Determinants of the mathematics performance of the iv year high students by eugene d. gabriel

Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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DETERMINANTS OF THE MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE
OF THE FOURTH YEAR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
OF STA. LUCIA DISTRICT

EUGENE D. GABRIEL

ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
GRADUATE SCHOOL
TAGUDIN, ILOCOS SUR

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION
(MATHEMATICS)

FEBRUARY 2012

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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APPROVAL SHEET

This thesis entitled “Determinants of the Mathematics
Performance of the Fourth Year High School Students of Sta. Lucia
District” conducted and submitted by EUGENE D. GABRIEL in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN
EDUCATION (MATHEMATICS) has been examined and passed by the
Graduate Thesis Review Committee on February 18, 2012 composed of:

EDERLINA M. SUMAIL, Ph. D LITO W. BINAY-AN, MASE
Adviser/ Statistician Member/ Review Committee

TESSIE L. DELA CRUZ, Ph. D. HELEN C. ABELLA, Ph. D
Member/Review Committee Internal Expert

RAFAEL B. QUERUBIN, Ph. D.
Chairman, Review Committee

Accepted and approved in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree Master of Science in Education (Mathematics).

NELLIE L. TABANGIN, Ph. D. REMEDIOS B. OBILLE, Ed. D.
Associate Dean Dean, Graduate School

RAFAEL B. QUERUBIN, Ph. D.
SUC, President II

Recorded by:

FRANCISCO N. DIVINA, MSA
Graduate Secretary
Contribution No. ________
Date: ___________________

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

A baby boy was born at Brgy. Libtong, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur on the
evening of August 10, 1978. His name was taken after the name of the
world‟s famous chess master “Eugene” Torre by Mr. Primo V. Gabriel, a
carpenter and Mrs. Tita D. Gabriel, an instructor of the Ilocos Sur
Polytechnic State College, South Cluster, Tagudin Campus, Tagudin,
Ilocos Sur.
Having been enlightened by the word of God, Eugene grew in a Full
Gospel Christian belief where he learned how to value serving God, good
character, manners and morals. At his early age he was trained serving
God and trusting Him no matter what circumstances come. To serve God
as a minister was one of his dreams during his childhood.
Each individual needs to acquire knowledge, so he began his
formal education in elementary at Libtong Community School from 1985
to 1991 and graduated with honors. He continued his secondary
education at Tagudin General Comprehensive High School now Ilocos
Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Tagudin Campus from 1991 to
1995. Due to his enthusiastic desire to serve God being a minister he
enrolled at Pentecostal Bible College (PBC) now Asian Mission Bible
Seminary San Fernando City, La Union, in his ministerial studies for two
years and six months practicum. After his graduation he started his first
pioneering work in Nagtenga, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur and then transferred
at Pudoc, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. Pursuing the challenge to grow as a
person and as a professional he took his Bachelor in Secondary
Education for the second semester at ISPSC Tagudin Campus in 1997
while he was having his ministry in Pudoc, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. He was
transferred to work as a minister in Sagat, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, so he
decided to continue his studies at the University of Northern Philippines,
Candon, Ilocos Sur. He finished his Bachelor in Secondary Education
major in Mathematics and minor in Physical Education and English on
March, 2002.
New graduates need to prove that they are qualified in the teaching
profession as imposed by the PRC, so he took his Licensure Examination
for Teachers on August 25, 2002 and luckily he passed the examination
with a rating of 79.20%.
In January, 2005, he took the opportunity to exercise his
profession as a teacher. He accepted the challenge to teach at Sta. Lucia
Academy, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur where he taught Mathematics III and IV
up to the present. The desire to serve God is still there so he is enjoying

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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the position being the music director and assistant pastor of the main
church, Christ‟s Servants Full Gospel Ministry, Inc. (CSFGMI).
Eugene is happily married last December 27, 2006 to Jovelyn
Banquiad, a licensed teacher and presently working at Tagudin General
Hospital and Capillariasis Center as administrative aide. They were
blessed by God with two beautiful daughters namely Genelyn Grace and
Eunice Ashley.
He believed that everything can be accomplished through the help
of God and by His Power nothing is impossible.

EUGENE D. GABRIEL

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher‟s foremost gratitude to the Almighty God, the giver

of life, full of blessings and grace, and the source of all wisdom, for all

the bountiful enlightenment and guidance He provided in making

everything possible in the completion of this research work.

Sincere gratitude is also extended to the following individuals who

showed genuine support to the completion of this research work.

Dr. Ederlina M. Sumail, his adviser and statistician for her

patience in giving brilliant pieces of advice, encouragement and

assistance in analyzing gathered data;

Dr. Remedios B. Obille, Dean of the Graduate School and

chairman of the panel defense for her guidance, valuable suggestions in

the formulation of the problem and scholarly pieces of advice in the

improvement of this study;

Dr. Tessie Dela Cruz and Sir Lito W. Binay-an, the members of the

review committee, for their expertise and valuable suggestions in the

refinement of this study;

Dr. Helen C. Abella, Internal Expert, for her intellectual

suggestions that gave meaning to the research results and that greatly

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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improved the final manuscript;

Madame Agnes Torres, for her invaluable contributions to make

this piece more meaningful;

The School Principals and Mathematics teachers of both public

and private schools of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur for

allowing him to conduct a research and for patiently providing the data

needed in the research;

His younger sister Helen D. Gabriel who helped him financially and

to his Mama Tita, who is always giving him the word of encouragement to

finish this study and her effort in tallying some of the gathered data;

His loving and understanding wife Jovelyn and his lovely kids

Genelyn Grace and Eunice Ashley, who always extend unconditional

support and serve as his inspiration in this endeavor. This piece of work

carefully craved with patience and endurance is dedicated to all of you.

e.d.g.

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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DEDICATION

To
My loving and understanding wife: JOVELYN,
Daughters:
GENELYN GRACE
And
EUNICE ASHLEY
Loving parents:
PRIMO V. GABRIEL
And
TITA D. GABRIEL
Sisters: EUGENIA and HELEN
And
To my beloved CO-PASTORS, CO- TEACHERS, FRIENDS
AND MENTORS who are always there ready to render
their love and support so as to make this work
materialize, and above all,
To the dear Almighty GOD!!!

EUGENE

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

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ABSTRACT

GABRIEL, EUGENE D. February 2012, Determinants of the
Mathematics Performance of the Fourth Year High School Students
of Sta. Lucia District. M. S. E. Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College,
Graduate School, Tagudin Campus, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur.

Adviser: Ederlina M. Sumail, Ph. D.

The major purpose of this study was to identify the Determinants of
the Mathematics Performance of the Fourth Year High School Students of
Sta. Lucia District during the school year 2011 – 2012..
The descriptive – correlational research was employed with
proportional random sampling as mode of obtaining the sample. There
were 602 student- respondents, 14 Mathematics teacher- respondents and
five schools of both public and private high school of Sta. Lucia District.
The statistical tools used were frequency counting, percentage, weighted
mean, t-test, Pearson r, and stepwise linear regression.
Results of the study showed that most of the fourth year high school
students were females with 318 out of 602 students, aged 15 – 16 years
old, graduated from public elementary schools and having 77 – 82 grade
point average (GPA) in third year Mathematics.
Their parents were both high school graduates with below Php
10,000.00 monthly income having a semi – skilled job living in permanent
dwellings located in the rural areas.
The attitudes of the students toward Mathematics was “slightly
favorable” with little overall Mathematics beliefs and excellent impressions
to their Mathematics teachers.
Most of the teacher-respondents were females were of 21-30 years
being singles and married, had been in the service for 15 years and below,
all were qualified to teach, were bachelor’s degree holders, most of them
were teacher I, and had attended regional trainings/seminars. They had
different attributes and qualifications that made them qualified to teach
secondary Mathematics.
Most of the schools had an average of 56 – 60 students per class
mostly were public high schools located in the poblacion and had slightly
adequate school facilities and equipment.

