - 79% Fairly
Satisfactory
The student at this level possesses the minimum
knowledge and skills and core understandings, but
needs help throughout the performance of authentic
tasks.
74% down Did Not Meet
Expectations
The student at this level struggles with his/her
understanding; prerequisite and fundamental
knowledge and/or skills have not been acquired or
developed adequately to aid understanding.

The following interpretations were also applied by the researcher to describe
the Mathematical anxiety of the students:
Verbal Description Scale Explanation
Extremely Anxious 4.21 – 5.00 The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by
the students 81% -100% of the time.
Anxious 3.41 – 4.20 The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by
the students 61% - 80% of the time.
Fairly Anxious 2.61 – 3.40 The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by
A Little Anxious 1.81 – 2.60 The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by
Not Anxious 1.00 – 1.80 The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by
Furthermore, the researcher used the following classifications for the
Mathematics interest of the students:
Verbal
Description
Explanation
Strongly Agree The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
students 81% -100% of the time.
Agree The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
students 61% - 80% of the time.
Moderately Agree The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Disagree The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Strongly Disagree The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested 1% -
20% of the time.

The researcher also used the following interpretations to describe the
Mathematics confidence of students:
Verbal
Description
Confidence
Interpretation
Explanation
Strongly Agree Very Confident The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Agree Confident The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Moderately Agree Moderately
Confident
The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Disagree A little confident The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Strongly Disagree Not confident The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested 1% -
20% of the time.

Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined in order to have a clear understanding on
each concept since these terms will be used in the study:
Sex differences. These have something to do with differences in academic
performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence manifested by both male and
female students in the subject Mathematics. Generally, these refer to the behavior of
males and females in the subject and how they think and feel when dealing with
mathematical tasks with or without their classmates around.
Academic performance. This refers to the average grade or measurement of
student achievement in Mathematics in a school year.
Math anxiety. This refers to the feeling of tension or fear that students have
whenever they enter their Math class and get to perform activities related to the
said subject.
Interest in Mathematics. It refers to the drive that students have when it
comes to learning about Mathematics and their perception of the subject.
Self-confidence in Mathematics. Self-confidence has something to do with
trusting one’s self and one’s personal ability in dealing with mathematical problems.

Chapter II
Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data
This chapter provides information about the data gathered from the average
grades in Mathematics of the students of Sto Niño High School, Namonbon High
School, and Pilipigan Indigenous People Integrated School (PIPIS) in the school year
2019-2020 as well as their responses on the different questionnaires given. The
data are presented in both tabular and textual forms, analyzed, and interpreted to
provide answers to problems presented earlier in this study.
Table 1
Academic Performance of Students in Mathematics
Rating Verbal Description Frequency Percent
90% - 100% Outstanding 34 5.60
85% - 89% Very Satisfactory 133 21.91
80% - 84% Satisfactory 211 34.76
75% - 79% Fairly Satisfactory 218 35.91
74% and Below Did Not Meet Expectations 5 0.82
Total 607 100.00
Mean = 81.57 (Satisfactory)
sd = 4.79
The data in Table 1 shows the academic performance of students in
Mathematics. Most of the students, with a percentage of 35.91, have a rating that
falls between 75% - 79% with a verbal description of fairly satisfactory. This means
that students at this level possess the minimum knowledge, skills, and core
understandings, but need help throughout the performance of authentic tasks
(DepEd Order No. 8, s 2015).
Another large percentage (34.76) of students has a rating between 80% -
84% with a satisfactory level. This means that the students at this level have

developed the fundamental knowledge, skills, and core understanding of
Mathematics subject and with little guidance from the teacher and/or with some
assistance from peers can transfer these understanding through authentic
performance tasks (DepEd Order No. 8, s 2015).
With a mean of 81.57, a satisfactory academic performance is being
indicated. This agrees to the claim of Rodriguez (2019) that students’ performance
in Math class is in satisfactory level. This is substantiated by the findings of
Malibiran, Candelario-Aplaon, and Izon (2019) that students’ Math performance in
problem-solving is in satisfactory level. The current finding has a standard deviation
of 4.79 which suggests greater variability in students’ ratings, which means that
data are not clustered around the mean and are more spread out.
Table 2.1
Extentto whichStudents DisplayedMathematics AnxietyinClass (n=607)
Indicators
wx̄ Verbal
Description
1. If I have to solve problems on the board in front of the
class, I feel:
3.40 Fairly Anxious
2. Working on Math at home makes me feel: 3.35 Fairly Anxious
3. When my teacher says that he or she is going to give
me a Math problem on the board, I feel:
3.34 Fairly Anxious
4. When I solve Math puzzles, I feel: 3.33 Fairly Anxious
5. Thinking about working on Math in class makes me
feel:
3.27 Fairly Anxious
6. When the teacher calls on me to answer a Math
problem, I feel:
3.23 Fairly Anxious
7. When I solve Math problems, I feel: 3.21 Fairly Anxious
8. When I know that my class will be working on Math at
school, I feel:
3.21 Fairly Anxious
9. Compared to other school subjects, Math makes me
feel:
3.19 Fairly Anxious
10. When I know that I am going to have a Math test, I feel: 3.18 Fairly Anxious
11. When I think about doing Math, I feel: 3.17 Fairly Anxious
Composite 3.26 Fairly Anxious
Legend: Range VerbalDescription
4.21 – 5.00 Extremely Anxious
3.41 – 4.20 Anxious
2.61 – 3.40 Fairly Anxious
1.81 – 2.60 A LittleAnxious

