Resting the Case: The Role of Sex on the Affective and Cognitive Domain in Mathematics Learning Among Pre-Service Teachers
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
With the world’s education system evolving to be more inclusive than in previous centuries, recent literature suggests that gender disparity in mathematics is minimal and insignificant – a contradictory notion in the last hundred years. This descriptive-comparative study aimed to determine whether gender still plays a role in the established link between affective and cognitive domains of learning mathematics. The study focused on adult learners, specifically future teachers – a female-dominated profession. One hundred sixty-five pre-service teachers (45% male, 55% female) from a Teacher Education Institution in the western Philippines participated in the study. The research used statistical methods such as frequency, percentages, one-way and two-way ANOVA to address the research questions. The results revealed that most pre-service teachers have low confidence levels, high anxiety levels, and low math performance. There is a significant difference on math performance when grouped according to levels of anxiety, but not on sex and levels of confidence. We also found no interaction effect between sex and levels of anxiety to math performance. Similarly, the interaction of sex and levels of confidence to math performance is not significant. The study suggests that Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) and the Department of Education review and evaluate their curriculum for content mastery. TEIs are also advised to address stereotype threats to maintain balance and prevent gender disparities among future teachers
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
References
Almasri, F. (2022). Simulations to teach science subjects: Connections among students’ engagement, self-confidence, satisfaction, and learning styles. Education and Information Technologies, 27(5), 7161-7181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10940-w
Ampofo, C. B. (2019). Relationship between pre-service teachers’ mathematics self-efficacy and their mathematics achievement. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 15(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajesms.v15i1.3.
Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 243-248. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03194059.
Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389-407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487108324554
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. In D. Marks (Ed) The Health Psychology Reader (pp. 94-104). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Barroso, C., Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A. L., Geer, E. A., Hart, S. A., & Daucourt, M. C. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relation between math anxiety and math achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 147(2), 134. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307
Bartlett, J.E., Kotrlik, J.W. and Higgins, C.C. (2001) Organizational Research: Determining Appropriate Sample Size in Survey Research. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 19, 43-50.
Beilock, S. L., & Maloney, E. A. (2015). Math anxiety: A factor in math achievement not to be ignored. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(1), 4-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732215601438
Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1983). Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability: More facts. Science, 222(4627), 1029-1031. https://doi.or/10.1126/science.6648516
Bem, S. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing. Psychological Review, 88, 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.88.4.354.
Burr, S. M. D. L., & LeFevre, J. A. (2020). Confidence is key: Unlocking the relations between ADHD symptoms and math performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 77, 101808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101808
Caviola S., Mammarella I. C., Cornoldi C., & Lucangeli D. (2012). The involvement of working memory in children’s exact and approximate mental addition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 112(2), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.02.005
Chang, H., & Beilock, S. L. (2016). The math anxiety-math performance link and its relation to individual and environmental factors: A review of current behavioral and psychophysiological research. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 10, 33-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.04.011
Chhinh, S., & Tabata, Y. (2003). Teacher factors and mathematics achievement of Cambodian Urban primary school pupils. Journal of International Development and Cooperation, 9(2), 29-41. https://doi.org/10.15027/14400
Department of Education. (2015). Policy guidelines on classroom assessment for the K to 12 basic education program (DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015). https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DO_s2015_08.pdf
DeWees, T., Mazza, G. L., Golafshar, M. A., & Dueck, A. C. (2020). Investigation into the effects of using normal distribution theory methodology for Likert scale patient-reported outcome data from varying underlying distributions including floor/ceiling effects. Value in Health, 23(5), 625-631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2020.01.007
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), 103-127. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018053