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It is concluded that the student-respondents of the secondary
schools of Sta. Lucia District are a blend of different profile variables. The
teacher-respondents represent a variety of different profile variables. The
schools vary in terms of class size, type of school, location of school and
adequacy of school materials. The Mathematics IV students recognize the
importance of Mathematics in their overall development. The Mathematics
IV students manifest varied self confidence, success and defense
orientations in Mathematics and show a slight positive attitudes toward
Mathematics. The fair and good performance of students in Mathematics
IV demands a more intensive and innovative approach in teaching the
subject to increase the level of attitudes and beliefs toward the subject.
The Mathematics teachers meet the standard requirements set by the
DepEd and the Civil Service to qualify them to teach. The basic
requirement needed to operate a school does not come up with the
standard. The students posses the same characteristics in terms of
attitudes toward Mathematics, Mathematics beliefs and impressions to
Mathematics teachers and shows a slight difference in Mathematics IV
performance. The performance of the students in Mathematics IV is
associated with sex, age, type of elementary graduated from, GPA in third
year Mathematics, highest educational attainment of the father and the
mother, income of parents, occupation of parents and type of dwelling. The
Mathematics performance of the students is also dependent on the
teachers’ profile in terms of sex, highest educational attainment and
plantilla position, and school profile in terms of class size and location of
school are interrelated to the Mathematics performance of the students.
Personal profile of the students in terms of age, sex and Grade Point
Average (GPA) in Mathematics III, and their socio-economic profile in terms
of highest educational attainment of the father, highest educational
attainment of the mother, income of parents, occupation of parents and
type of dwelling, the impressions to Mathematics teachers and, the school
profile in terms of class size and location of school emerge as determinants
of the Mathematics IV performance.
It is then recommended that: the administrators and Mathematics
teachers starting from first year shall strengthen the students’ foundation
in Mathematics subjects and should continuously search for some
innovations in teaching so that in the higher years they will be prepared to
undertake higher Mathematics subjects and to enhance the desirable
attitudes and beliefs toward Mathematics. The school administrators
should take into consideration the normal class sizes, so that the teachers
can cater the needs of these students individually and that the school
materials will become available for these students. TEEPS and SCOPE,

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Instructional Materials, Mathematics Bulletin Board and Science laboratory
must be made more adequate by the school administrators and teachers
concerned. The Mathematics teachers should be updated with the new
trends and techniques in teaching. They should be encouraged to attend
trainings and seminars related to this and they should be encouraged also
to enrol and finish graduate studies in Mathematics for them to become
more efficient and effective to teach the subject. Parents should give full
support and tutor their children in their studies in order to help the
teachers in developing the skills of the students along Mathematics. A
similar study should be conducted in all Mathematics subjects from first
year to fourth year levels as well as in other areas of specialization to find
out the determinants which may influence the performance of the students
in that particular area.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRELIMINARIES Page
Title Page i

Approval Sheet ii

Biographical Sketch iii

Acknowledgment v

Dedication vii

Abstract viii

Table of Contents xi

List of Tables xiv

List of Figures xv

CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION

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Situational Analysis 1

Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework 7

Statement of the Problem 15

Hypotheses 16

Significance of the Study 17

Scope and Delimitation 19

Definition of Terms 20
CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE 26

CHAPTER III – RESEARCH METHODOLY
Research Design 48

Population of the Study 49

Data Gathering Instrument 49

Categorization of Data 51

Data Gathering Procedure 53

Statistical Treatment 54

CHAPTER IV – RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

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Personal Profile of the Student- 57
respondents

Socio-economic Profile of the Student- 61
respondents

Attitudes toward Mathematics 67

Mathematics Beliefs 69

Impressions to Mathematics Teachers 72

Mathematics Teachers’ Profile 74

School Profile 79

Level of Performance of the Students in 83
Mathematics IV (First Grading)

Relationship between the Students’ 87
Profile and Mathematics IV
Performance (First Grading)

Relationship between the Mathematics 91
teachers’ profile and Mathematics IV

Relationship between the School 93
Profile and Mathematics IV

Determinants of the Mathematics IV 96
Performance

CHAPTER V – SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS
AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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Summary 101

Findings 102

Conclusions 110

Recommendations 111

BIBLIOGRAPHY 115

APPENDICES

A. Request Letter to the Division Schools 122
Superintendent, School Principals and
Approval

B. The Questionnaires for the Fourth Year High 129
School Students, Mathematics teachers
Respondents

C. Statistical Printouts 136

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page
1 Personal Profile of the Fourth Year High School 58
Students of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur

2 Socio-economic Profile of the Students 64

3 Attitudes toward Mathematics 68

4 Mathematics Beliefs of the Fourth Year High School 70
Students in Public and Private Schools

5 Impressions to Mathematics Teachers as perceived by 73
the Students

6 Profile of the Mathematics Teachers in Public and 77
Private High Schools

7 Profile of Schools of both Public and Private Schools of 80
Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur

8 Level of Adequacy of School Materials 82

9 Level of Performance in Mathematics IV in Public and 84
Private High Schools (First Grading)

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10 Summary of Mathematics IV Performance of Fourth 86
Year High School Students (First Grading)

11 Relationship between the Students‟ Profile and 88
Mathematics IV Performance (First Grading)

12 Relationship between the Mathematics Teachers‟ 92
Profile and Mathematics IV Performance (First Grading)

13 Relationship between the School Profile and 94
Mathematics IV Performance (First Grading)

14 Determinants of the Mathematics IV Performance 99

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1 The Research Paradigm 14

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Situational Analysis

Mathematics plays a vital role in peoples‟ daily lives. For this

matter, Betz as cited by Salazar (2001) said that a citizen of the modern

world could not afford to be ignorant of Mathematics because the world

is highly mathematical. Hence effective Mathematics instruction has

become an absolute necessity in all levels of education.

Furthermore, Sagun as cited by Lubina (2004) stated that

Mathematics plays an important role in many aspects of life. It helps to

understand and use quantities like weight, height and age properly. It

helps individual to determine the size of a population and predict

whether the country‟s available resources are enough to meet the needs

of the people. It has become useful with the emergence of computer and

other technological devices. Indeed, there is a need to learn Mathematics

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in order to function effectively and become active participants in this

changing information-based society. Mathematics becomes a part of our

lives. Tesoro as cited by Villanueva (2009) averred that Mathematics is

inseparable to man‟s life, it is the solid foundation in satisfying his

wants. He further mentioned that through mathematical concepts and

ideas, he may be able to appreciate the beauty of life, the environment

and the real world.

The course of history shows that the secrets of the universe yield

most easily to Mathematics. The motion of the planets about the sun, the

explanation of the moon‟s orbital path, and the nature of the earth‟s

magnetic field are some of the samples of those secrets. Man has just

begun to dream about many unsolved secrets.

It took a long time to discover the importance of Mathematics in

the world. Those discoveries led mankind to a more technological or the

what is called Industrial Era, wherein the different usage of technological

devices occur. In this era, application of Mathematics helps to develop

and invent such technological devices. Through these applications,

human‟s life becomes easier. Nowadays, Mathematics is the key to all

Sciences.

Despite explaining the importance of Mathematics, the students of

today still have that negative attitudes toward the subject. They think

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that Mathematics is a boring subject, and it is difficult to memorize and

understand formulas. Some students who cannot appreciate the

importance of Mathematics even say that learning the four (4)

fundamental operations is enough, the use of graphs and formulas have

no relevance to their daily living, so there is no need for further knowing

the subject. Only if they understand the logic behind this subject and

the principles applied in different problems, then they will find that

Mathematics is an interesting and a challenging subject.

However, students of Mathematics have had and continue to

having negative experiences with the subject. They like to continue

taking up or study the subject to be able to get a passing grade as a

prerequisite to the next level of education.