1.00 – 1.80 Not Anxious
The data in Table 2.1 shows the extent to which students displayed
Mathematics anxiety in class. It is being revealed that during their Mathematics
class, generally students are feeling fairly anxious as evidenced by wx̄ ranging from
3.17 – 3.40. This means that the anxious feeling is being manifested by the students
41% - 60% of the time. This is being supported in an interesting study of Jole-jole-
Caube, Dumlao, and Abocejo (2019) which revealed that students experience a
moderate level of anxiety towards Mathematics. Clearly, mathematics anxiety has
been a feeling of apprehension and increased physiological reactivity when
individuals have to manipulate numbers, solve math problems, or when they are
exposed to an evaluative situation which deals with mathematics (Carey et al.,
2016). Beilock and colleagues (2010) concluded that the worries of math-anxious
individuals when they are called to do math prohibit them from using their
mathematical skills to explain what they know. It is more than just disliking math
and contributes to a global trend of avoidance - students avoid taking math classes
whenever possible and avoid circumstances in which math is required. (Sparks,
2011; Hellum-Alexander, 2010; Ashcraft & Krause, 2007).
The data in Table 2.2 on the next page shows the extent to which students
displayed interest in Mathematics class. Just like in Table 1.1, indicators are being
presented according to the order of the weighted mean. Based on the table above,
students are interested (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.62) in the subject when they study with their group
members in class. According to the report from the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (2011), it is said that group work in mathematical education plays an
essential role in students’ question acquisition and in criticizing constructively

(Koçak, Bozan, & Işık, 2009), all leading to productive and beneficial outcomes in
student learning.
Table 2.2
Extent to which Students Displayed Interest in Mathematics Class (n = 607)
Indicators
wx̄ Verbal
Description
1. I like to study with my group members in class. 3.62 Interested
2. I keep trying to learn even if I am nervous. 3.61 Interested
3. I think about my learning (e.g. “How am I
doing?”)
3.60 Interested
4. I ask the teacher for help when needed. 3.57 Interested
5. I do my best whatever the situation is. 3.53 Interested
6. I like to solve problems in class. 3.50 Interested
7. I participate in all Math-related activities in
class.
3.48 Interested
8. Mathematics is a very interesting subject. 3.43 Interested
9. I am comfortable answering questions in
Mathematics class.
3.39 Fairly Interested
10. I am willing to take more than the required
amount of Mathematics.
3.37 Fairly Interested
11. Mathematics is dull and boring. 2.97 Fairly Interested
Composite 3.46 Interested
Legend: Range VerbalDescription
4.21 – 5.00 Very Interested
3.41 – 4.20 Interested
2.61 – 3.40 Fairly Interested
1.81 – 2.60 A LittleInterested
1.00 – 1.80 Not Interested
Students also show interest in the subject by trying to learn even if they are
nervous (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.61)and by thinking about their learning (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.60). There is
really a need for students, aside from going extra mile, to really understand and
grasp the concept, to assess and monitor their learning which has something to do
with metacognition. This allows a student who has been taught a specific technique
to recall and deploy the strategy in a similar yet new way in a specific problem
context (Kuhn & Dean, 2004). Furthermore, students also show interest in their
Mathematics class by asking their teacher for help when needed (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.57) and by

doing their best whatever the situation is (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.53). Help seeking occurs at a
critical point in the learning process when a student encounters ambiguity,
difficulty, or obstacle. Students are likely to assess their dedication and ability to
complete their work at such a stage. It has been shown that help-seeking behavior
with teachers is key to achievement (Ryan, Patrick, & Shim, 2005).
It is also being shown in Table 2.2 that students want to solve problems in
Math (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.50) and participate in all Math-related activities in their class (𝑤𝑥̄ =
3.48) because they find the subject very interesting (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.43). This supports the
findings of recent studies that students no longer view Mathematics as a domain
better suited to males than females (Galdi et al., 2014; Pasolunghi et al., 2014).
Likewise, this also supports the claim of Ellis and Dryd (1997) that students have
positive thoughts and feelings about Mathematics in general and that they enjoy
problem solving and calculations.
On the other hand, the bottom three indicators, ‘I am comfortable answering
questions in Mathematics class’ (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.39), ‘I am willing to take more than the
required amount of Mathematics’ (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.37), and ‘Mathematics is dull and boring’
(𝑤𝑥̄ = 2.97), have the same verbal description of “fairly interested”. These feelings
and attitude towards Mathematics are vital since these affect how well or how often
they do it, and how much enjoyment they derive from it (Moenikia & Zahed-
Babelanb, 2010) as well as influence the willingness of the students to learn the
subject and the advantage that it will bring to math instruction (Atanasova-
Pacemska et al., 2015). Furthermore, Zan and Di Martino (2007), as cited in the

study of Sanchal and Sharma (2017), revealed that students who feel comfortable in
doing math tasks and activities are linked with being successful in mathematics.
Generally, it has a composite weighted mean of 3.46 with a verbal equivalent
of ‘interested’. This means that the feeling of being interested in the subject is
manifested by students 61% - 80% of the time.
Table 2.3
Extent to which Students Displayed Confidence in Mathematics Class
Indicator wx̄ Verbal Description Confidence
Interpretation
Positive Statements
1. I have a lot of self-confidence
when it comes to Mathematics.
3.55 Agree Confident
2. I expect to do fairly well in any
Mathematics class I take.
3.48 Agree Confident
3. I learn Mathematics easily. 3.33 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident
4. Mathematics does not scare me
at all.
3.27 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident
5. I am able to solve Mathematics
problems without too much
difficulty.
6. I believe I am good at solving
Mathematics problems.
Composite 3.32 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident
Negative Statements
7. My mind goes blank and I am
unable to think clearly when
working with Mathematics.
8. Studying Mathematics makes
me feel nervous.
9. Mathematics is one of my
dreaded subjects.
10. Mathematics makes me feel
uncomfortable.
11. When I heard the word
Mathematics, I have a feeling of
dislike.
12. I am always confused in my
Mathematics class.
Composite 2.84 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident
Overall Composite 3.24 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident
Legend: Range VerbalDescription Confidence Interpretation
Positive Statements Negative Statements
4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree Very Confident Not Confident
3.41 – 4.20 Agree Confident A LittleConfident
2.61 – 3.40 Moderately Agree Moderately Confident Moderately Confident
1.81 – 2.60 Disagree A LittleConfident Confident
1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Agree Not Confident Very Confident

