CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION
Mathematics is a relevant subject in the modern education of the youth. It is of vital
significance as it permeates the daily lives of people around the world. It serves as the basis of
modern inventions, scientific discoveries and research studies. Mathematics is learned because of
many reasons.
Firstly, the mastery of basic mathematical skills is needed in order to cope with the
demand of life. Such demands include being numerically literate, gaining tools for future
employment, developing the prerequisites for further education, and appreciating the relationship
between mathematics and technology.
Secondly, mathematics is the language of the sciences, and many disciplines depends
on this subject as a symbolic means of communication.
Thirdly, mathematics education can play an important part in developing students
general decision-making and problem solving skills.
Another justification for learning mathematics is the need for students to use the
subject as an important means of discovering truth. The discipline clearly and precisely presents
aspects of knowledge which are helpful in finding out truth about the structure and patterns of
the environment. While it is true that mathematics serves as an important tool in our life, in
general it is unfortunate to observe that students find difficulty in learning mathematics subjects
until to the point of disliking it.
In the study of Rizalvo (1999) as cited by Orteza (2006) that students encountered
difficulty in mathematics because they lack of the computational skills in the fundamental

operations on whole numbers, fractions, decimals, radicals, analysis in solving problem and
logical thinking. Thus to overcome this weakness the student should have a good foundation in
fundamental operation in mathematics in their early years of schooling. Learning means not only
the acquisition of knowledge vital to ones existence but it is also means doing
it on ones own accord utilizing logical and critical habits of
thoughts.
As they say, education is the systematic development and cultivation of the natural
power by inculcation, example and training. Education therefore plays a crucial role in
development (Cayabyab, 2000). It is therefore necessary that the young individuals
be helped to learn these acquired abilities and skills through an organized and intensive
educational program.
According to Gonzales (2003) as cited by Foronda (2005), the future of
a man and his way of life can be shaped by the present. It is for this reason that school exist, and
everybody must share in the responsibility that the society has entrusted us. The demand of the
present day society for individual who have specific expertise to offer and who can participate
in the development and progress of the nation is a challenge we must prepare our students not
only for today, but fortomorrow.
Felipe (1980) as cited by Foronda (2005) say that every person must have
corresponding growth in desirable degrees and types of mathematical concept in order to orient
himself satisfactorily during the changing times. Subject difficulties exist because of its
complexity in using symbols and in computations. Hence student finds it as a difficult subject it
not properly taught. It exists too because they forget previously learned concepts and skills that

are needed for the new skills to be learned. So, a student cannot comprehend higher level of
mathematics if one did not understand yesterdays principles and skills learned.
With these difficulties, students always have a negative connotation of the subject
matter. These negative attitudes includes: fear of the subject, anxiety in learning the subject,
meaningless of the subject and its abstraction. These lead to inability of students to comprehend
the subject which further led to low performance in mathematics.
It is also observed in the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) from 1984 to
1988 and National Secondary Assessment Tests (NSAT) spanning 1994 to 2002 showed that
mathematics is second most difficult subject test. It is also confirmed in the Science Education
Institute Achievement Test administered yearly from 1993 to 2013. (Philippine Journal of
Education, December 2014).
The low performance is true not only of high school students. In the National
Elementary Achievement Tests (NEAT), administered to sixth graders from 1993 to 2012,
science and mathematics ranked the lowest or second lowest among elementary school academic
subjects. (Philippine Journal of Education, December 2012)
In the recently concluded Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) it shows that our country gained an average score of 358 which is behind the
international average of 495. It implies that there is deterioration in the numerical and qualitative
skills of students.
With this observation, the researchers felt that there is a need to discover deficiencies
in this field and to discover the factors that contribute to the acquisition of proficiency in this
discipline.

The findings of this study would provide information to mathematics educators

especially to all engineering professors regarding the strength and weaknesses of their students in
math. Such information shall be utilized by the teacher in finding appropriate tools, techniques
and method to solve the students problem and eventually uplift their competency in the subject.

Background of the Study

According to Schereiber (2000) those who have positive attitudes toward mathematics
have a better performance in this subject.
Mathematics achievement has shown that the students from each major level of
Education in Asia seemed to outperform their counterparts.

