Relationships of gender and mathematics selfefficacy to mathematics achievement among grades 5 and 9 students
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Date
2006-06
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
The study was conducted among 156 grade 5 students (78 girls and 78 boys)
and 157 grade 9 students (77 girls and 80 boys) of the schools of Debre
Birhan town. The main objective of the study was to examine the
relationships of previous math experience, specific math self-efficacy, general
math self-efficacYi and subsequent math achievement among students of
grades 5 and 9. The major statistics used to achieve this end were chisquare,
multiple linear regression and t-test. One of the principal findings
gave a hint that goes with Bandura's (1977) contention that previous
experience is the most influential source of self-efficacy development. At both
grade levels, task specific math self-efficacy predicted subsequent math
achievement well. Besides, previous math experience made weak but
significant contribution in predicting subsequent math achievement among 9th
graders, but not among 5th graders. However, sex and general math selfefficacy
measures did not predict subsequent math achievement in either
grade. Moreover, grade 5 students were found more confident than 9th
graders.
The mean scores of boys and girls on all of the four variables were
comparable among 51h graders. Boys and girls of grade 9 produced similar
scores in previous math experience, specific math self-efficacy, and general
math self-efficacy, but boys surpassed girls in subsequent math achievement.
The gender gap observed in math achievement at high school level is a
phenomenon repeatedly reported in many studies. Thus, high school teachers
should do whatever they can to promote females' math achievement so as to
develop self-efficacy in math.
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Education