Table 2.3 shows the extent to which students displayed confidence in
Mathematics class. Statements are divided into two, positive and negative statements.
On the positively worded indicators which state, ‘I have a lot of self-confidence when it
comes to Mathematics’ (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.55) and ‘I expect to do fairly well in any Mathematics
class I take’ (𝑤𝑥̄ = 3.48), have a verbal description of ‘agree’ or they are ‘confident’.
Sanchal and Sharma (2017) supported the notion that confidence in learning the subject
improves students’ interest and participation. As being shown in Table 2.2, students
show interest in the subject.
Furthermore, the rest in the positively worded indicators have wx̄ ranging
from 3.13 – 3.33 which imply that students feel moderately confident in a Mathematics
class or their confidence is displayed 41% - 60% of the time.
On the negatively worded indicators, the table divulges that students
moderately agree that working with Mathematics makes their minds blank and unable
to think and it makes them nervous. They also moderately claimed that the subject is
one of their dreaded subjects and it makes them feel uncomfortable, confused and
dislike the word Mathematics as evidenced of the values of the values of wx̄ ranging
from 2.61 – 2.98.
To sum it all up, it has an overall composite weighted mean of 3.25 with a
verbal description of ‘moderately agree’ or students are ‘moderately confident’ in a
Mathematics class 41% - 60% of the time.

Table 3
Analysis Table on the Difference in the Students’ Academic Performance, Anxiety,
Interest and Self-Confidence when Grouped According to Their Sex
Variables n Mean Median Comp. z p-value Decision Remark
Academic Performance
Male 275 79.56 78 10.216 0.000 Reject Ho Significant
Female 332 83.23 83
Variables n Mean Rank Median Comp. U p-value Decision Remark
Anxiety
Male 275 365.7 3.90 28,675 0.000 Reject Ho Significant
Female 332 252.9 3.00
Interest
Female 332 345.9 3.82
Self-Confidence
Female 332 355.3 3.67
Level of significance = 0.05
Table 3 shows the data in analyzing the difference in the students’ academic
performance, anxiety, interest and self-confidence when grouped according to their
sex. As presented, all p-values are less than the level of significance (0.05). This
finding is sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis. This means that there is a
significant difference in the students’ academic performance, anxiety, interest and
self-confidence.
Considering students’ academic performance, it is apparent that female
students (mean = 83.23; median = 83) have better ratings compared to the male
students (mean = 79.56; median = 78) using z-Test. This supports the claim that
girls started to do better and has higher achievements in their Mathematics class
(Egorova & Chertkova, 2016) and that they outsmarted boys in terms of Math
computation (Reynolds, Scheiber, Hajovsky, Schwartz, & Kaufman, 2015). On the

other hand, these results no longer agree to previous studies of Tyler (1965),
Anastasi (1958), and Maccoby (1966) that male students generally do better than
female students in numerical tests. It also disagrees to the claim that both male and
female students are capable of competing and collaborating in Math (Ajai & Imoko,
2015) and that both do just as well on the subject (Goetz, Bieg, Ludtke, Pekrun, &
Hall, 2013; Stoesz et al., 2016)
It is also reflected in the table that male students have higher mathematical
anxiety (mean rank = 365.7; median = 3.90) than the female students (mean rank =
252.9; median = 3.00) using the Mann-Whitney U Test. This does not agree to
previous and recent studies that girls tend to show higher anxiety and lower self-
concept about their Math competence and tend to be consistent in having higher
Math anxiety than boys (Casey, Nuttall, & Pezaris, 1997; Pajares & Miller, 1994;
Meece, Wigfield, &Eccles, 1990; Devine, Fawcett, Szucs, & Dowker, 2012; Frenzel,
Pekrun, & Goetz, 2007; Jain & Dowson, 2009; Kvedere, 2012). This shows a
relationship between the academic performance and anxiety of students. Since girls
are less anxious than boys, they have better ratings than them. In other words, as
students’ math anxiety increases, their test scores decrease (Furner & Berman,
2004; Woodard, 2004).
The table further indicates that female students displayed better interest in
Mathematics (mean rank = 345.9; median = 3.82) than the male students (mean
rank = 253.5; median = 3.27) utilizing again the Mann-Whitney U Test. Clearly, Math
interest is connected with Math achievement (Garon-Carrier et al., 2016; Marsh et
al., 2015; Ryan & Deci, 2000). This supports the claim that there is a strong

relationship between Math interest and achievement (Liu, 2009; Pinxten et al.,
2014; Yoon, Eccles & Wigfield, 1996) since girls displayed better interest and have
higher ratings in the subject than boys and vice versa. On the other side of the coin,
results disagree to some studies that boys are more interested in the subject and
showed a high level of interest in Mathematics than girls (Eccles et al., 1983;
Hoffmann et al., 1998; Fredricks & Eccles, 2002; Köller et al., 2001).
Moreover, the table signifies that female students manifest higher self-
confidence in Mathematics class (mean rank = 355.3; median = 3.67) than the male
students (mean rank = 242.1; median = 3.00) considering the Mann-Whitney U Test.
This strongly disagrees to some claims that boys have greater confidence than girls
(Hyde et al., 1990), that girls are less confident than boys in their abilities in
Mathematics and problem solving (Campbell & Hackett, 1986; Hornig, 1987;
Johnson, 1989; Matyas, 1984), and that they underestimate themselves even if they
do well or better than their male counterparts (Fennema & Sherman, 1978;
Zukerman, 1987). The variables are pretty connected to each other since girls have
high ratings in Math compared to boys for the reason that they have higher self-
confidence, displayed better interest, and lower math anxiety than boys.

