Introduction: Mathematics as one of the specific fields of study wherein real li
fe problems are tried and tested through formulas and equations. It is one of th e subjects required in academic studies that has always been the major focus of attention and concern of many educators and Mathematics teachers who agreed that a major goal of schooling should be the development of students’ understanding of basic mathematical concepts and procedures. The significant role of this subj ect plays a big part in the studies of many CEd students which is needed to pass their course. Mathematics is a subject that deeply tackles about solving and un derstanding mathematical problems, this makes Mathematics different from other s ubjects. This subject is always use anytime and anywhere. Mathematics is really a fascinating subject that makes some of the students to love and enjoy it. Rece ntly, many CEd students are admitting that one of the subjects that are dreaded by them is Mathematics which they stated that it has the tendency to complicate simple things that it claims it could solve. All CEd students, including those w ith disabilities and those at risk of school failure, need to acquire the knowle dge and skills that will enable them to figure out math-related problems that th ey encounter daily at home and in future work situations. Unfortunately, there i s considerable evidence to Indicate that this objective is not being met, especi ally for many of the CED students exhibiting learning difficulties. Responding t o this situation, this research study attempted to find out the reasons why many CED students encounter difficulties in Mathematics and its effe cts to their academic performance. Statement of the Problem: This is an attempt to conduct a research on “Difficulties Encountered by CED Stu dents in Mathematics” during the first semester of S.Y. 2008-2009. Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the respon dents? 2. What are the difficulties encounters by CED students in Mathematics? 3 . What are the reasons why CED students encounter difficulties in Mathematics? 4 . How does one’s attitude towards the subject affect their academic performance? Statement of the Problem This study attempted to find out the “Difficulties Encountered by CED Students i n Mathematics” during the first semester of S.Y. 2008-2009. Specifically, it aim ed to answer the following questions: 5. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: age ; gender; year level ;course and major? 6. What are the difficu lties encounters by CED students in Mathematics? 7. What are the reasons why CED students encounter difficulties in Mathematics? 8. How does one’s attitude towa rds the subject affect their academic performance? Significance of the Study The results of this research may benefit the following: Students -this study wil l help the students to understand more about mathematics and appreciate its esse nce to their everyday activities. It gives challenges to those students who are willing to learn mathematics and it makes them easier to understand the logic of it. Teachers -the research will provide the teachers more systematic and strate gic approach to the students who encounter difficulties in mathematics. Parents -This research will provide parents to ensure progress of their child’s learning ability towards the difficulties encounter in mathematics. Scope and Delimitation The target samples of this study were twenty (20) CEd students from NEU during t he first semester of S.Y. 2008-2009. The respondents were selected by the use of purposive sampling. A questionnaire was the main data gathering instrument. Assumptions 1. That the respondents know how to overcome the difficulties in mathematics. 2. That the respondents know the reasons why mathematics is difficult to study. 3. That the respondents will know the kind of attitudes might suite them to gain a cademic excellence specially in mathematics. Definition of Terms: This section provided an alphabetical listing of some words and technical terms used in the research. The researcher includes the operational definitions of the following: Dreaded - term used in the research which is also means afraid of in subject mat hematics. Learning disabilities (LD) – characterized to the students who have th is. math difficulty – adopted term used to identify students who have difficulty with mathematics. Mathematics - academic subject wherein many CED students enco unter difficulties. math-related problem - encounter daily at home and in future work situations of students. Postsecondary - students who have mathematics-rela ted learning disabilities (LD). 