Faulkner, D. (n.d). Numerical Reasoning Practice Test. Mathcentre, sigma Network Employability Special Interest Group. https://www.mathcentre.ac.uk/
Fauth, B., Decristan, J., Decker, A. T., Büttner, G., Hardy, I., Klieme, E., & Kunter, M. (2019). The effects of teacher competence on student outcomes in elementary science education: The mediating role of teaching quality. Teaching and Teacher Education, 86, 102882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102882
Fennema, E., & Sherman, J. (1977). Sex-related differences in mathematics achievement, spatial visualization and affective factors. American Educational Research Journal, 14(1), 51-71. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312014001051
Furner, J. M., & Berman, B. T. (2003). Math anxiety: Overcoming a major obstacle to the improvement of student math performance. Childhood Education, 79(3), 170-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2003.10522220
Ganley, C. M., & Lubienski, S. T. (2016). Mathematics confidence, interest, and performance: Examining gender patterns and reciprocal relations. Learning and Individual Differences, 47, 182-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.002
Grigg, S., Perera, H. N., McIlveen, P., & Svetleff, Z. (2018). Relations among math self-efficacy, interest, intentions, and achievement: A social cognitive perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 53, 73-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.01.007
Goetz, T., Bieg, M., Lüdtke, O., Pekrun, R., & Hall, N. C. (2013). Do girls really experience more anxiety in mathematics? Psychological Science, 24(10), 2079-2087. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613486989
Goldin, C., Katz, L. F., & Kuziemko, I. (2006). The homecoming of American college women: The reversal of the college gender gap. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(4), 133-156. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.20.4.133
Ganley, C. M., & Lubienski, S. T. (2016). Mathematics confidence, interest, and performance: Examining gender patterns and reciprocal relations. Learning and Individual Differences, 47, 182-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.002
Hart, S. A., Ganley, C. M., & Purpura, D. J. (2016). Understanding the home math environment and its role in predicting parent report of children’s math skills. PLoS ONE, 11(12), e0168227. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168227
Harvey, L. (2024). The deceit of numbers. Quality in Higher Education, 30(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2024.2309689
Hendy, H. M., Schorschinsky, N., & Wade, B. (2014). Measurement of math beliefs and their associations with math behaviors in college students. Psychological Assessment, Vol 26(4), 1225-1234. doi:10.1037/a0037688
Ho, E. S. C., & Lam, Y. P. (2017). Effect of Family Factors on Students’ Performance. In E.S. Ho (Ed), What We Learned from PISA: The Outstanding Performance of Students in Hong Kong and East Asia (pp. 301-331). World Scientific Singapore.
Hopko, D. R., Mahadevan, R., Bare, R. L., & Hunt, M. K. (2003). The abbreviated math anxiety scale (AMAS) construction, validity, and reliability. Assessment, 10(2), 178-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191103010002008
Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., Ryan, M., Frost, L. A., & Hopp, C. (1990). Gender comparisons of mathematics attitudes and affect: A meta‐analysis. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 14(3), 299-324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1990.tb00022.x
Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., & Lamon, S. J. (1990). Gender differences in mathematics performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.139
Hyde, J. S. (2016). Sex and cognition: gender and cognitive functions. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 38, 53-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2016.02.007
Ismaila, A. A., Bello, U. & Gambari, I. A. (2024). Pre-service Teachers Perception of the Use of E-learning During Covid-19 Pandemic in Colleges of Education in North-West, Nigeria. Indonesian Educational Research Journal, 1(3), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.56773/ierj.v1i3.17.
Justicia‐Galiano, M. J., Martín‐Puga, M. E., Linares, R., & Pelegrina, S. (2017). Math anxiety and math performance in children: The mediating roles of working memory and math self‐concept. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 87(4), 573-589. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12165
Kartal, B. (2020). Pre-service science and mathematics teachers’ teaching efficacy beliefs and attitudes toward teaching: A partial correlation Research. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(9). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n9.3
Lachance, J. A., & Mazzocco, M. M. (2006). A longitudinal analysis of sex differences in math and spatial skills in primary school age children. Learning and Individual Differences, 16(3), 195-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2005.12.001
Levy, H. E., Fares, L., & Rubinsten, O. (2021). Math anxiety affects females’ vocational interests. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 210, 105214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105214
Lindberg, S. M., Hyde, J. S., Petersen, J. L., & Linn, M. C. (2010). New trends in gender and mathematics performance: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(6), 1123-1135. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021276
Multon, K. D., Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38(1), 30–38.