The issue of low quality Mathematics education as mentioned by

Duque (1999), possesses more implication as man strive to deal with the

plethora of globalization, educational reforms, technological change, and

survival issues. The individuals concern and commitment are at stake.

Mathematics as one of the languages of survival should be an attendant

tool to reengineer the nomenclature of the 21st Century criterion.

Mathematics performance has improved, again, through expecting

students to achieve, providing instruction based on individual student

needs and using a variety of methods to reach all learners. One factor

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has been aligning the Mathematics curriculum to ensure that the

delivery of instruction is consistent with the assessment frequency.

Pacho as cited by Villanueva (2009) said that teaching and learning

Mathematics is a complex process. Achieving high quality of

Mathematics education calls for coherent, well articulated Mathematics

curricula, competent and knowledgeable teachers who can integrate

instruction with assessment, educational policies that enhance and

support learning, classroom with ready access to technology, and a

commitment to both equity and excellence.

There are some studies like Lubina (2004), Del Castillo (2010),

Balbalosa (2010) and Yara (2011) claiming that Mathematics

performance is determined by several factors, such as student-related

factors, teacher-related factors and school-related factors. But to

determine whether these factors affect the performance of the students in

Mathematics has not yet been totally proven. It is read and heard that

the students of Mathematics and Science are receiving medals in the

International Competitions as mentioned by Brawner. She said that:

“In our 23 years of participation in the International
Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), we have gathered two silvers,
11 bronze medals, and 13 honorable mentions. Our
performance is improving as well and we are optimistic that
we can get even better in the coming years,"
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227196/pinoy-abroad/phl-

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reaps-3-bronze-medals-in-intl-math-olympiad/ September
15, 2011

Despite of that scenario, there is a strong perception that the

Philippines is lagging behind other Asian countries such as Thailand,

Malaysia and Singapore. Among the reasons given is the low quality of

basic education in the country. Recent High School Readiness Test given

to all Grade 6 graduates in public elementary schools in May, 2004

showed very low scores in Science and Mathematics test. In the National

Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT) given in year 2000, students gave

correct answers to less than 50% of the questions in Science and

Mathematics.

Based on the Trends International Mathematics and Science

Survey (TIMSS), wherein the Philippines was evaluated for the 8th Grade

in 1999, it was reported that the Philippines was one of the 34

participating nations in which Eighth-grade boys and girls performed

similarly in Mathematics. The Philippines was third from the bottom of

the participating countries. The Philippines got 345 points as compared

to Singapore having 604 points for Mathematics. The two lower countries

were Morocco (337) and South Africa (275). For Science, the same

pattern emerged. http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results99_1.asp /October

10, 2011

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Likewise, the average score of 4th and 8th Grades was 495 for

Mathematics in the 2003 TIMSS. The Philippines was again third from

the bottom (358 points) while Morocco (347points) and Tunisia (339

points) were the lowest among the countries participated. The Philippines

did not participate in the 1995, 2007 and 2011 TIMSS.

http://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2005/2005005/ October 10, 2011

During the 2006 State of Education Address, Lapus admitted that

the quality of education in the country had sunk to its lowest level and

said that:

“Our students continue to perform poorly as revealed
by our ranking in the Trends in International Mathematics
and Science Study and by our lacklustre performance in our
own National Achievement Test. http:
//_output/xm/htmt/20070611-70597xml html/
June26,2011

The Mathematics performance of the fourth year high school

students is deteriorating as observed by the researcher in his seven years

of teaching Mathematics IV in Sta. Lucia Academy, Sta. Lucia Ilocos Sur.

Furthermore, the interests and attitudes of the students toward the

subject is quite low. They lack enthusiasm and interest in this subject

which they cannot realize that these are important values in learning.

Though the researcher is doing his best in teaching the subject using

some innovations in teaching and using other teaching devices such as

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workbooks, visual aids and presentations, the results of the students‟

quizzes, assignments and examinations were still unfavorable. This was

also observed by some Mathematics teachers in Sta. Lucia District. This

is why the researcher felt that there is a need to discover deficiencies in

this subject and to discover the determinants that may contribute to the

acquisition of proficiency in Mathematics IV. Thus, these observations

prompted the researcher to conduct a study on the determinants of the

Mathematics performance of the fourth year high school students of both

public and private high schools of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos

Sur.

Theoretical /Conceptual Framework

This study is guided with the following theories and concepts.

The attribution theory as cited by Lubina (2004) is one of the

learning theories that support this investigation. This theory holds that

performance like a test could be attributed to lack of hard work; the

theory predicts the behavior of students depending on their responses.

Furthermore, the Behavioral Approach Theory of Skinner stressed

that the essential characteristics of the behavioral approach to learning

is that events in the environment are understood to predict a person‟s

behavior, thoughts, feelings, or other events that take place inside a

person. This theory maintains that learning can be explained by

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examining the stimuli, reinforcements and punishments that a person

experience. Therefore the learning environment of the students needs to

consider the following aspects: socio – economic, teachers‟ background,

and school background to determine the future performance in

Mathematics.

In the same vein, Hull‟s Theory also maintains that learning

depends on several factors. The factors include the number of previously

rewarded experienced; the internal drive or need of the learner; and the

external incentives offered to the learner. Thus, the three (3) profile

variables included in this study manifest varied extent of effect on

Mathematics performance of students.

The Vector Topological Theory as cited by Villanueva (2009)

explains that the behavior of an individual is the result of forces

operating simultaneously within his environment and life. With this

theory, it could be the personal, socio-economic, attitudes in

Mathematics, mathematical beliefs, and impressions to teachers are the

determinants within the learner‟s environment that affect their

Mathematics performance.

The Fixed IQ Theory advocated by Balbalosa (2010) stated that

ability is fixed, probably at birth, and there is very little if anything they

can do to improve it. They believe ability comes from talent rather than

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from the slow development of skills through learning. “It's all in the

genes”. Either you can do it with little effort, or you will never be able to

do it, so you might as well give up in the face of difficulty. Example “I

cannot do Mathematics”. And Untapped Potential Theorists, students

believe that ability and success are due to learning, and learning requires

time and effort. In the case of difficulty one must try harder, try another

approach, seek help, and other ways.

Furthermore, the Entity Theory, promotes that intelligence is more

of an unchangeable or fixed „„entity‟‟ which is in contrast with the

Incremental Theory, that promotes intelligence as a malleable quality

that can be developed. According to Inzlicht (2003), these two theories of

ability were assessed separately so that the influences of each part could

be examined by controlling prior performance. Thus, this theory was

expected to be a negative predictor of Mathematics performance, whereas

Incremental Theory was expected to be a positive predictor.

Another theoretical support of this study is the Maslow's

Motivation Theory. It is believed that human beings are motivated by

unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower factors need to be satisfied

before higher needs can be satisfied. There are general types of needs

(physiological, survival, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied

before a person can act unselfishly. In this study it is believed that the

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attitudes of the students towards Mathematics, Mathematics beliefs and

the students‟ impressions to their Mathematics teachers will be improved

if the students‟ needs in the subject are satisfied.

The Systems Approach Theory explains the importance of

interdependence and interconnectedness of people in a group as they

contribute parts to a specific system while trying to achieve a common

goal. The theory is very important in this study because the researcher

believed that if there is interdependence and interconnectedness between

the students, the teachers and the school, then the outstanding

performance result in Mathematics will be achieved.

Breslich, as cited by Castillo (2010) speaks on the importance of

Mathematics in general education. He says: “Mathematics is more

important in general education because the average citizens of today

need considerable Mathematics knowledge in activities and experiences

in everyday life and because Mathematics supplies a mean of

understanding the important aspect of the world. This being so, makes it

extremely necessary to include Mathematics as an integral part in the

education of the youth.”