4 CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies This chapter covers the different literatures and studies done on the difficulti es encountered by CED Students in Mathematics. The researchers have gone through the materials available in the libraries and websites. These materials contribu ted and have aided the researchers on the direction of the research. These are t he readings of the researchers related to the topic. Literature and Studies According to Racelis (1996), mathematics teaching is a profession that needs imp rovements. Pupils today are noted for disliking or losing interest in mathematic s; thus, teachers need to continually research on how to improve the method of t eaching. Rodriguez (1994) found out that misinterpretation of the problem was th e main cause why the students got zero scores. She emphasized that when a proble m solver misunderstands a verbal problem, erroneous interpretation of the proble m is always a consequence. Soto (1994) found that effective teachers of mathemat ics were those who provided their pupils with exercises and activities that fost er mental computations. Exercises are used to illustrate and review basic mathem atical ideas such as patterns, functions, relations, properties of addition and multiplication. The exercises can be used before the motivation to break the ted iousness of doing mathematical computations. Pia (1992) study revealed that pupi ls who study mathematics develop a negative attitude towards the subject and the situation even become worse when teachers claim that mathematics is difficult. Bernandez (1996) found out that the Grade IV pupi ls in Sambangan and Bauko during the school year 1995-1996 had difficulties in t he four fundamental operations in mathematics. Moreover, the difficulties of the pupils were caused by lack of instructional materials, methods of thinking, sch ool faculties, pupils’ attitudes toward the subject, and teachers’ reactions in teaching mathematics. She identified 15 remedial measures to help cope with thei r difficulties in the subject. She recommended the following: Teachers in mathem atics should strengthen their teaching by administering a diagnostic test in ele mentary mathematics at the beginning of the school year to be used as basis in p lanning the mathematics program and the mastery method should be applied; instru ctional materials should be updated to improve teachers’ strategies in teaching; teachers in far flung schools should be regularly and properly supervised by sc hool officials to inspire teachers in their educational activities; and teachers in mathematics should religiously apply the remedial measures for minimizing di fficulties in math. Layson (1993) found out that the most common errors committe d by the students in the achievement test in the first year math were: ratio and proportion; decimals; percent; fractions and operation on sets. In order to min imize these difficulties and then improve their performance, the following were recommended. The difficult items in mathematics should be remedied by giving dia gnostic test at the beginning of the school year, more care and time should be s pent in ratio and proportion and more exercises at examples given; students shou ld be grouped homogeneously and further study should be conducted to strengthen mathematics in all year. Mariano (2004) conducted a study on the problem solving difficulties in math. He concluded that the primary reason why the pupils could hardly answer problems be cause they do not understand English very well. Eway (2004) found that the major difficulties encountered by the college students were checking the completed an swer. Translating mathematical statements into symbols, proper computation, iden tifying the correct process, and comprehension of the given problem. Julta’s (19 82) topic was on the relationship of abstract reasoning, language ability to com prehension in mathematics. Results revealed that there is a substantial and sign ificant positive correlation between abstract reasoning, language ability and ma thematical comprehension is compounded by their difficulty in language usage and abstract thinking students with learning difficulties and disabilities improve their achievement in mathematics, educators, researchers, practitioners, and pol icymakers need a better understanding of the evidence base on what s behind thes e students difficulties in learning math. That s just what they ll get with thi s landmark book—the first and only definitive research volume on this important topic in education. Comprehensive and multidisciplinary, this resource gives edu cational decision-makers and researchers in-depth theoretical and practical insi ght into mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities, combining diverse perspectives from fields such as special education, educational psychology, cogn itive neuroscience, and behavioral genetics. Riel (1982) cited that the difficul ty students experience