Chapter III
Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations
This chapter contains the restatement of the problem and summary of findings,
conclusions, and recommendations.
Restatement of the Problem
This study aims to identify sex differences in the academic performance of
hinterland high school students towards Mathematics in relation to some selected
dependent variables. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:
4. What is the academic performance of students in Mathematics?
5. To what extent do the students displayed the following in Mathematics class:
5.1 anxiety;
5.2 interest; and
6. When grouped according to sex, is there a significant difference in the
students’:
6.1 academic performance;
6.2 anxiety;
6.3 interest; and

Summary of Findings
Presented hereunder are the results based on the analysis and interpretation
of the data.
1. Academic Performance of Students in Mathematics
The data revealed that most of the respondents (35.91%) have ratings that
fall between 75% - 79% with a verbal description of fairly satisfactory. A big
percentage of them (34.76%) have ratings that are within the range of 80% - 84%
with a satisfactory level description. Furthermore, the data unveiled that generally,
the academic performance of students in Mathematics is 81.57% and classified as in
the satisfactory level.
2. Extent to which students displayed the following in their Mathematics class
The data divulged the following responses of students in their Mathematics
class:
2.1 anxiety: composite weighted mean is 3.26 (fairly anxious)
2.2 interest: composite weighted mean is 3.46 (interested)
2.3 self-confidence: composite weighted mean is 3.25 (moderately confident)
3. Difference between students’ academic performance, anxiety, interest, and
self-confidence when grouped according to sex
The data disclosed that there is a significant difference (all p-values < 0.05) in
the students’ academic performance, anxiety, interest and self-confidence when
grouped according to their sex.

3.1 academic performance: female students (mean = 83.23; median = 83) have
better ratings compared to the male students (mean = 79.56; median = 78)
3.2 anxiety: male students have higher mathematical anxiety (mean rank =
365.7; median = 3.90) than the female students (mean rank = 252.9;
median = 3.00)
3.3 interest: female students displayed better interest in Mathematics (mean
rank = 345.9; median = 3.82) than the male students (mean rank = 253.5;
median = 3.27)
3.4 self-confidence: female students manifest higher self-confidence in
Mathematics class (mean rank = 355.3; median = 3.67) than the male
students (mean rank = 242.1; median = 3.00)
Conclusions
Based on the findings cited above, the following conclusions are
hereby drawn:
1. The academic performance of students in mathematics is in the satisfactory
level.
2. Students are fairly anxious, interested, and moderately confident in their
Mathematics class.
3. When grouped according to sex, there is a difference in the students’
academic performance, anxiety, interest, and self-confidence in favor of the
female students.

In general, female students have higher ratings than boys. They have lower
mathematical anxiety and have displayed better interest in the subject and
manifest higher self-confidence in Mathematics class.
Recommendations
On the bases of the findings and conclusions presented, the following
recommendations hereby proposed that:
1. Teachers should always make sure that equal opportunities are provided in
the learning environment and should continue in providing guidance in any
given Mathematical tasks.
2. Teachers must see to it that students are placed in a motivating environment,
where they feel comfortable whenever faced with Math-related scenarios.
Math is a challenging discipline and is often branded as a painful subject that
is why teachers must do their best to make the process of learning the
subject painless. They can seek help from their school heads, supervisors, or
to anyone who they think can help them improve the delivery of instructions.
3. This study is focused on determining the academic performance, level of
anxiety, interest, and self-confidence in Mathematics of hinterland high
school students and how these variables are related to their sex. Teachers
may conduct a replication of this study and include other variables to gather
more data regarding the existing phenomenon.

References
Adani, S., & Cepanec, M. (2019). Sex differences in early communication
development: Behavioral and neurobiological indicators of more vulnerable
communication system development in boys. Croatian medical journal, 60(2),
141-149.
Ajai, J. T. & Imoko B. I. (2015). Gender differences in Mathematics achievement and
retention scores: A case of problem-based learning method. International
Journal of Research in education and Science (IJRES), I(1), 45-50.
Alexander, J. M., Johnson, K. E., & Kelley, K. (2012). Longitudinal analysis of the
relations between opportunities to learn about science and the development
of interests related to science. Science Education, 96(5), 763-786.
Anastasi, A. (1937). Differential psychology.
Arhin, A. & Offoe, A. (2015). Gender differences and Mathematics achievement of
Senior High School Students: A case of Ghana National College.
Asante, K. O. (2010). Sex differences in Mathematics Performance among Senior
High Students in Ghana.
Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and
math anxiety. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 14(2), 243-248.
Atanasova-Pacemska, T., Lazarova, L., Arsov, J., Pacemska, S., Trifunov, Z., &
Kovacheva, T. (2015, June). Attitude of secondary students towards
mathematics and its relationship to achievement in mathematics.
In Proceeding from International Conference on Information Technology and
Development of Education–ITRO, June, 2015. Zrenjanin, Republic of Serbia (Vol.
7, pp. 109-114). Technical Faculty" Mihajlo Pupin".
Bain, S. K., & Jaspers, K. E. (2010). Test Review: Review of Kaufman Brief Intelligence
Test: Kaufman, AS, & Kaufman, NL (2004). Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test,
Bloomington, MN: Pearson, Inc. Journal of Psychoeducational assessment,
28(2), 167-174.
Beilock, S. L. (2008). Math performance in stressful situations. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 17(5), 339-343.
Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’
math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863.
Bench, S. W., Lench, S. C., Liew, J., et al. (2015). Gender gaps in overestimation in
Math problems.