Hull (1999) stated that growing numbers of teachers today

especially those frustrated by repeated lack of student success in

demonstrating basic proficiency on standard tests are discovering that

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most students‟ interest and achievement in Mathematics, Science, and

Language improve drastically when they are helped to make connections

between new information (knowledge) and experiences they have had, or

with other knowledge they have already mastered. Students‟ involvement

in their schoolwork increases significantly when they are taught why

they are learning the concepts and how those concepts can be used

outside the classroom. And most students learn much more efficiently

when they are allowed to work cooperatively with other students in

groups or teams.

On the other hand, learning means not only the acquisition of

knowledge vital to one‟s existence but it is also means of applying and

using it on one‟s own accord utilizing logical and critical habits of

thoughts. As they say, education is the systematic development and

cultivation of the natural power by inculcation, example and training.

According to Cajindos (2009), education plays a crucial role in the

development. It is therefore necessary that the young individuals be

helped to learn these acquired abilities and skills through an organized

and intensive educational program. The future of a man and his way of

life can be shaped by the present. It is for this reason that school exist,

and everybody must share in the responsibility that the society has

entrusted us.

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The most important function of schools according to the

psychologist in education is to provide learning activities which

contribute to the development of desirable traits and proper attitudes

among school children. In Mathematics, real life problems should be

presented in order to keep students interested in the subject. Modern

Mathematics enables students to learn symbols and place values.

Vives, as cited by Cajindos (2009) said that education should

develop personality. The teacher should study each student individually;

adapt school work to the abilities and interest of students, quarterly

conference of teachers to thoroughly assess students‟ progress. With this

belief it is perceived that the teacher plays a vital role in the acquisition

of the students for a better performance to a particular subject thus, the

attitudes and beliefs of the students towards the subject will be improved

if not to be changed. As Bagley and Keith cited by Kapunan (1974) stated

that, “there seems to be no occupation more fundamental and fruitful to

democratic process than moulding and guiding the young people to

become good and happy citizens.”

Calderon, as cited by Villanueva (2009) said that there are factors

that affect the transfer of learning such as attitudes of learners toward

the subject matter, mental ability, similarities between subject matter,

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motivation and effort making capacity, method of teaching facilities and

supervision are also added factors.

Based on the aforementioned theories and concepts related to the

study, Figure 1 shows the research paradigm which operationally

illustrates the manner to identify the ascertained determinants of

Mathematics performance.

The independent variables were the students‟ profile, the

Mathematics teachers‟ profile and the school profile of Sta. Lucia District,

Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur, both public and private high schools. The

students‟ profile included personal as to age, sex, type of elementary

graduated from, type of high school enrolled in and Grade Point Average

(GPA) in Mathematics III; socio–economic as to parents educational

attainment, parents occupation, parents monthly income, type dwelling

and place of residence, attitudes toward Mathematics, Mathematics

beliefs and impressions to Mathematics teachers. The Mathematics

teachers profile included sex, age, civil status, educational attainment,

length of service, civil service eligibility, position and number of relevant

trainings and seminars attended. The school profile included class size,

location and type of school and adequacy of school facilities and

equipment. The performance of fourth year high school students in

Mathematics in the public and private served as the moderator variable.

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The dependent variable or criterion was the Mathematics performance of

the fourth year high school students taken from their first grading

grades.

The determinant variables were identified after the analysis on the

interrelations of the independent and dependent variables as shown in

the other box for dependent variables. The arrow explains the

interrelationships of the said variables.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES
STUDENTS PROFILE
Students Profile
a. Personal Profile
A. Personal Profile
1. Age
2.1. age
Sex
2. sex
3. type of elementary Mathematics
graduated from.
4. type of high school
performance
enrolled in of the fourth
5. GPA in 3rd year year students
Mathematics (First Grading)
B. Socio-Economic Profile
1. parents educational
attainment
2. parents occupation
3. parents monthly
income
4. type of dwelling
5. place of residence
C. Attitudes toward
Mathematics
D. Mathematics beliefs
E. Impressions to
Mathematics teachers

Teacher’s Profile MODERATOR VARIABLE
a. sex
b. age Performance of the
c. civil status fourth year high
d. educational attainment
school students in
e. length of service
f. civil service eligibility Mathematics in the Ascertained
g. plantilla position public and private Determinants
h. number of relevant schools of
trainings and seminars
attended Mathematics

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School Profile
a. class size
b. location and type of
school
c. adequacy of school
facilities and equipments

Figure 1. The Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to identify the determinants of the Mathematics

performance of the fourth year high school students of Sta. Lucia

District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur in both public and private high schools

during the school year 2011 – 2012.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the fourth year students in terms of:

a. personal profile;

b. socio- economic profile;

c. attitudes toward Mathematics;

d. Mathematics beliefs; and

e. impressions to their Mathematics teachers?

2. What is the profile of the teachers in terms of:

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a. sex;

b. age;

c. civil status;

d. educational attainment;

e. length of service;

f. civil service eligibility;

g. plantilla position; and

h. number of relevant trainings and seminars attended?

3. What is the profile of the secondary schools in Sta. Lucia

District in terms of:

a. number of students or class size;

b. location and type of the school; and

c. adequacy of school facilities and equipment?

4. What is the level of Mathematics‟ performance of the fourth year

high school students in public and private schools of Sta. Lucia

District?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the profiles

considered with the Mathematics‟ performance of the fourth year high

school students?

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6. Is there a significant difference between the Mathematics

performance of public and private fourth year high school students?

7. What are the determinants of the Mathematics performance of

the fourth year high school students of Sta. Lucia District?

Hypotheses

This study tested the following statistical hypotheses at 0.05 level

of significance.

1. There is no significant difference between the Mathematics

performance of the public and private fourth year high school students

along the following:

a. attitudes toward Mathematics;

b. Mathematics beliefs;

c. impressions to their Mathematics teachers; and

d. Mathematics performance.

2. There is no significant relationship between Mathematics

performance of the fourth high school students along the three profiles:

a. students‟ profile;

b. school profile; and

c. teachers‟ profile.

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3. There are determinants of Mathematics IV performance of

students in the public and private high schools in Sta. Lucia District,

Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur.

Significance of the study

This study is very important to the following:

Students are given insights for the improvement of their

performance and achievements, not only for the betterment of their study

and understanding Mathematics subjects, but also in the development of

good attitudes and beliefs in Mathematics. It will also help the students

develop their interest toward Mathematics and appreciate the importance

of the subject in their daily lives.

Mathematics IV Teachers are provided with some eye-openers to

create and innovate relevant teaching materials, and to use varied and

appropriate strategies to improve their instruction.

School Administrators will use the results of this study as

baseline data to improve the Mathematics programs for school

advancement.

Sta. Lucia School District Authorities will be given an

understanding of the real picture of Mathematics performance of the

students, so that remedial measures will be adopted to ensure effective

Mathematics instruction.

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Curriculum Planners will help the school administrators and

teachers to appraise the existing programs in terms of the students‟

needs and abilities and make changes as required.

Parents will be informed on the factors associated to Mathematics

learning of their children. They are also provided a strong basis that their

role is very significant in enhancing the Mathematical abilities of their

children.

The study served as a challenge for the Researcher to widen his

perspective on the significance of developing the students‟ performance

in Mathematics and for him to become an effective and efficient channel

of knowledge to his students.

Future Researchers are also provided some guides and references

in their thesis writing studies on teaching learning activities and student

Mathematical performance and to have a deeper study on the

determinants of the Mathematics performance of the students.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was limited to the determinants of the Mathematics

performance of the fourth year high school students in both public and

private schools of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur for the school

year 2011-2012.

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The focus of the study was to determine the profile of the

respondents. The students profile included personal, socio–economic,

attitudes toward Mathematics, Mathematics beliefs and impressions to

Mathematics teachers. The Mathematics teachers profile included sex,

civil status, educational attainment, length of service, plantilla position

and number of relevant trainings and seminars. The school profile

included class size, location and type of school and adequacy of school

facilities and equipments.