in learning mathematics can be traced to a lack of confid ence. A history of incomplete instruction and negative attitudes previously expr essed by adults and peer can inhibit learner motivation. Felix (1992) believes t hat “practice makes one’s work perfect”. He said that this is true in the study of mathematics. According to him, it is a fact that understand ing of the concepts and principles is not a guarantee that a student can perform well, even in solving the fundamental exercises and worded problems. Byrnes & W asik (1991), one way to reduce such difficulties is to help students make connec tions between conceptual and procedural knowledge. The construction of conceptua l knowledge requires identifying the characteristics of concepts, recognizing th e similarities and differences among concepts according to these characteristics , and constructing the relations among them. On the other hand, procedural knowl edge requires constructing skills, strategies or algorithms that are means to an end. According to a website source (Google), many students, despite a good unde rstanding of mathematical concepts, are inconsistent at computing. They make err ors because they misread signs or carry numbers incorrectly, or may not write nu merals clearly enough or in the correct column. These students often struggle, e specially in primary school, where basic computation and "right answers" are str essed. Often they end up in remedial classes, even though they might have a high level of potential for higher-level mathematical thinking. One fairly common di fficulty experienced by people with math problems is the inability to easily con nect the abstract or conceptual aspects of math with reality. Understanding what symbols represent in the physical world is important to how well and how easily a child will remember a concept. Holding and inspecting an equilateral triangle , for example, will be much more meaningful to a child than simply being told th at the triangle is equilateral because it has three equal sides. And yet childre n with this problem find connections such as these painstaking at best. Some stu dents have difficulty making meaningful connections within and across mathematical experiences. For instance, a student may not read ily comprehend the relation between numbers and the quantities they represent. I f this kind of connection is not made, math skills may be not anchored in any me aningful or relevant manner. This makes them harder to recall and apply in new s ituations. For some students, a math disability is driven by problems with langu age. These children may also experience difficulty with reading, writing, and sp eaking. In math, however, their language problem is confounded by the inherently difficult terminology, some of which they hear nowhere outside of the math clas sroom. These students have difficulty understanding written or verbal directions or explanations, and find word problems especially difficult to translate. 9 CHAPTER 3 Methods of Study and Sources of Data This chapter presents the research method, techniques and the sampling populatio n of the study. A discussion of the statistical treatment used to analyze the ga thered data was likewise presented. Methodology To pursue the purpose of the study, the Descriptive Normative Survey Method of R esearch was employed with the questionnaire as the primary data gathering instru ment. Instrument In this survey, the researchers interviewed and asked respondents to fill-up the questionnaire given to them. The researcher used questionnaire in gathering inf ormation from the respondents. A letter of request for cooperation was construct ed at the beginning of the questionnaire to solicit assistance to the respondent s. Treatment of Data The presentation of the frequencies and percentage were done and are reflected t hrough the use of bar graph, line graph, and pie graph with their corresponding percentage. The researchers used percentages to show the results of the survey. 10 CHAPTER 4 Presentation and Analysis of Data This chapter discusses the presentation, data with corresponding findings: 1. Wh at is the profile of the respondents in terms of: age; gender; year level ;cours e and major? 