Many studies have examined

students thinking about school and their attitude toward Mathematics. Mathematics performance
involves a complex interaction of factors on school outcome. Although the relationship between
mathematics performance and students factor has been studied widely, it is important to explore
the factors that contribute students mathematics performance.
Wendy Hansen (2008) stated that boys are more likely than girls to be math geniuses. The
researcher found that neither gender consistently outpaced the other in any state or at any grade
level. Even on test questions from the National Assessment of Education Progress that were
designed to measure complex reasoning skills, the gender differences were minuscule, according
to the study.
Student engagement in mathematics refers to students motivation to learn mathematics,
their confidence in their ability to succeed in mathematics and their emotional feelings about
mathematics. Student engagement in mathematics plays a key role in the acquisition of math

skills and knowledge students who are engaged in the learning process will tend to learn more
and be more receptive to further learning. Student engagement also has an impact upon course
selection, educational pathways and later career choices.
Mathematics performance has improved, again, through expecting students to achieve,
providing instruction based on individual student needs and using a variety of methods to reach
all learners. One factor has been aligning the math curriculum to ensure that the delivery of
instruction is consistent with the assessment frequency.
This particular study attempts to determine the factors affecting mathematics
performance of Laboratory High School Students at Laguna State Polytechnic University
Academic Year 2009-2010.

Theoretical Framework
Dweck, C. S. (1999) stated that students believe that their ability is fixed, probably at
birth, and there is very little if anything they can do to improve it is called fixed IQ theorists.
They believe ability comes from talent rather than from the slow development of skills through
learning. It's all in the genes. Either you can do it with little effort, or you will never be able to
do it, so you might as well give up in the face of difficulty. E.g. I can't do math. And Untapped
Potential theorists, students believe that ability and success are due to learning, and learning
requires time and effort. In the case of difficulty one must try harder, try another approach, or
seek help etc.

Inzlicht (2003) stated that entity and incremental theories of ability were assessed
separately so that their separate influences could be examined; mathematics performance was

examined by controlling for prior math performance. Entity theory was expected to be a negative
predictor of performance, whereas incremental theory was expected to be a positive predictor.
GuohuaPeng (2002) stated that simple traditional methods gradually make the students
feel that mathematics is pointless and has little value to them in real life. It becomes a subject
they are forced to study, but one that is useless to them in real life.
Dan Hull (1999) stated that growing numbers of teachers todayespecially those
frustrated by repeated lack of student success in demonstrating basic proficiency on standard
tests are discovering that most students interest and achievement in math, science, and language
improve dramatically when they are helped to make connections between new information
(knowledge) and experiences they have had, or with other knowledge they have already
mastered. Students involvement in their schoolwork increases significantly when they are taught
why they are learning the concepts and how those concepts can be used outside the classroom.
And most students learn much more efficiently when they are allowed to work cooperatively
with other students in groups or teams.

Conceptual Framework
The major concept of this study is focused on factors affecting Mathematics Performance
of Laboratory High School Students at Laguna State Polytechnic University Academic Year
2009-2010.
Figure 1; shows the relationship of input variables which contain the extent of the
student-related factors and the extent of the teacher-related factors. While in the process contains
the survey, data gathering, data analysis, and data interpretation. And output variables contain the
analysis of student-related factors and teacher-related factors.

INPUT

PROCESS

OUTPUT

An Analysis of Mathematics Performance as affected by student-related factors, teacher-related factors and s

Student-related factors
Teacher-related factors Survey
School-related factors Data Gathering
Data Analysis
Data Interpretation

FIGURE 1.A conceptual paradigm showing the relationship of students mathematics

performance in student-related factors and in teacher-related factors.
Statement of the Problem
The study attempts to know the perception of second and third year engineering students
of Baliuag University in having failing grades in mathematics.
Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the students/respondents in terms of the following variables:
a. name;
b. age;
c. gender;
d. course;

e. Their grades in the following mathematics subjects:

e. 1. Trigonometry
e. 2. College Algebra
e. 3. Solid Mensuration
e. 4. Advanced Algebra
e. 5. Analytic Geometry
e. 6. Physics
2. What is your personal point of view about mathematics?
3. What are the factors in having failing grades in mathematics?
a. student-related factors
b. teacher-related factors
c. school-related factor

Significance of the Study

The result of the study will merit the following:
School Administrator. The result of this study could serve as a baseline data to improve
programs for school advancement.
Curriculum Planner. The result of this study will help them appraise the existing
programs in terms of the students needs and abilities and make changes as required.
Guidance Counselor. This study will help develop the guidance program in line with
individual needs and abilities of the students.

Facilitators. The results of this study may serve as an eye opener to create and innovates
instructional materials, and to use varied and appropriate teaching strategies.
Students.This study will help the students to develop their interest toward Mathematics
and appreciate the importance of Mathematics in their daily lives.
Parents. Who are directly concerned with the education of their children considering
school performance in different discipline.
Future Researcher. The result of this study can serve as basis for further study on
teaching learning activities and student mathematical performance.
Scope and Limitation
This study is limited only to second and third year engineering students of College of
Environmental Design and Engineering during the Academic Year 2014-2015.
Determining the perception of the engineering student in having failing grades in
mathematics was the focus of this research. The information needed will be gathered using the
checklist style research-made questionnaire. All information and conclusions drawn from this
study were obtained only to this particular group of students.