The respondents of the study included the five (5) high schools

three (3) public high schools, Teodoro Hernaez National High School

(THNHS), Palali National High School (PNHS) and Nagtablaan National

High School (NNHS) and two (2) private high schools, Sta. Lucia Academy

(SLA) and Sta. Lucia Catholic School (SLCS). The Mathematics

performance of the students was taken from their first grading grade.

The difference between the public and private high schools along

the areas considered was determined including the relationships between

and among the three (3) profiles and Mathematics IV performance were

established. The data on the three profiles served as the independent

variables while the Mathematics IV performance served as the criterion

variable.

Definition of Terms

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For better clarification and understanding of the terms related to

this study, the following terms are defined conceptually and

operationally.

Profile in this study pertains to the students‟ characteristics,

Mathematics teachers‟ characteristics and school characteristics.

Students’ profile refer to the personal, socio-economic, attitudes

toward Mathematics, Mathematics beliefs, and impressions to

Mathematics IV teachers.

Personal profile refers to the students‟ age, sex and GPA in 3rd

Year Mathematics.

Age refers to the number of years a student-respondent has

existed, from birth to the date of data collection.

GPA in Mathematics is the grade point average of the fourth

year students when they were in third year.

Type of elementary graduated from is the institution where

the students finished their elementary education categorized as public or

private.

Type of high school enrolled in pertains to the institution

where the students are presently taking their secondary education

categorized as public or private.

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Sex refers to the maleness or femaleness of the student-

respondent.

Socio Economic Profile is the parents‟ educational attainment,

parents‟ occupation, parents‟ monthly income and place of residence.

Parents Educational Attainment refers to the highest level

of education attained by parents of the students.

Parents’ monthly income is the monthly amount received by

the students‟ parents from occupation, acquired and included properties.

The categories used were based from the income description as per the

National Economic and Development Authority.

Parents’ occupation pertains to the present job of the

students‟ parents. In this study, parents‟ occupation is categorized as

unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and professional (white collar job).

Place of residence is the area where the students stay or

reside. In this study it is categorized as urban or rural. The place is

urban if it is near or within the town and rural if it is away from the

town.

Type of dwelling refers to a house where a student and his or

her family stay. It may be makeshift, semi-permanent or permanent.

Attitudes toward Mathematics pertains to the behavior, feeling

and reactions of the students toward learning Mathematics.

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Impressions to Mathematics teachers are the students‟ reactions

and strong feelings the way their Mathematics teachers act, talk and

groom.

Mathematics beliefs refer to the disposition of students in

Mathematics which includes self, confidence in learning Mathematics,

success orientation and defense orientation.

Teachers’ Profile pertains to teacher‟s sex, civil status, educational

attainment, teaching experiences, and position, number of relevant

trainings and seminars.

Age is the number of years the teacher-respondent has

existed, from birth to the date of data collection.

Civil Service Eligibility refers to a qualification of a teacher to

become a permanent employee.

Civil Status pertains to being single or married.

Educational Attainment is the accomplishment of an

individual in the field of education categorized as bachelor‟s degree

master‟s degree and doctorate degree.

Plantilla Position refers to the present position of the teacher –

respondents whether they are Teacher 1, Teacher 2, Teacher 3, Master

Teacher 1, and Master Teacher 2.

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Relevant Training and seminars are the activities attended by

the Mathematics teachers for professional advancement. In this study, it

refers to the trainings, conferences, seminar workshops in Mathematics

education categorized as “greater” or “less” training attended. Greater

refers to the teachers with training programs, less refers to the teachers

with few or no training programs.

Sex refers to the maleness or femaleness of the teacher-

respondents.

Teaching Experiences is the sum or total of the knowledge,

skills, and techniques or conscious events that have been enjoyed or

undergone by an individual in the field of teaching.

School Profile refers to the number of students per class room,

location and type of school and adequacy of instructional materials.

Adequacy of school facilities and equipments pertains to

the availability of study room, Mathematics bulletin board and corner,

Mathematics measuring tools and devices, such as meter stick/ruler,

weighing scale, compass, protractor, graphing board, right triangles, and

Science Laboratory, TEEPS and SCOPE materials like Problem

Flashcards.

Class Size is the number of pupils in a particular section

handled by the teacher. It is described as “small” when the total number

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of students is 30 or less, and “big” when the total number of students is

more than 30.

Location of School refers to the place where the school is

located. In this study it is categorized as barrio or poblacion.

Type of School is the institution where the students are

enrolled in, categorized as private or public.

Determinants are the independent variables which may have a

significant effect on the Mathematics IV performance of the students in

both public and private high schools of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia,

Ilocos Sur. In this study, it includes the personal and socio-economic

profile of the students, their attitudes toward Mathematics, their

Mathematics beliefs, their impressions to Mathematics teachers, the

Mathematics teachers‟ profile, and the school profile.

Mathematics IV pertains to the subject currently taken by fourth

year high school students of both public and private institutions of Sta.

Lucia District.

Mathematics Performance is the grade of the students in the

subject as reflected in their official records filed at the registrar‟s office

during the first grading period taken from their Form 137 – A.

Moderator Variable refers to the intervening conditions/terms that

may affect and may emerge as factors and determinants of the

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Mathematics IV performance of the fourth year high school students of

both public and private schools of Sta. Lucia District.

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Chapter II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Studies and literature relevant to the present study are herein

presented in this section. These studies and literature give light in the

preparation of this investigation.

Mathematics Performance

In many developing countries, the secondary level of formal

education is the target of criticism – low performance in the academics,

poor human values, enormous class size, poor quality of teachers

dilapidated classrooms, etc… Mathematics education is not an exception

to this interminable cliché that dishes out challenges and irritants to

educators in the area of discipline.

Student performance in Mathematics was higher than that in

science at Grade 4, while at Second Year High School, performance in

the two subject areas was almost the same. The scores (Grade 4:

Mathematics – 358, science – 332, Second Year High School:

Mathematics – 378, science – 377) are very low, considering benchmarks

in earlier TIMSS. http://depedteacher.blogspot.com/2007/12/filipino-

performance-inmath-and-science.htm/ October 13, 2011

All of the research reviews support the hypothesis that student

performance depends on different socio-economic, psychological,

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environmental factors. The findings of research studies focused that

student performance is affected by different factors such as learning

abilities because new paradigm about learning assumes that all students

can and should learn at higher levels but it should not be considered as

constraint because there are other factors like race, age, sex that can

affect student‟s performance as mentioned by Hansen (2000).

http://faculty.apec.umn.edu/pglewwe/documents/SLed_ha5.pdf/

September 18, 2011.

On Students Personal Profile

Students are part of the human resources of according to

Manzano, as cited by Del Castillo (2010). It is for the students that the

school and all its programs are organized and maintained.

Cajindos (2009) say that every person must have corresponding

growth in desirable degrees and types of mathematical concept in order

to orient himself satisfactorily during the changing times. Subject

difficulties exist because of its complexity in using symbols and in

computations. Hence student finds it as a difficult subject if not properly

taught. It exists too because they forget previously learned concepts and

skills that are needed for the new skills to be learned. So, a student

cannot comprehend higher level of Mathematics if one did not

understand yesterday‟s principles and skills learned.

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Petero as cited by Villanueva (2009) disclosed in his study that as

to sex and age, boys and girls performance are equally well, establishing

the fact that learning Mathematics does not depend on sex.

Chansarkar and Mishaeloudis (2001) explained the effects of age,

qualification distance from learning place etc. on student performance.

The performance of students on the module is not affected by such

factors as age, sex and place of residence but is associated with

qualification in quantitative subjects. It is also found that those who live

near the university perform better than other students.

http://bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%203.1%20Naqvi.pdf/ August 7,

2011

In terms of socio-economic profile, the number of distinct school

types and educational programs is positively correlated with the

significance of socio-economic background for student performance. In

other words, the data from PISA suggests that the more and the earlier

students are divided into separate groups according to their academic

performance, the more the students‟ socio-economic background matters

for their academic performance.

http://ec.europa.eu/education/pdf/doc282 en.pdf/ August 7, 2011

According to the findings of Lubina (2004) school personal factors

such as sex, age, birth order, size of family, occupation of mother, family

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monthly income and type of high school graduated were not correlated to

the performance of the students in College Algebra. High School

Mathematics grade and occupation of father were inversely correlated

with correlation coefficient of -0.360 and -0.123 respectively.