2. What are the difficulties encounters by CED students in Mathemat ics? 3. What are the reasons why CED students encounter difficulties in Mathemat ics? 4. How does one’s attitude towards the subject affect their academic perfor mance? Findings: Problem 1: What is the respondents’ profile? Table 1: Age Age From 16-17 18-19 20-21 Frequency 10 9 1 Percentage (%) 50% 45% 5% Rank 1 2 3 11 Table 2: Gender Gender Frequency Percentage Male Female 7 13 35% 65% Table 3: Year Level Year Level 1 year 2 year nd st Frequency 7 13 Percentage 35% 65% Table 4: Course and Major Course BSE-Math BSE-English BSTLE BEEd-Gen. Ed. BEEd-P SE BEEd-SPED Frequency 6 5 5 1 1 2 12 Percentage 30% 25% 25% 5% 5% 10% Rank 1 2 2 5 5 4 A. Age Out of twenty (20) respondents, the mean age of this study is 17.55, wher e the oldest is twenty (20) and the youngest is sixteen (16). There are ten (10) or 50% respondents whose ages are 16-17, nine (9) or 45% respondents whose ages are 1819 and one (1) or 5% respondents whose ages are 20-21. B. Gender Majority of the respondents are females which numbered thirteen (13) or 65%. The male re spondents are seven (7) or 35%. C. Year Level There are (13) thirteen or 65% who were 2nd year students. Seven ( 7) or 35% respondents are 1st year. D. Course and Major There are six (6) BSE-Ma th major or 30%, five (5) BSTLE and BSE-English major or 25%, two (2) BEEd-Sped major or 10%, and (1) one BEEd-Gen.Ed. and BEEdPSE or 5%. Problem 2: What are the difficulties encountered by CED students in Mathematics? As the 20 respondent students replies to the question why they think mathematics is a difficult subject, six (6) or 30% of the respondents replied that mathemat ics is not difficult. The 14 respondents has their negative reply and they think that Math is a difficult subject because of the complicated problems; maybe the foundation of math to the child is very shallow, application of logic, lots of formulas to memorize, computation, numbers, an exact science and others say that it depends on the teacher who teaches it. Problem 3: What are the reasons why CED students encounter difficulties in Mathe matics? The 20 respondents’ replies that the factors that make math difficult are the fo rmulas, the numbers or the arithmetic techniques, the numbers with formulas whic h is the variables applicable to the algebra lessons, graphs, variables, signs o r the integers, equations, problem solving, terms use in mathematics, and the teacher factor whi ch is sometimes boring. Problem 4: How does one’s attitude towards the subject affect their academic per formance? The researchers used the survey to answer or gather data regarding on how one’s attitude towards the subject which affects their academic performance. The resea rcher chose the respondents by giving the questionnaires to those students who a re major in English, Filipino, T.L.E., P.S.E, General Education, except to those students who are major in Math. Many of the respondent students accepted the qu estionnaire, but some refused and said that they are busy. 14 Graph 1 – Favorite Subject others 10% mathematics 30% science 5% English 55% English science mathematics others Based on the graph, there are eleven (11) or 55% respondents like Mathematics an d there are six (6) or 30% like Mathematics. The rest like Science with 5%. Graph 2 – Afraid of Numbers 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 yes no S1 11 9 The graph shows that 11 out of 20 respondent who are not afraid of numbers becau se of the reasons that they love math and numbers. There are 9 respondents who a re afraid of numbers. Therefore conclude that there is no reason to be afraid of numbers. Graph 3 – Interested in Classroom Activities during Math no, 12 no yes, 7 yes 0 2 yes 4 6 8 10 no 12 12 14 Series1 7 Based on the graph, twelve (12) or 60% who answered no and they are not interest ed in classroom activities during Math because they said that it’s boring, no ma tter how they try, but still they cannot understand it, not interested in the su bject and also they really hate Math. There are seven (7) or 35% respondents who say yes and that’s because they really like math subject. There is one responde nt who responds that students will be interested to the subject and it depends u pon the teacher. Graph 4 – Read books Related to Mathematics 9 11 S1 yes no The graph refers to the students who read books related to Mathematics. As it sh own here, eleven (11) respondents who answered no that they not read book relate d to Math because of no interest to the subject, feel bored, hate numbers, and r eally hate math subject. There are 9 respondents who say yes out of 20 respondents. Graph 5 – Feel Uncomfortable in Mathematics 11 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 yes no 9 As gleaned from the graph there are eleven (11) respondents who fell uncomfortab le during Mathematics class, while there are nine (9) respondents do not feel un comfortable. 