Determinants of Affective Factors in Mathematics Achievement: Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

The study on attitudes towards learning has a long tradition in mathematics education. While attitude as a construct has been investigated from different aspects, the researchers recognized that attitude encompasses many other related factors. This paper describes the affective factors that form attitudes and their important role in mathematics achievement. The affective factors identified in this study are students liking, value and confident in learning mathematics. The 20-item self-report survey adapted from TIMSS 2011 context questionnaire was translated into Arabic and administered to 387 students in schools in a Gulf state. The data was analyzed with structural equation modeling software. The results show that affective factors significantly and positively influence students' mathematics achievement in this context.

Reliability, Validity, and Measurement Invariance of Attitudinal and Social Norm Factors in Math

“…Meanwhile, Zan and Di Martino (2014) posited a three-factor model of math attitudes; i.e., "Affective, Cognitive, and Behavioral" factors (p. 2). More recently, Khine, Mutawah, and Afari (2015) conceptualized that the three sub-domain attitudinal factors (i.e., Liking, Value, and Confidence), independently, would predict math achievement. Upon surveying 387 high school students from the United Arab Emirates, Khine et al (2015) found that 36% of the variance in math achievement (R 2 = .36) was explained by the Confidence factor alone (p. 207).…”

The ABCs of Math Attitudes: Reliability and Validity of the Three Factor Model

“…More recently, the 5 th Trends of International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) in 2011 also provided three subscales of math attitudes: (1) intrinsic value -liking math, (2) utility value -valuing math, and (3) beliefs in ability -confidence in math (Mullis, Martin, Foy, & Arora, 2012). Utilizing a 20-item self-reported questionnaire of math attitudes from the 2011 TIMSS, Khine et al (2015) conceptualized that the three sub-domain attitudinal factors (i.e., Liking, Value, and Confidence) would each predict math achievement. By surveying 387 high school students in the United Arab Emirates, Khine et al (2015) found that only Confidence turned out to be a significant predictor of math achievement (β = .62, p < .001), while Liking and Value factors were not significant (βs = .13 and -.16, ps > .10, respectively).…”

“…In other words, when students hold favorable attitudes toward math-related tasks, they are more likely to engage in those targeted tasks and tend to put more effort into completing their work with high quality, which contributes to positive behavioral outcomes (e.g., performing better on math tests and/or earning higher grades in math courses). Consequently, numerous studies have examined the effects of various components of math attitudes (e.g., enjoyment/liking, motivation, self-confidence, and perceived value) on math achievement (e.g., Khine, Al-Mutawah, & Afari, 2015;Simegn & Asfaw, 2018) to provide a more comprehensive picture of math learning processes. However, subscales of math attitudes should be validated as reliable measurements for assessing math attitudes.…”

The Global Conference on Education and Research: Volume 2

“…Ajzen (1991) and Lipnevich et al (2011) treated subjective/social norms as a single-factor in their studies. However, McLeod (1992), Neale (1969), Di Martino (2007, 2014), and Khine, Mutawah, and Afari (2015) have argued that math attitudes are multidimensional constructs including several components (e.g., affective or emotional, belief or cognitive, and behavioral factors). upon surveying 387 high school students from the United Arab Emirates, Khine et al (2015) conceptualized that the three sub-domain attitudinal factors (i.e., liking, value, and confidence) would predict math achievement independently.…”