Brown, E. (2012). Confidence in Girls in Mathematics.
Brown, L. I. & Kanyongo, G. Y. (2010). Gender differences in Mathematics
performance in Trinidad and Tobago: Examining affective factors.
Buser, T., Niederle, M., & Oosterbeek, H. (2014). Gender, competitiveness, and career
choices. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(3), 1409-1447.
Campbell, N. K., & Hackett, G. (1986). The effects of mathematics task performance
on math self-efficacy and task interest. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 28(2),
149-162.
Carey, E., Hill, F., Devine, A., & Szücs, D. (2016). The chicken or the egg? The
direction of the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics
performance. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1987.
Casey, M. B., Nuttall, R. L., & Pezaris, E. (1997). Mediators of gender differences in
mathematics college entrance test scores: A comparison of spatial skills with
internalized beliefs and anxieties. Developmental psychology, 33(4), 669.
Charles, M., Harr, B., Cech, E., Hendley, A. (2014). Who likes Math where? Gender
differences in eighth-graders’ attitudes around the world. International
Studies in Sociology of Education, 24(1), 85-112.
Cheryan, S., Master, A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Cultural stereotypes as gatekeepers:
Increasing girls’ interest in computer science and engineering by diversifying
stereotypes. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 49.
Cheung, S. K., Yang, X., Dulay, K. M., & McBride, C. (2018). Family and individual
variables associated with young Filipino children’s numeracy interest and
competence. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 36(2), 334-353.
Cho, S. (2017). Explaining gender differences in confidence and overconfidence in
Math.
Clance, P., & O Toole, M. (1988). The impostor phenomenon: An internal barrier to
empowerment and achievement. In C. J. Foote (Ed.), Attribution feedback in
the elementary classroom. Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University.
Cotton, C., & Price, J. (2013). Gender differences in repeated competition: Evidence
from school math contests.
Cvencek, D., Meltzoff, A. N., & Greenwald, A. G. (2011). Math-Gender Stereotypes in
Elementary School Children. Vol. 82, No. 3, pp. 766-779.
Cvencek, D., Kapur, M., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Math achievements ,stereotypes, and
math self-concepts among elementary school students in Singapore. Learning
and Instruction, 39, 1-10.

Damasio, H., Damasio, A. R., & Bechara, A. (2003). Role of the amygdala in decision-
making. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 985(1), 356-369.
Dekhtyar, S., Weber, D., Helgertz, J., (2018). Sex differences in academic strengths
contribute to gender segregation in education and occupation: A longitudinal
examination of 167,776 individuals.
Devine, A., Fawcett, K., Szűcs, D., & Dowker, A. (2012). Gender differences in
mathematics anxiety and the relation to mathematics performance while
controlling for test anxiety. Behavioral and brain functions, 8(1), 33.
Dindyal, J. (2008). An overview of the gender factor in Mathematics in TIMSS-2003
for the Asia-Pacific region. ZMD, 40(6), 993-1005.
Dix, L. S. (1987). Women: Their Underrepresentation and Career Differentials in
Science and Engineering. Proceedings of a Workshop (Washington, DC,
October 9, 1986).
Dowker, A., Sarkar, A., & Looi, C. Y. (2016). Mathematics Anxiety: What have we
learned in 60 years? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 508. doi
10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00508
Duque Jr, C. A., & Tan, D. A. (2018). Students Mathematics Attitudes and
Metacognitive Processes in Mathematical Problem Solving. European Journal
of Education Studies.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: How we can learn to fulfill our potential. New York, NY:
Random.
Eccles, J. (1983). Female achievement patterns: Attributions, expectancies, values,
and choice. Journal of Social Issues, 1, 1-22.
Eccles, J. C. & Popper, K. R. (1983). The Self and Its Brain, 1977.
Egorova, M. S. (2016). Sex differences in mathematical achievement: Grades,
national test, and self-confidence. Psychology in Russia, 9(3), 4.
Ellis A. & Dryden W. (1997). The practice of rational emotive behavior therapy (2nd
Edition). New York: Springer.
Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender
differences in Mathematics: a meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 136(1),
103.
Ernest, J. (1976). Mathematics and sex. The American Mathematical Monthly, 83(8),
595-614.
Feingold, A. (1994). Gender differences in personality: a meta-analysis.
Psychological bulletin, 116(3), 429.

Fennema, E., Carpenter, T. P., Jacobs, V. R., Franke, M. L., & Levi, L. W. (1998). A
longitudinal study of gender differences in young children’s mathematical
thinking. Educational researcher, 27(5), 6-11.
Fennema, E. H., & Sherman, J. A. (1978). Sex-related differences in mathematics
achievement and related factors: A further study. Journal for Research in
Mathematics education, 189-203.
Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2002). Children's competence and value beliefs from
childhood through adolescence: growth trajectories in two male-sex-typed
domains. Developmental psychology, 38(4), 519.
Frenzel, A. C., Pekrun, R., & Goetz, T. (2007). Girls and mathematics—A “hopeless”
issue? A control-value approach to gender differences in emotions towards
mathematics. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 22(4), 497.
Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., Pekrun, R., & Watt, H. M. (2010). Development of
mathematics interest in adolescence: Influences of gender, family, and school
context. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 20(2), 507-537.
Furner, J., & Berman, B. (2004). The Need to Eradicate Math Anxiety.
Furnham, A., Reeves, E., & Budhani, S. (2002). Parents think their sons are brighter
than their daughters: Sex differences in parental self-estimations and
estimations of their children's multiple intelligences. The Journal of genetic
psychology, 163(1), 24-39.
Futalan, M. Z. (2017). Students’ attitudes towards Mathematics through the years.
Galdi, V., Silva, A., Monticone, F., Castaldi, G., Alù, A., & Engheta, N. (2014).
Performing mathematical operations with metamaterials. Science,
343(6167), 160-163.
Gallagher, A. & Kaufman, J. (2005). Gender differences in Math.
Ganley, C. M. & Lubienski, S. (2016). Mathematics confidence, interest, and
performance: Examining gender patterns and reciprocal relations.
Garon‐Carrier, G., Boivin, M., Guay, F., Kovas, Y., Dionne, G., Lemelin, J. P., ... &
Tremblay, R. E. (2016). Intrinsic motivation and achievement in mathematics
in elementary school: A longitudinal investigation of their association. Child
development, 87(1), 165-175.
Gasco, J., Goñi, A., Villaroel, J. (2014). Sex differences in Mathematics motivation in
8th and 9th grade.
Geary, D. C., Hoard, M. K., Nugent, L., et al. Sex Differences in Math Anxiety and
Attitudes: Concurrent and Longitudinal relations to Mathematical
Competence