In terms of Parents Educational Attainment, Dela Cruz et.al, as

cited by Villanueva (2009) conducted a study to determine the critical

path of some selected variables in influencing the Mathematics

performance of high school and college students of the Tarlac College of

Agriculture. They discovered that educational attainment of parents and

Mathematics performances seem to be significantly related. However,

there was substantial reduction on the path when average yearly family

income has been partialled out.

Another study pursued by Aleta as cited by Del Castillo (2010) on

Parents Occupation revealed that the achievement of pupils in

Mathematics is positively revealed to their parent‟s occupation. This

means that parent‟s occupation does affect the students‟ performance in

Mathematics.

As to Place of Residence, Aleta, as cited by Del Castillo (2010)

revealed that there is a relationship between the Mathematics

achievement of the students and their place of residence. Bello, as cited

by Del Castillo (2010) used family residence as one variable. In her

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investigation, she found that the place of residence of the students

significantly influences the academic achievement of pupils.

Moreover, Alcausin as cited by Del Castillo (2010) found out that

students from urban areas have higher achievement in Mathematics

than those from rural areas.

Attitudes and Beliefs toward Mathematics

Students' self-beliefs and attitudes play an important role in the

teaching and learning process of Mathematics. Those factors can affect

students' progress and interest within the subject and as result students'

achievements and learning.

According to Elles as cited by Salazar (2001), it is a common

knowledge that Mathematics is a dull, difficult and disliked subject. This

perennial impression posses hard work in exploring possibilities and

alternative on how to teach Mathematics effectively and profitable. A key

issue in achieving quality in teaching is the selection of methods that will

most effectively enhance the learning of the students, taking into account

the entry characteristics of the student concerned.

According to Schereiber as cited by Balbalosa (2010) those who

have positive attitudes toward Mathematics have a better performance in

this subject.

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Doctolero as cited by Villanueva (2010) said that significant

correlation between students‟ attitude and Mathematics achievements

was based on the computed r values of 0.796 and 0.863 for the control

and experimental groups respectively. The significant correlation may

have been caused by the favorable attitude of the respondents towards

the subject.

Likewise, Lubina (2004) pointed out in his study that there was a

significant relationship between the level of interest in Mathematics and

performance in College Algebra as attested by the correlation coefficient

of – 0.162. However, as to the level of attitude towards and performance

in College Algebra the correlation coefficient was 0.084, described as “not

significant”.

Whilst, the focus on changing perceptions was initially targeted at

learners it became apparent that teachers needed to consider the

messages they convey through the way they behave in the classroom,

and their expectations of learners. This is dependent on their attitudes

towards and beliefs about Mathematics and learning Mathematics.

http://nrich.maths.org/6671/ September 22, 2011

The reasons why Mathematics subject are difficult to learn is that

the concepts in Mathematics are abstract and difficult to understand,

and also the students have alternative meaning of certain mathematical

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words before any Mathematics teaching takes place. According to Ihejieto

(1995), there are factors other than academic standing on the students‟

side which could explain the performance trend. These factors are: (1)

Students‟ dislike for Mathematics that may stem from psychological

incidences such as fear, endurance, perseverance and associated factors;

(2) the Mathematics curriculum may have not much relevance to real life

situation; (3) Mathematics teachers were not interested in the subject

and did not help their students by way of catering for individual

differences; and (4) other resources material such as text books seemed

lacking in both in school and at home.

http://eprints.utm.my/1507/1/KERTASINT.pdf/ September 22, 2011

Tomlinson (1999) stated that teachers can differentiate content,

process, and/or product for students. Differentiation of content refers to

a change in the material being learned by a student. For example, if the

classroom objective is for all students to subtract using renaming, some

of the students may learn to subtract two-digit numbers, while others

may learn to subtract larger numbers in the context of word problems.

Differentiation of process refers to the way in which a student accesses

material. One student may explore a learning center, while another

student collects information from the web. Differentiation of product

refers to the way in which a student shows what he or she has learned.

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For example, to demonstrate understanding of a geometric concept, one

student may solve a problem set, while another builds a model.

http://www.slideshare.net/jennilynbalbalosa/final-na-final-thesis/

August7, 2011

Impressions to Mathematics Teachers

According to Sypnier, a 20-year veteran of the classroom, making a

good first impression on teachers is key.

"It is important because, generally speaking, if you
make a bad impression, it takes a long time to get past that.”
Teachers are on the lookout for trouble-makers from day one,
and they quickly form an idea of who needs a close watch.
But don't fret about your child's every move at school – the
key is simply to make a successful entrance.
http://www.education.com./magazine/article/First_impressi
on_Matter/ September 26, 2011

The effects of impressions to teachers in the teaching activity are

crucial. If these impressions turn out to be positive in reality and favor

the teacher, they may prove far reaching productive. On the other hand

unfavorable reality of such impressions will only cause a decreased of

interest and eventually deterioration in the teaching activity. That is why

teachers must be trained and made familiar with the environment where

they are required to work and let free to make a decision of continuing it.

In addition to educational subjects such as Mathematics, the training of

teachers must also include practical exercises and work management so

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that they may prove more efficient and effective in the noble profession.

On Teacher’s Profile

Other studies have shown that contextual, variables such as

student body composition and organisational policies play an important

role in Mathematics achievement. Teacher background attributes such

as gender, number of years in teaching and educational qualifications

have been shown to be important factors in student achievement

(Anderson, Ryan, & Shapiro 1989)

However, Balbalosa (2010) found out that there is no significant

relationship between teacher-related factors such as personality traits,

teaching skills and instructional materials and the performance of the

students in Mathematics. Their computed z-values are -0.10, 0.98 and -

1.04 which are less than the tabular z-value of -2.10, 2.10 and -2.10

respectively. Thus, teacher-related actors do not affect the performance

of the students in Mathematics.

In the 1994 Annual Convention of the Mathematical Society of the

Philippines both Aquino (2003) and Ngayaan (2010) posited that the

principal method of instruction is made interesting in Mathematics if: (1)

the teacher does not lecture during the whole period; he should lecture

for only one half of the period and devote the rest of the time for other

class activities; (2) the teacher introduces new ways of presenting the

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lesson for other than lecturing; (3) the teacher presents the lesson in

such a manner that the students get involved; (4) the students are made

to participate in board work or group activities; (5) students are given

practice while still inside the classroom on what have been taught; and

(6) the presentation of the lesson is not monotonous and not done in

routine manner.

On sex, a study conducted by Weis as mentioned by Del Castillo

(2010) on gender differences pointed out that men and women often

behave in ways in which are consistent with societal stereotypes about

gender. Wide ranges of behaviors are functions of the group and its

environment and are simply reflections of the individual characteristics

of its members. Groups face different issues in their operation and

development; provide different benefits and outcomes for their members,

and present different challenges for their leaders. Women belonging to

groups are outnumbered, leading to heighten gender stereotype, and are

treated as outsiders. Groups composed of roughly equal number of

women and men, tend to limit women to more circumscribed behaviors.

For both members and leaders, that group chooses to have man –leaders

especially for male group members because they can lead to a disruption

in member gender-related expectations and behaviors. They also have

great potential for promoting learning and change about gender – related

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stereotypes, and “traditional” modes of male and female behavior in

group organization.

Length of Service. Recent studies carried out to determine the

relationship between teacher experience and students‟ performance in

Mathematics found that teacher experience and competence were the

prime predictors of students‟ performance in all subject in secondary

schools in Ondo State Nigeria (Adeyemi, 2008). Jones (1997) observed

that teachers are the key input and a force to reckon with in school.