Norman G. (2010). Likert scales, levels of measurement and the "laws" of statistics. Advances in health Sciences Education: Theory and Practice, 15(5), 625–632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-010-9222-y
Núñez-Peña, M. I., & Suárez-Pellicioni, M. (2014). Less precise representation of numerical magnitude in high math-anxious individuals: an ERP study of the size and distance effects. Biological Psychology, 103, 176–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282913508528
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2023). PISA 2022 results (Volume I): The state of learning and equity in education. PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris
Pentang, J., Andrade, L. J., Golben, J., Talua, J., Bautista, R., Sercenia, J., & Viernes, M. D. (2024). Problem-solving difficulties, performance, and differences among pre-service teachers in Western Philippines University. The Palawan Scientist, 16(1), 58-68. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2024.16.1.07
Pentang, J., Bautista, R., Pentang, J., Ibañez, E., & Gamozo, M. J. (2023). Problem-solving performance and subject preference: Math avoidance among Filipino elementary pre-service teachers. Journal of Research, Policy and Practice of Teachers and Teacher Education, 13(1), 89-102. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol13.1.7.2023
Ramirez, G., Shaw, S. T., & Maloney, E. A. (2018). Math anxiety: Past research, promising interventions, and a new interpretation framework. Educational Psychologist, 53(3), 145-164. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1447384
Shirvani, H. (2015). Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Mathematics Content Knowledge: A Predictor of Sixth Graders’ Mathematics Performance. International Journal of Instruction, 8(1), 133-142.
Tobias, S. (1986). Anxiety and cognitive processing of instruction. In R. Wchwarzer (Ed.), Self-related cognitions in anxiety and motivation (pp. 35- 54). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020). A new generation: 25 years of efforts for gender equality in education. https://doi.org/10.54676/IBSP9880
Valentine, J. C., DuBois, D. L., & Cooper, H. M. (2004). The relation between self-beliefs and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 111–133. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_3
Viernes, M.D.D. & Cortez, S.I. (2023). Elementary Statistical Methods in Basic and Action Research with jamovi. John 14:14 Book Publishing Center, Philippines. (ISBN-978-621-452-460-0)
Viernes, M.D.D. & Seeping A.V. (2024). Pre-service teachers’ proficiency in fraction subconstructs as predictors of conceptual understanding in fraction arithmetic. The Palawan Scientist, 16(2), 82–94. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2024.16.2.08
Perera, H. N., & John, J. E. (2020). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math: Relations with teacher and student outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101842
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). https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5938
Retanal, F., Johnston, N. B., Di Lonardo Burr, S. M., Storozuk, A., DiStefano, M., & Maloney, E. A. (2021). Controlling-supportive homework help partially explains the relation between parents’ math anxiety and children’s math achievement. Education Sciences, 11(10), 620. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11100620
Roick, J., & Ringeisen, T. (2018). Students' math performance in higher education: Examining the role of self-regulated learning and self-efficacy. Learning and Individual Differences, 65, 148-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.05.018
Şimşek, A. (2023). The power and Type I error of Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, Welch's t, and student's t tests for Likert-type data. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 10(1), 114-128. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.1183622
Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M. (1999). Stereotype threat and women’s math performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35(1), 4-28. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.1998.1373
Tobias, S. (1993). Overcoming Math Anxiety. W.W. Norton & Company.
Wadgave, U. and Khairnar, M. R. (2016). Parametric tests for Likert scale: for and against. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 24, 67-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.08.016
Zhang, J., Zhao, N., & Kong, Q. P. (2019). The relationship between math anxiety and math performance: A meta-analytic investigation. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01613
Zedan, R., & Bitar, J. (2014). Environment learning as a predictor of mathematics self-efficacy and math achievement. American International Journal of Social Science, 3(6), 85-97.