EXPLORING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF MATHEMATICS
Keywords:
Perception of mathematics, Postgraduate management students, Peer groupsAbstract
This study examines the determinants of perception of mathematics among postgraduate management students, including the influence of fathers, mothers, peers, and teachers. The study was conducted with postgraduate management students in Bangalore, India. The respondents were in the age group 21-28 years, with varied demographic and educational backgrounds.
The results of the study suggest that the influence of peers had the strongest impact on the perception of mathematics. Thus, the perception of mathematics can be maximally enhanced amongst students by leveraging peer group learning. The peer groups and group assignments must be carefully designed so that the students are encouraged to support one another according to their abilities, and to contribute to overall group learning.
The finding that the influence of peer groups has the strongest impact on the perception of mathematics is an original contribution to the literature, as earlier studies had not focused on the impact of peer group influence on students’ perception of mathematics. However, the composition of the peer group, and its impact on the perception of mathematics needs to be examined more carefully. In fact, the interaction between the different influence factors is another important aspect that needs to be studied in more detail, including the influence factors studied in the literature. An experimental design would probably be more appropriate for this; however, there may be difficulties in identifying/assessing the long-run impact of these factors. Thus, there is vast scope for further, more detailed study in this area.
Downloads
References
• Ashcraft, M.H., & Kirk, E.P. (2001). The relationships among working memory, mathematics anxiety and performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(2). 224-237. doi:10.1037/0096-3445.130.2.224
• Ashcraft, M.H., & Ridley, K.S. (2005). Mathematics anxiety and its cognitive consequences - A tutorial review. In Campbell, J.I.D. (Ed.), Handbook of Mathematical Cognition (pp. 315-327). New York: Psychology Press,
• Bandalos, D.L., Yates, K., & Thorndike-Christ, T. (1995). Effects of math self-concept, perceived self-efficacy, and attributions for failure and success on test anxiety. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87(4) 611-623. doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.87.4.611
• Beilock, S.L., Gunderson, E.A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S.C. (2010). Female teachers’ mathematics anxiety affects girls’ mathematics achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863. doi.org/10.1037/e634112013-097
• Devine, A., Fawcett, K., Szucs, D., & Dowker, A. (2012). Gender differences in mathematics anxiety and the relation to mathematics performance when controlling for test anxiety. Behavioural and Brain Functions, 8(1), 33. doi:10.1186/1744-9081-8-33
• Eccles, J.S., Jacobs, J.E., & Harold, R.D. (1990). Gender role stereotypes, expectancy effects, and parents’ socialization of gender differences. Journal of Social Issues, 46(2), 183-201. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990.tb01929.x
• Jain, S., & Dowson, M. (2009). Mathematics anxiety as a function of multi-dimensional self-regulation and self-efficacy. Contemporary Education Psychology, 34(3), 240-249. doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2009.05.004
• Maloney, E.A., Waechter, S., Risko, E.F., & Fugelsang, J.A. (2012). Reducing the sex difference in math anxiety: the role of spatial processing ability. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(3), 380-384. doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.01.001
• Pantziara, M., & Philippou, G. (2007). Students’ motivation and achievement and teachers’ practices in the classroom. In Woo, J. H., Lew, H. C., Park, K. S. & Seo, D. Y. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 31st Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 4 (pp. 57-64). Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South).
• Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E.A., Levine, S.C., & Beilock, S.L. (2013). Math anxiety, working memory, and math achievement in early elementary school. Journal of Cognition and Development, 14(2), 187-202.
• Ramirez, G., Chang, H., Maloney, E.A., Levine, S.C., & Beilock, S.L. (2016). On the Relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in early elementary school: the role of problem-solving strategies. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 141, 83-100. doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2015.07.014
• Suinn, R.M., & Edwards, R. (1982). The measurement of mathematics anxiety: the mathematics anxiety rating scale for adolescents - MARS-A. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38(3), 576-580. doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(198207)38:3<576::aid-jclp2270380317>3.0.co;2-v