Giedd, J. N., Clasen, L. S., Lenroot, R., et al. (2006). Puberty-related influences on
brain development.
Gneezy, U., Niederle, M., & Rustichini, A. (2003). Performance in competitive
environments: Gender differences. The quarterly journal of
economics, 118(3), 1049-1074.
Goetz, T., Bieg, M., Pekrun, R., et al. (2013). Do girls really experience more anxiety in
Mathematics? Psychological Science, 24(10), 2079-2087.
doi.org.10.1177/0956797613486989.
Gonzalez, A., Bottenhorn, K., Bartley, J., et al. (2019). Sex differences in brain
correlates of STEM anxiety.
Gunderson, E., Park, D., Maloney, E., et al. (2018). Reciprocal relations among
motivational frameworks, math anxiety, and math achievement in early
elementary school. Journal of Cognition and Development, 19:1, 21-46.
doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2017.1421538
Halin, N., Marsh, J. E., & Sörqvist, P. (2015). Central load reduces peripheral
processing: Evidence from incidental memory of background
speech. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 56(6), 607-612.
Hammouri, H. (2004). Attitudinal and motivational variables related to mathematics
achievement in Jordan: Findings from the Third International Mathematics
and Science Study (TIMSS). Educational research, 46(3), 241-257.
Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. D., Sharma, G. D., Klasen, S., et al. (2004). Dysfunctional
families and wounded relationships. Research Journal of Business
Management, 11(1), pp-207.
Hellum-Alexander, A. (2010). Effective teaching strategies for alleviating math
anxiety and increasing self-efficacy in secondary students (Doctoral
dissertation, Evergreen State College).
Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal
for research in mathematics education, 33-46.
Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest
development. Educational psychologist, 41(2), 111-127.
Hill, F., Mammarella, I. C., Devine, A., et al. (2015). Math anxiety in primary and
secondary school students: Gender differences, developmental changes and
anxiety specificity.
Hilton, T. L., & Berglund, C. W., (1974). Sex differences in Mathematics Achivement --
- A longitudinal study. The Journal of Educational Research, 67(5), 231-237.

Hornig, L. S. (1987). Women graduate students: a literature review and
synthesis. Women: Their underrepresentation and career differentials in
science and engineering, 103-122.
Hosein, A., & Harle, J. (2018). The relationship between students’ prior mathematical
attainment, knowledge and confidence on their self-assessment
accuracy. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 56, 32-41.
Howard, J., & Hammond, R. (1985). Rumors of inferiority. New Republic, 72(9), 18-
23.
Hu, X., Leung, F. K., & Teng, Y. (2018). The Influence of Culture on Students’
Mathematics Achievement Across 51 Countries. International Journal of
Science and Mathematics Education, 16(1), 7-24.
Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., & Lamon, S. J. (1990). Gender differences in mathematics
performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 107(2), 139.
Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (1988). Gender differences in verbal ability: A meta-
analysis. Psychological bulletin, 104(1), 53.
Jain, S., Dowson, M. (2009). Mathematics Anxiety as a Function of Multimensional
Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 34,
240-249.
Johnson, J. (1989). Effects of Successful Female Role Models on Young Women's
Attitudes toward Traditionally Male Careers.
Jolejole-Caube, C., Dumlao, A. B., & Abocejo, F. T. (2019). Anxiety towards
Mathematics and Mathematics performance of grade 7 learners. European
Journal of Education Studies.
Kadijevich, D. M. (2018). Data modelling using interactive charts. Teach. Math, 21(2),
55-72.
Kandemir, M. A., Jameson, M. M., & Palestro, J. J. (2016) Translating the Children’s
Anxiety in Math Scale to Turkish for Use with Turkish Children. British
Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 15(1), 1-10.
Kapur, M., & Cvencek, D. (2014). Implicit social cognition as a predictor of academic
performance.
Kaufman, A. S., & NL, K. (2004). Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, (K-BIT-2)
Minneapolis. MN: Pearson Assessment.
Kazelskis, R. (1998). Some dimensions of Mathematics anxiety: A factor analysis
across instruments. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58, 623-633.
doi. 10.1177/0013164498058004006

Koçak, Z. F., Bozan, R., & Işık, Ö. (2009). The importance of group work in
mathematics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 2363-2365.
Köller, O., Baumert, J., & Schnabel, K. (2001). Does interest matter? The relationship
between academic interest and achievement in mathematics. Journal for
Research in Mathematics Education, 448-470.
Kuhn, D. & Dean, D. (2004). A bridge between cognitive psychology and educational
practice. Theory into Practice, 43(4), 268-273.
Kvedere, L. (2012). Mathematics self-concept of the 9th grade students in
Latvia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 3380-3384.
Kvedere, L. (2014). Mathematics self-efficacy, self-concept and anxiety among 9th
grade students in Latvia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116(2014),
2687-90.
Kyttälä, M., & Björn, P. M. (2014). The role of literacy skills in adolescents'
mathematics word problem performance: Controlling for visuo-spatial ability
and mathematics anxiety. Learning and Individual Differences, 29, 59-66.
Lips, H. M. (2020). Sex and gender: An introduction. Waveland Press.
Liu, O. L. (2009). An investigation of factors affecting gender differences in
standardized math performance: Results from US and Hong Kong 15 year
olds. International Journal of Testing, 9(3), 215-237.
Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward
mathematics and achievement in Mathematics. Journal for Research in
Mathematics Education, 30, 520-540. doi.10.2307/749772
Maccoby, E. E. (1966). The development of sex differences.
Maccoby, E. E., & Jacklin, C. N. (1974). Myth, reality and shades of gray-what we
know and dont know about sex differences. Psychology Today, 8(7), 109-112.
Majeed, A. A., Darmawan, I. G. N. & Lynch, P. (2013). A confirmatory factor analysis
of attitudes toward mathematics inventory (ATMI). The Mathematics
Educator, 15(1), 121-135.
Malibiran, H. M., Candelario-Aplaon, Z., & Izon, M. V. (2019, June). Determinants of
problem-solving performance in mathematics 7: A regression model.
In International Forum (Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 65-86).
Maloney, E. A., & Beilock, S. L. (2012). Math anxiety: Who has it, why it develops, and
how to guard against it. Trends in cognitive sciences, 16(8), 404-406.
Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. (2005). Academic
self‐concept, interest, grades, and standardized test scores: Reciprocal effects
models of causal ordering. Child development, 76(2), 397-416.