17 CHAPTER 5 Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations This chapter will provide the summary of findings, the conclusion and the recommendation. Summary of Findings Problem 1: What is the respondents’ profile in terms of: age; gender; year level ; course and major? Age - Out of twenty (20) respondents, the mean age of this s tudy is 17.55, where the oldest is twenty (20) and the youngest is sixteen (16). There are ten (10) or 50% respondents whose ages are 16-17, nine (9) or 45% res pondents whose ages are 1819 and one (1) or 5% respondents whose ages are 20-21. Gender - majority of the respondents are females which numbered thirteen (13) o r 65%. The male respondents are seven (7) or 35%. Year Level - there are (13) th irteen or 65% who were 2nd year students. Seven (7) or 35% respondents are 1st y ear. Course and Major - there are six (6) BSE-Math major or 30%, five (5) BSTLE and BSE-English major or 25%, two (2) BEEd-Sped major or 10%, and (1) one BEEdGe n.Ed. and BEEd-PSE or 5%. Problem 2: What are the difficulties encountered by CED students in Mathematics? As the 20 respondent students replies to the question why they think mathematic s is a difficult subject, six (6) or 30% of the respondents replied that mathema tics is not difficult. The 14 respondents has their negative reply and they thin k that math is a difficult subject because of the complicated problems; maybe th e foundation of math to the child is very shallow, application of logic, lots of formulas to memorize, computation, numbers, an exact science and others say that it depends on the teacher who teaches it. Problem 3: What are the reasons why CED students encounter difficulties in Mathe matics? The 20 respondents’ replies that the factors that make math difficult ar e the formulas, the numbers or the arithmetic techniques, the numbers with formu las which is the variables applicable to the algebra lessons, graphs, variables, signs or the integers, equations, problem solving, terms use in mathematics, an d the teacher factor which is sometimes boring. Problem 4: How does one’s attitude towards the subject affect their academic per formance? The researcher chose the respondents by giving the questionnaires to t hose students who are major in English, Filipino, T.L.E., P.S.E, General Educati on, except to those students who are major in Math. Many of the respondent stude nts accepted the questionnaire, but some refused and said that they are busy. Gr aph 1 – Favorite Subject Based on the graph, there are eleven (11) or 55% respon dents like Mathematics and there are six (6) or 30% like Mathematics. The rest l ike Science with 5%. Graph 2 – Afraid of Numbers The graph shows that 11 out of 20 respondent who are not afraid of numbers because of the reasons that they love math and numbers. There are 9 respondents who are afraid of numbers. Graph 3 – Interested in Classroom Activities during M ath As gleaned from the graph, twelve (12) or 60% who answered no and they are n ot interested in classroom activities during Math because they said that it’s bo ring, no matter how they try, but still they cannot understand it, not intereste d in the subject and also they really hate Math. There are seven (7) or 35% resp ondents who say yes and that’s because they really like math subject. There is o ne respondent who responds that students will be interested to the subject and i t depends upon the teacher. Graph 4 – Read books Related to Mathematics The grap h refers to the students who read books related to Mathematics. As it shown here , eleven (11) respondents who answered no that they not read book related to Mat h because of no interest to the subject, feel bored, hate numbers, and really ha te math subject. There are 9 respondents who say yes out of 20 respondents. Grap h 5 – Feel Uncomfortable in Mathematics As gleaned from the graph, there are ele ven (11) respondents who fell uncomfortable during Mathematics class, while ther e are nine (9) respondents do not feel uncomfortable during Math. Conclusions Based on the Findings: • Majority of the respondents are 17-18 years females, mostly are second year and Math major. • The difficulties of the students were caused by lack of instructional materials, students’ attitudes towards the subject, and teachers’ reaction in teaching Mat hematics. • Majority of the respondents had negative reply and they think that Math is a dif ficult subject because of the complicated problems and etc. • Majority of the respondents said that the factors that make Math difficult are t he formulas, the numbers or the arithmetic techniques, the numbers with formulas which is the variables applicable to the algebra lessons, graphs, variables, si gns or the integers, equations, problem solving, terms use in Mathematics, and t he teacher factor which is sometimes boring. • Majority of the respondents said that they liked the other subjects rather than Mathematics. • Majority of respondent students said that are not interested in classroom activi ties during Math. • Majority of respondent students, which they do not read book related in Math. • There are majority respondents who felt uncomfortable during Mathematics class. Recommendations On the basis of the conclusions which the researchers drawn