Correlates of Students’ Performance in Calculus
Najeb Aloyod
Discipline: Mathematics
Abstract:
Both teacher and student factors contribute to the success or failure of an instructional process. This study explored
the relationship between the students’ attitudes toward Mathematics and teachers’ immediacy behaviors in relation to
the student’s performance in Calculus. The descriptive-correlational method of research was used with 134 students
enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, and
Bachelor of Secondary Education programs as the respondents. A questionnaire was used to gauge the attitudes of
students in Mathematics and teachers’ immediacy behaviours while test was used to measure their level of
performance in Calculus. Mean, standard deviation, t-test and F-test, Pearson Product Moment of Correlation, and
regression analysis were used as statistical tools in treating the data. This study discloses that the attitude of students
in Mathematics became an important indicator of their success in the subject. The students’ fair performance in
Calculus signifies that they lack thorough knowledge about Algebra and Trigonometry as prerequisites to learning
Calculus concepts. On the other hand, teachers’ immediate verbal responses to students’ behaviors in class influenced
the performance of students in Calculus. It is recommended that prior to the teaching of Calculus; teachers handling
the subject conduct a diagnostic examination in order to check prior knowledge of students in Algebra and
Trigonometry. Moreover, teachers continue to provide immediate feedback of students’ behavior and performance as
it is important for students to know how they progress in the subject they are enrolled in.
References:
- Ajayi, K., & Muraina, K.O. (2012).“Parents’ Education, Occupation and Real Mother’s Age as Predictors of Students’ Achievement in Mathematics in Some Selected Secondary Schools in OgunState,Nigeria”. University of Nigeria Journal of Education.Volume 9 Issue 1Winter 2012. www.googlescholar.com
- Duncan, G. J., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Klebanov, P.K. (2013).“Economic deprivation and early childhood development”.Child
- Development,65,296-318. Retrieved December 10, 2015 from www.googlescholar.com
- Foshee, C. (2013). Conditions that Promote the Academic Performance of College Students in a Remedial Mathematics Course: Academic Competence, Academic Resilience, and the Learning Environment. DAI-A 74/10(E), Apr 2014. United States: Ann Arbor. ISBN 9781303197369. Retrieved December 10, 2015 from www.proquest.com
- George, R., & Kaplan, D.(2011).“A structural model of parent and teacher Influences on science attitudes of eighth graders: Evidence from NELS: 88”, Science Education, 82,93-109.
- Grusec, J.E., &Goodnow, J.J. (2012).“Impact of parental discipline methods on the child’s internalization of values: Are conceptualization of current points of view”. Developmental Psychology, 30,4-19.
- Pyzdrowski, L. J., Sun, Y., Curtis, R., Miller, D., Winn, G., & Hensel, R. (n.d.). Readiness and attitudes as indicators for success in college calculus. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1002354
- Lo, J. (2015). What Might Affect a Student’s Performance in a Math Course. CWSEI Department of Mathematics.Retrieved December 10, 2015 from www.googlescholar.com.
- Majeed, A. A., Darmawan, I. G. N., & Lynch, P. (2013). A confirmatory factor analysis of Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI).Retrieved August 17, 2016 from https://scholar.google.com.ph
- Mwavita, M. (2015). Factors Influencing Calculus Course Performance Among Freshmen Engineering Students.Retrieved December 10, 2015 from www.googlescholar.com.
- Oloff-Lewis, J. (2012). Correlates of growth for mathematically gifted students. United States: Ann Arbor ISBN 9781109331080 Copyright ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing 2012 Document URL http://search.proquest.com/docview/304846544
- Saavedra, A. R., & Opfer, V. D. (2012). Learning 21st-century skills requires 21st-century teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(2), 8-13. Retrieved on November 14, 2015 from https://google/mWPGvx
- White, R. (2016). The revolution in research on science teaching.In V. Richardson, Ed., Handbook of research on teaching, 5th Edition (pp.457-472).Washington, DC: AERA (American Educational Research Association).
- Zelkowski, J., & Goodykoontz, E. (2013).Student accountability in a required college calculus course. Mathematics and computer education, 47(3), 204-223. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1458204193?accountid=149218