Sweeney (1998) made similar observation about schools in Mississippi,

USA that scored better in Mathematics when taught by teacher with

more years of teaching, considering the common saying that experience

is the best teacher. www.ccsenet.org/ass/ September 18, 2011

Educational Attainment. According to Dela Cruz as cited by Del

Castillo (2010), more educationally qualified teachers are more

competent teachers. On the other hand, Rivera et. al. (2010) found out

that the educational attainment of faculty does not significantly affect

their teaching performance as shown in their findings that all of the

teachers rated “outstanding” had a mean of 4.73 and 4.26 for “very

satisfactory”. The computed value of 11.89 is lower than the tabulated

value of 15.51 at 0.05 level of significance.

Plantilla Position. Positions may be determined from the highest

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degree or educational qualifications they have acquired which includes

Teacher 1,2,3, Master‟s units or degree, and Doctorate units or degree.

In the study of Eslava as cited by Del Castillo (2010) stated that

professional development of teachers in Mathematics is a process of

learning: learning Mathematics and about Mathematics, learning about

students and about the students in how they learn, individually and in

the social setting of school, and learning the craft of teaching. In the light

of this, professional development must also include learning new ways to

development Mathematical power in all students.

Moreover, Hanushek (1992) and Rivkin et al. (2005) argued that

characteristics that are not easily observable in administrative data are

driving much of the dispersion in teacher quality. Traditional human

capital measures have few robust associations with teacher quality and

explain a very small fraction of its wide dispersion. That our teacher

quality measure persists over time implies that principals may eventually

be able to identify quality; however, they are unlikely to have information

on teacher quality when recruiting or for recent hires for whom little or

no information is available on the teacher‟s effect on students‟ test score

achievement. More generally, teacher quality rankings can be quite

sensitive in a value-added framework when across-school differences are

ignored. Without such controls, naive application of value added may

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undermine teacher performance incentives. http://faculty.smu.edu/

millimet/classes/eco7321/papers/aaronson%20et%20al.pdf / August

30, 2011

Number of Relevant Trainings and Seminars Attended

Trainings and seminars are important tools for teachers to uplift

themselves professionally and for them to cope up with the innovations

in the different fields of learning. It is for this reason that Aquino as cited

by Del Castillo (2010) stated in his study that training is a never-ending

task because of new technology. Training and development of personnel

should be given special importance to increase organizational

productivity and improve employee‟s morale.

According to Pollard (2007), the advantages of investing in training

could be considered as self-evident. The benefits are twofold: to members

of staff and to the school or organization. Benefits to the organization

include: (1) better trained teachers enhance the quality of product

offered to clients. Teachers should have, at the very least, training in

basic techniques and methods; (2) training allows staff to keep up with

developments in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) field

(i.e. going further than basic training). New knowledge is acquired and

applied in the classroom. This in turn helps the school stay ahead of

competitors by offering courses or services that clients might not find

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elsewhere; (3) when teachers have new goals to work towards, they have

increased motivation which is obviously a bonus for the organisation; (4)

staff seems to like being trained. Regular training and development

sessions can attract the type of teacher who wants to develop. If training

is good quality and ongoing, it can be a reason for motivated staff to stay

which always a good point for a school; (5) is training helps avoid

“routinisation”. Some teachers can get into a rut and treat all classes as

the same, however different their needs may be. Training can help

change this; and (6) if teachers are performing below standard, training

can address or even help to solve these performance problems. Training

can be part of your system for dealing with poor performance. The

benefits to individuals include: (1) they have new goals to work towards

and increased motivation; (2) training can help teachers have more

confidence. They can feel better equipped to tackle a wider range of levels

or groups and to try out new ideas (3) they acquire new skills which

helps improve their status within the school. They can have their

opinions on the subject they trained in respected; and (4) pay rise. In

some situations, training can lead to progressive levels of responsibility

and salary. http://www.tefl.net/administration/teacher-development.

htm/ September 10, 2011

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

On School Profile

Schools are social organizations with defined rules and procedures

that determine the degree of activities and behavior of each member

(Mbithi, 1974). Schools are in a sense factories in which raw children are

to shaped and finished to meet the various demands of life. The

specifications for manufacturing come from the policies laid down by the

government. www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 2;

February 2011/ September 18, 2011

The close to 400 studies of student achievement demonstrate that

there is not a strong or consistent relationship between student

performance and school resources, at least after variations in family

inputs are taken into account. These results are also reconciled with

meta-analytic approaches and with other investigations on how school

resources affect labor market outcomes. Simple resource policies hold

little hope for improving student outcomes.

http://epa.sagepub.com/content/19/2/141.short August 7, 2011

As to class size, a study in secondary schools in Bangladesh was

conducted however, (Asadullah, 2002) found an insignificant positive

sign on the class size variable in determining student achievements

using both ordinary least squares (OLS) and IV regressions. The author

concluded by suggesting that a reduction in class size is not useful in a

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

developing country like Bangladesh. Moreover, other studies on class

sizes found that small class sizes are either not significant or even

detrimental to student performance (Urquiola, 2001; and Hoxby, 2000).

In addition, a review of 277 econometric studies further emphasized the

inconsistency of the effect of class size on achievement when it stated

that 28% of the studies report statistically significant estimates but 13%

of those report a statistically significant negative sign (Jones, 2001).

(SMERU Research Institute, 2004)

According to Del Castillo (2010), the number of pupils and location

of school had a mild correlation with the pupils‟ performance.

With regards to the location and type of the school, school

category was found to be significant and can be used to predict students‟

performance in Mathematics. This result was in accordance with that of

Odhiambo (2006) and Yeya (2002) who observed that urban schools are

not badly hit by teacher shortages as many prefer teaching in urban

areas and also noted that students with impressive marks avoid day

schools in favor of boarding schools. They further observed that students

in boarding schools perform better in national examinations. The

implication of this result is that the government should endeavour to

build more schools in the rural areas with adequate facilities and

qualified teachers. This will improve the students‟ performance in

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Mathematics as all benefits that urban teachers enjoy will be made

available to teachers in rural schools. www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social

Science Vol. 7, No. 2; February 2011/ September 18, 2011

A comparative study by Pinol as cited by Del Castillo (2010)

revealed that the central schools performed better than schools in the

rural areas.

As to the adequacy of school facilities and equipments, a

common problem to teachers is the resistant to innovations because this

would mean time, talent and treasure for the effectiveness and efficiency

of instruction, specifically in the preparation of instructional materials.

They are more comfortable in the traditional type of teaching such as the

lecture and discussion, question and answer, and chalkboard activities.

Siemens as cited by Balbalosa (2010) stated that instructional

design can be defined as “the systematic process of translating principles

of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials and

activities”. However, there are many different definitions for instructional

design and all of them are an expression of underlying philosophies and

viewpoints of what is involved in the learning process.

Acantilado as cited by Del Castillo (2010) findings revealed that

printed materials such as magazines, newspapers, periodicals, journals,

textbooks references, teacher‟s manuals, courses of study and

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

workbooks were regularly used by teachers in their Mathematics classes.

Instructional sheets such as information‟s sheets, operational sheets, job

sheets and modules were also used. On the contrary, the audio – visual

materials such as film strips, model projectors and slides as well as

media materials as computer aided instructions: programmed materials

and television were sometimes used to reinforce teaching.

In the 1950s and ‟60s, developments in communications theory

and systems concepts led to studies of the educational process, its

elements, and their interrelationships. Among these elements are the

teacher, the teaching methods, the information conveyed, the materials

used, the student, and the student‟s responses. As a result of these

studies, the field of audiovisuals shifted its emphasis from devices and

materials to the examination of the teaching-learning process. The field is

now known as audiovisual communications and educational technology,

and audiovisual materials were viewed as an integral part of the

educational system. http://www.jpsimbulan.com/2007/11/03/

importance – of – instructional – materials – in - education/ September

28, 20011

Hence, if the instructional materials are well organized, well

constructed and presented properly, a successful teaching–learning can

be achieved.