from the findings of this study, the following recommendations are hereby submitted. • Teachers in Ma thematics should strengthen their teaching by administering a diagnostic test in elementary mathematics at the beginning of the school year to be used as basis in planning the mathematics program and the mastery method should be applied. • Instructional materials should be updated to improve teachers’ strategies in tea ching. • Teachers in far flung schools should be regularly and properly supervis ed by school officials to inspire teachers in their educational activities. • Te achers in mathematics should religiously apply the remedial measures for minimiz ing difficulties in Math. • • Students should be cooperative to their teacher du ring math classes. The Students need to strive hard in studying Mathematics. 22 Bibliography Websites: http.//www.google.com.ph/search? http://cnt.org/content/m11638/latest http.//en.wikipedia.org./wiki/math 23 Appendices Appendix A: Questionnaire Appendix B: Curriculum Vitae 24 Table of Contents Title Page ………………………………………………………………………i Acknowledgment……………………………………………………………. ii Dedication………………………………………………………………...… ...iii Abstract Statement of the Problem………………………………………………...…..iv Significance of the Study………………………………………………...……v Scope and Delimitation………………………………………………….. .….. v Assumptions……………………………………………………………...…… v Methodology…………………………………………………… ………...…….vi Instrument……………………………………………………………… ……….vi Treatment of Data……………………… ………………………………………vi Findings………………………………………………………………………....vii Conclusions…………………… ………………………………………………..xi Recommendations………………………………………………………..……xii Chapter 1: The Problem and its Background Introduction………………………………………………………….……… ..….1 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………..….... 2 Significance of the St udy…………………………………………..………….. 3 Scope and Delimitation………………………………….……….……………. 3 A ssumptions……………………………………………………….………….... 3 Definition of Terms……………………………………………… ……….….….3 Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Studies……….………… 5 Chapter 3: Methods of Study and Sources of Data Methodology……………………………………………………… …..………..10 Population……………………………………………………………..………. 10 Instrument………………………………………… ……………..……………. 10 Treatment of Data………………………………………………..……………10 Chapter 4: Presentation and Analysis of Data Statement of the Problem…………………………… …………...…………..11 Findings…………………………………………………………………………12 Chapter 5: Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations Statement of the Problem………………………………….……… ……….18 Conclusions………………………………………………………………….. ..21 Rec ommendations………………………………………..…………………...22 Bibliography……………………………………………………..…….………23 Appendices……………………………………………………….….……… . 24 A. Questionnaire……………………………………………….………………25 B. Curriculum Vitae……………………………… ………………….………...26 New Era University College of Education Difficulties Encountered in Mathematics by CED Students A Research Work In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Course Math 5-05 (Basic Statis tics with Demography) Abraham, Sandino Briones, Richard Macapagao, Kenneth Mahin ay, Rizza May Pagalilauan, Jonel Rodriguez, Rowena Salvador, Richard Villas, Ald win October, 2008 First Semester, S. Y. 2008 Acknowledgment First of all, thank God Almighty for the guidance. The researchers wish also to acknowledge the assistance of their professor, Dr. Julie Valencia, who contribut ed detailed commentaries on the outline and individual chapter drafts of the res earch and for advice and overall critical reviews of the research. Their loving and supporting parents, for their enthusiasm and unstinting support they are: Mr and Mrs. Briones; Mr and Mrs. Macapagao; Mr. and Mrs. Mahinay; Mr. and Mrs. Pag alilauan; Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez; Mr. and Mrs. Salvador; Mr. and Mrs. Abraham an d Mr. and Mrs. Villas, again thank you for your encouragement, patience and fina ncial and moral support. Lastly, to the College of Education students who helped them in completing this research. The Researchers ii Dedication This Simple Research Is Wholeheartedly Dedicated To All Our Friends & Parents. The Researchers iii Curriculum Vitae Jonel R. Pagalilauan Blk 4 Lot 7 Tierra Nova Royale 4 Bagumbong, Caloocan City Contact No. 2716023 E- mail: jonel002@gmail.com Personal Information Birth Date: Oct. 2, 1990 Religion: Roman Catholic Father’s Name: Nelson Pagalilauan Mother’s Name: Jocelyn Pagalilauan Language/Dialect: Fi lipino, English Person to be notify in case of emergency: Jocelyn Pagalilauan Co ntact No. 09262396184 Educational Attainment College New Era University BSEd-Mat hematics S. Y. 2008-2009 Secondary Bagumbong High School S. Y. 2006-2007 Element ary Bagumbong Elementary School S. Y. 2002-2003 Birth Place: Quezon City Civil S tatus: Single Occupation: --------Occupation: Sales Manager