Matyas, M. L. (1984). Science Career Interests, Attitudes, Abilities, and Anxiety
Among Secondary School Students; The Effects of Gender, Race/Ethnicity,
and School Type/Location.
McGeown, S. P. & Warhurst A. (2020). Sex differences in education:
exploringchildren’s gender identity, Educational Psychology, 40:1, 103-119.
Meece, J. L., Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (1990). Predictors of math anxiety and its
influence on young adolescents' course enrollment intentions and
performance in mathematics. Journal of educational psychology, 82(1), 60.
Moenikia, M., & Zahed-Babelan, A. (2010). A study of simple and multiple relations
between mathematics attitude, academic motivation and intelligence
quotient with mathematics achievement. Procedia-Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 2(2), 1537-1542.
Morales, M. P. E., Avilla, R. A., & Espinosa, A. A. (2016). Does gender inequality
influences interest in pursuing a career in Science or Mathematics teaching?
Issues in Educational Research, 26(1), 65.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2011). Intervention: A Position of the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics; National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics: Reston, VA, USA.
Niederle, M., & Vesterlund, L. (2007). Do women shy away from competition? Do
men compete too much?. The quarterly journal of economics, 122(3), 1067-
1101.
Noddings, N. (1998). Perspectives from feminist philosophy. Educational Researcher,
27, 17-18.
Noddings, N. (1998). Teachers and subject matter knowledge. Teachers Education
Quarterly (1998): 86-89.
Nool, N. R. (20012, February). Exploring the metacognitive processes of prospective
Mathematics teachers during problem solving. In international Conference on
Education and Management Innovation (Vol. 30, pp. 302-306).
Nurmi, A., Hannula, M., Maijala, H., et al. On pupils’ Self-Confidence in Mathematics:
Gender Comparisons.
Oppong Asante, K. (2012). Secondary students’ attitudes towards Mathematics. Vol.
20, No. 1.
Osborne, J. W. (2001). Testing stereotype threat: Does anxiety explain race and sex
differences in achievement? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 26(3),
291-310.

Pajares, F., & Miller, M. D. (1994). Role of self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs in
mathematical problem solving: A path analysis. Journal of educational
psychology, 86(2), 193.
Peteros, E., Gamboa, A., Etcuban, J. O., Dinauanao, A., Sitoy, R., & Arcadio, R. (2019).
Factors Affecting Mathematics Performance of Junior High School Students.
International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(1), em0556.
Pinxten, M., Marsh, H. W., De Fraine, B., Van Den Noortgate, W., & Van Damme, J.
(2014). Enjoying mathematics or feeling competent in mathematics?
Reciprocal effects on mathematics achievement and perceived math effort
expenditure. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(1), 152-174.
Pomerantz. E. M., Saxon, J. L., & Altematt, E., (2002). Making the grade but felling
distress: Gender differences in academic and ineranl distress. Journal of
educational Psychology. Vol. 94, No. 2, 396-404.
Popper, K. R., & Eccles, J. C. (1983). The Self and Its Brain, 1977.
Preckel, F., Goetz, T., Pekrun, R., & Kleine, M. (2008). Gender differences in gifted and
average-ability students: Comparing girls’ and boys’ achievement, self-
concept, interest, and motivation in Mathemarics. Gifted child quarterly,
52(2), 146-159.
Priess, H. A., Lindberg, S. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2009). Adolescent gender-role identity
and mental health: gender intensification revisited. Child development, 80(5),
1531–1544. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01349.x
Primi, C., Donati, M., Chiesi, F., et al. (2017). Are there gender differences in cognitive
reflection? Invariance and differences related to mathematics.
Reilly, D., Neumann, D. L., & Andrews, G. (2017). Investigating gender differences in
Mathematics and Science: Results from the 2011 trends in Mathematics and
Science survey.
Reiss, A. I., Abrams, M. T., Singer, H. S., et al. (1996). Brain development, gender and
IQ in children: a volumetric imaging study.
Reyna, B. (2000). Determining positive indicators of Math-specific self-esteem in
Hispanic students.
Reynolds, M. R., Scheiber, C., Hajovsky, D. B., Schwartz, B., & Kaufman, A. S. (2015).
Gender differences in academic achievement: Is writing an exception to the
gender similarities hypothesis?. The Journal of genetic psychology, 176(4),
211-234.
Richardson, F. C., & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale:
psychometric data. Journal of counseling Psychology, 19(6), 551.

Rodriguez, J. (2019). Conceptual understanding of learning polynomials through
games.
Rosen, B. C., & Aneshensel, C. S. (1978). Sex differences in the educational-
occupational expectation process. Social Forces, 57(1), 164-186.
Ryan, A. M., Patrick, H., & Shim, S. O. (2005). Differential profiles of students
identified by their teacher as having avoidant, appropriate, or dependent
help-seeking tendencies in the classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology,
97, 275–285
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic
definitions and new directions. Contemporary educational psychology, 25(1),
54-67.
Sanchal, A., & Sharma, S. (2017). Students’ attitudes towards learning mathematics:
Impact of teaching in a sporting context.
Sewasew, D., Schroeders, U., Schiefer, I., et al. (2016). Development of sex differences
in Math achievement, self-concept, and interest from Grade 5 to 7.
Smetackova, I. (2015). Gender Stereotypes, performances and identification with
math. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, 211-219.
Sokolowski, M. H., Hawes, Z., & Lyons, I. M. (2019). What explains sex differences in
Math anxiety? A closer look at the role of spatial processing.
Sparks, S. D. (2011). Researchers probe causes of math anxiety. Education
Week, 30(31), 1-16.
Steele, C. M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity
and performance. American psychologist, 52(6), 613.
Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test
performance of African Americans. Journal of personality and social
psychology, 69(5), 797.
Stoesz, B. M., Shooshtari, S., Montgomery, J., Martin, T., Heinrichs, D. J., & Douglas, J.
(2016). Reduce, manage or cope: a review of strategies for training school
staff to address challenging behaviours displayed by students with
intellectual/developmental disabilities. Journal of Research in Special
Educational Needs, 16(3), 199-214.
Su, R., Rounds, J., & Armstrong, P. I. (2009). Men and things, women and people: a
Meta-Analysis of sex differences in interests. Psychological bulletin, 135(6),
859.
Szucs, D., Devine, A., Soltesz, F., Nobes, A., & Gabriel, F. (2013). Developmental
dyscalculia is related to visuo-spatial memory and inhibition impairment.
cortex, 49(10), 2674-2688.