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Moreover, Education Insight in Kenya (2005) revealed that

inadequate learning facilities are a common feature in many schools.

Yeya (2002) agreed with the above studies that schools with adequate

facilities perform better in National Examination especially in core

subject such as Mathematics. He however asserted that facilities alone

cannot count while other factors should be taken into consideration.

www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 2; February 2011/

September 18, 2011

Differences Between Public And Private High School Students

Two authors Carbonaro and Covay examined whether standards

based accountability reforms of the past two decades have closed the

achievement gap among public and private high school students. They

analyzed data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) to examine

sector differences in high school achievement in the era of standards

based reforms. They found out that students in Catholic and private

secular schools enjoy greater Mathematics gains from 10th to 12th grade

than comparable public school students. However, they found that these

advantages are largely concentrated among more advanced Mathematics

skills. Moreover, private school students took more academic

Mathematics courses than public school students, even after controlling

for family background and prior achievement. These differences in course

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Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

taking accounted for most of the public-private difference in achievement

gains. http://soe.sagepub.com/content/83/2/160 September 28, 2011

On the other hand Villanueva (2009) found out that there were no

significant differences between the public and private schools in the City

Division of Candon, Ilocos Sur in terms of Mathematics II achievement,

attitude toward Mathematics, Mathematics beliefs, confidence in using

computers, and their perceptions on the characteristics of their teachers.

Determinants of the Mathematics Performance

The study of Wanjohi, et. al. (2011) on Performance Determinants

of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Mathematics of

Secondary Schools in Nyamaiya Division, Kenya, found out determinants

of academic performance of students in Mathematics. There are four

variables (teachers‟ experience, teachers‟ qualification, teachers‟ and

students‟ attitude, school category) could be used to predict academic

performance in Mathematics. www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science

Vol. 7, No. 2; February 2011 September 18, 2011

According to Cajindos (2009), the level of performance in

Trigonometry of the student is affected by course, place of residence,

habits of concentration, distribution of social relationship and time in

study, study habits and attitude in preparing and taking examinations,

attitude towards Mathematics and the school-related factors.

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

In the study of Del Castillo (2010), she mentioned that

Mathematics performance of the students could be improved when area

of concentration, rank, and civil status of teachers and adequacy of

school materials are considered.

Through the test of significance, Balbalosa (2010) came up with

the following conclusions; there is no significant correlation between

student interest in Mathematics and their performance in Mathematics.

Their computed z-value is 0.54 which is less than the tabular z-value of

2.10 at α = .05. There is no significant correlation between study habits

and their performance in Mathematics. The computed z-value is -0.47

which is less than the tabular z-value of -2.10 at α =0.05. This means

that the performance of the students in Mathematics was not affected by

the student-related factors in terms of interest and study habits. She

mentioned also that there is no significant relationship between teacher-

related factors such as personality traits, teaching skills and

instructional materials and the performance of the students in

Mathematics. Their computed z-values are -0.10, 0.98 and -1.04 which

are less than the tabular z-value of -2.10, 2.10 and -2.10 respectively.

Thus, teacher-related factors do not affect the performance of the

students in Mathematics.

Lubina (2004), stated that personal school related factors such as

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

grades in high school in Mathematics and occupation of the father are

predictors of the Mathematics performance in College Algebra as proven

by r square of .130 and .015 respectively.

All the aforecited literature provided direction to the researcher in

conducting this study. The review on Mathematics performance,

attitudes and beliefs including determinants of performance served as

springboard in identifying possible determinants of the Mathematics

performance among the fourth year high school students, both public

and private of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur.

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Chapter III

Research Methodology

This chapter presents a discussion of the research design,

population of the study, research instrument, and statistical treatment

used in the study.

Research Design

The descriptive–correlational method of investigation was used in

this study. The descriptive design identified the profile of the students,

the profile of the Mathematics teachers and the profile of the schools of

Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur. The correlation method was

used to determine the interrelationships between and among the profiles

considered and the Mathematics performance of the students. The

comparison between the public and private schools along the variables

considered was included also in the investigation.

According to Peter (2010), descriptive research usually involves

that the data collected are described by parameters like their central

tendency and their dispersion. Once there is more than one variable to

describe one can go a step further in the research process and calculate

the relationship between them. Usually, it is expressed in terms of a

Pearson correlation, which means that a relationship is expressed in

terms of numbers ranging between - 1 and +1, the latter is called a

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

positive relationship, the former means that the relationship is negative.

Zero (0) would indicate no relationship between variables. It is rare for a

correlation to be as strong as 1, most correlations range between 0.30

and 0.60.

Population of the Study

The population of this study were the fourth year high school

students and all Mathematics teachers from the private and public high

schools of Sta. Lucia District, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur during the school

year 2011 – 2012. The three (3) public high schools were Teodoro

Hernaez National High School (THNHS), Palali National High School

(PNHS), and Nagtablaan National High School (NNHS). The two (2)

private high schools were Sta. Lucia Academy (SLA) and Sta. Lucia

Catholic School (SLCS).

There were 602 fourth year high school students and 14 secondary

Mathematics teachers who participated in the study. Of the total

students, 281 were taken from the private schools while 321 in the

public schools respectively. The table on page 50 show the distribution of

the students and Mathematics teacher –respondents.

Data Gathering Instruments

The questionnaires used in this study were adapted from

Villanueva (2009) and Lubina (2004) for the students‟ Profile and Del

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Castillo (2010) for the teachers‟ and school‟s profile.

Distribution of the student and Mathematics teacher - Respondents
RESPONDENTS
SCHOOLS Student Mathematics Teachers
SLCS 51 3
SLA 230 3
THNHS 213 5
PNHS 40 1
NNHS 68 2 .

Total 602 14

The questionnaire for the students‟ profile consisted of five parts.

Part 1 was the personal profile and this included sex, age during fourth

year high school, type of elementary graduated from and Grade Point

Average (GPA) in third year Mathematics. Part 2 was the socio –

economic profile. This included the highest educational attainment of

parents, income of parents, occupation of parents, type of dwelling and

place of residence. Part 3 contained the students‟ attitudes toward

Mathematics; Part 4 on the students‟ Mathematics beliefs; and Part 5 on

the students‟ impressions to their Mathematics teacher/s.

The questionnaire for the teachers‟ and school profiles consisted of

two parts. Part A which dealt on the teacher-related factors were the

gathered data on the personal/professional profile of the Mathematics

teachers; and Part B on school-related factors included the number of

pupils or class size, location of school, type of school, and adequacy of

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

school facilities and equipment.

Categorization of Data

The tool used in gathering data on the attitudes toward

Mathematics was patterned from the standardized instrument used by

Lubina (2004). There were 20 items considered composed of 10 positive

and 10 negative statements. To describe the attitudes of the students

toward Mathematics, the following scales were used: Strongly Agree (A),

Agree (A), Moderately Agree (MA), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree

(SD). Scoring the positive statement was 5,4,3,2 and 1 while negative

statement was the reverse.

To interpret the attitudes of the students in Mathematics, the

arbitrary statistical ranges were used as follows:

4.21 – 5.00 = Highly Favorable (HF)
3.41 – 4.20 = Moderately Favorable (MF)
2.61 – 3.40 = Slightly Favorable (SF)
1.81 – 2.60 = Unfavorable (U)
1.00 – 1.80 = Very Unfavorable (VU)

The mathematical beliefs instrument was made up of positive and

negative statements. Thus, positive were scored 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 while

negative statements were the reverse. The arbitrary statistical ranges

were used as follows:

A. Self – Confidence

41 – 50 Very High (VH)

Determinants of the mathematics performance of the iv year high students by eugene d. gabriel

Determinants of the mathematics performance of the iv year high students by eugene d. gabriel

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