Current research suggests that a high level of confidence and a low level of anxiety are predictive of higher math achievement. Compared to students from other provinces, previous research has found that Saskatchewan students have a higher level of confidence and a lower level of anxiety for learning math, but still tend to achieve lower math scores compared to students in other provinces. The data suggest that there may be unique factors effecting math learning for students in Saskatchewan. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors that may affect Saskatchewan students math achievement. Exploratory factor analyses and regression methods were employed to investigate possible traits that aid students in achieving higher math scores. Results from a 2007 math assessment administered to grade 5 students in Saskatchewan were used for the current study. The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of the factors and trends unique to students for mathematic achievements in Saskatchewan.<p> Using results from a province-wide math assessment and an accompanying questionnaire administered to students in grade five across public school in Saskatchewan (n=11,279), the present study found statistical significance in three factors that have been supported by previous studies to influence math achievement differences, specifically in (1) confidence in math, (2) parental involvement in math and (3) extracurricular participation in math. The three aforementioned factors were found to be related to math achievement as predicted by the Assessment for Learning (AFL) program in Saskatchewan, although there were reservations to the findings due to a weak amount of variances accounted for in the regression model (r2 =.084). Furthermore, a multivariate analysis of variance indicated gender and locations of schools to have effects on students math achievement scores. Although a high amount of measurement errors in the questionnaire (and subsequently a low variance accounted for by the regression model) limited the scope and implications of the model, future implications and improvements are discussed
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USASK/oai:usask.ca:etd-09102008-122833 |
| Date | 16 September 2008 |
| Creators | Lai, Hollis |
| Contributors | Noonan, Brian, Hellsten, Laurie |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | University of Saskatchewan Library |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-09102008-122833/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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