Talisayon, V. M., de Guzman, F. S., & Balbin, C. R. (2006, August). Science-related
attitudes and interests of students. In IOSTE XII Symposium, Penang, Malaysia.
Tomasetto, C., Cadinu, M., & Alparone, F. R. (2011). Girls’ math Performance under
Stereotype Threat: The Moderating Role of Mothers’ Gender Stereotypes.
Tyler, L. E. (1947). The psychology of human differences.
Vorderman, C., Porkess, R., Budd, C., Dunne, R., & Rahman-Hart, P. (2011). A world-
class mathematics education for all our young people. London. Accessed
March, 21, 2016.
Voyer, D., & Voyer, S. D. (2014). Gender differences in scholastic achievement: a
meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 140(4), 1174.
Waini, I., Hamzah, K., Mohd, R. S., Miswan, N. H., Amira, N. Z., & Ahmad, A. (2014).
Self-confidence in mathematics: a case study on engineering technology
students in FTK, UTeM. International journal for innovation education and
research, 2(11), 10-13.
Wells, C. (2018). Understanding Issues Associated with Tracking Students in
Mathematics Education. Journal of Mathematics Education, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp.
68-84.
Wigfield, A., Eccles, J. S., Yoon, K. S., Harold, R. D., Arbreton, A. J., Freedman-Doan, C.,
& Blumenfeld, P. C. (1997). Change in children's competence beliefs and
subjective task values across the elementary school years: A 3-year
study. Journal of educational psychology, 89(3), 451.
Wood, G., Pinheiro-Chagas, P., Julio-Costa, A., Micheli, L. R., Krinzinger, H., Kaufmann,
L., ... & Haase, V. G. (2012). Math anxiety questionnaire: similar latent
structure in Brazilian and German school children. Child Development
Research, 2012.
Woodard, T. (2004). The effects of math anxiety on post-secondary developmental
students as related to achievement, gender, and age. Inquiry, 9(1), n1.
Yara, P. & Otieno, K. (2010). Teaching/Learning Resources and Academic
Performance in Mathematics in Secondary Schools in Bondo District of
Kenya. Vol. 6, No. 12.
Yee, D. K., & Eccles, J. S. (1988). Parent perceptions and attributions for children's
math achievement. Sex Roles, 19(5-6), 317-333.
Zan, R., & Di Martino, P. (2007). Attitude toward mathematics: Overcoming the
positive/negative dichotomy. The Montana Mathematics Enthusiast, 3(1), 157-168.
Zuckerman, H. (1987). Persistence and change in the careers of men and women
scientists and engineers: A review of current research. Women: Their Under-
Representation and Career Differentials in Science and Engineering.

Washington: National Technical Information Service, 123-156.

APPENDICES

Appendix A

Appendix B
Questionnaire
This questionnaire aims to identify the students’ anxiety level, interest, and
self-confidence in Mathematics. Kindly honestly answer the following questions.
Rest assured that the information you share is confidential. Thank you very much
for your time and cooperation.
Name: _____________________________
Grade in Math: ___________________
Part I. Profile of the Students:
Sex: ____Male ____Female
_
Part II. Math Anxiety
Direction: 1. Read each statement. Think carefully about each statement and
respond as truthfully as you can.
2. Place a check mark (√ ) in the blank that best describes your feeling.
The following will be your guide:
Verbal Description Explanation
Extremely Anxious The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Anxious The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Fairly Anxious The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
A Little Anxious The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Not Anxious The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Note: Time may refer to the following: all exam days, all Math activities, and the
like.

Indicators
Extremely
Anxious
Anxious Fairly
Anxious
A little
anxious
Not
anxious
12. When I solve Math problems, I feel:
13. When I think about doing Math, I feel:
14. Compared to other school subjects, Math
makes me feel:
15. When I solve Math puzzles, I feel:
16. When the teacher calls on me to answer a
Math problem, I feel:
17. If I have to solve problems on the board in
front of the class, I feel:
18. Thinking about working on Math in class
makes me feel:
19. Working on Math at home makes me feel:
20. When my teacher says that he or she is going
to give me a Math problem on the board, I
feel:
21. When I know that my class will be working
on Math at school, I feel:
22. When I know that I am going to have a Math
test, I feel:
Adopted from The Turkish Children’s Anxiety in Math Scale (T-CAMS) by Kandemir, M., Jameson, M., & Palestro, J. (2016)

Part III. Interest
Direction: 1. Read each statement. Think carefully about each statement and
respond as truthfully as you can.
2. Place a check mark (√ ) in the blank that best describes your feeling.
The following will be your guide:
Verbal Description Explanation
Very Interested The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Interested The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Fairly Interested The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
A Little Interested The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Not Interested The feeling/behavior is felt/manifested by the
Note: Time may refer to the following: all exam days, all Math activities, and the
like.
Indicators
Very
interested
Interested Fairly
interested
A little
interested
Not
interested
12. I like to solve problems in class.
13. I like to study with my group
members in class.
14. I do my best whatever the
situation is.
15. I think about my learning (e.g.
“How am I doing?”)
16. I ask the teacher for help when
needed.
17. I participate in all Math-related
activities in class.
18. I keep trying to learn even if I am
nervous.
19. Mathematics is dull and boring.
20. Mathematics is a very interesting
subject.
21. I am comfortable answering
questions in Mathematics class.
22. I am willing to take more than the
required amount of Mathematics.

5 (1)

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to 5 (1)

Similar to 5 (1) (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

5 (1)