Mathematics Self-Concept and Academic Performance of Grade 10 Students: Basis for the School Improvement Program

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Mathematics is an important tool for all scientific and technological researches. The practical application of Mathematics to daily life is felt and seen in everyday undertakings. It serves as a tool of precision, money, insurances and standard time, information needed for intelligent buying and selling. It is also an indispensable learning area on quantitative tools that are important in other fields. The study focused on describing the Mathematics Self-Concept and Academic Performance of Grade 10 STEM students in Mathematics at Pulo National High School. The study described the self-concept and the academic performance of Grade 10 STEM students in Mathematics.

METHODS

The study used descriptive-correlational research design. It was conducted at Pulo National High School during the first quarter of the School Year 2016-2017. Three sections of Grade 10 junior high school students were selected through purposive sampling. The Mathematics Self-concept Inventory validated by the experts was given to one hundred sixty-nine Grade 10 STEM students. Two instruments were used in this study: Mathematics Self-Concept Inventory and the First Grading Grades in Mathematics 10.

RESULTS

It was found out that most of the Grade 10 students have low self-concept in Mathematics and have fairly satisfactory performance in Mathematics. It also yielded a result that the Mathematics Self-Concept has a significant relationship to the Academic Performance in Mathematics. Furthermore, it was found out that Pulo National High School has no existing School Improvement Program in Mathematics to boost student's Mathematics Self-Concept and improve Academic Performance in Mathematics 10.

DISCUSSIONS

The results demonstrate that academic performance is greatly affected by Mathematics self-concept. This means that students who perform well in academic performance also possess high self-concept in Mathematics and vice versa. This only shows that to become a good performer in Mathematics, one must be able to improve his or her Mathematics self-concept since they are significantly correlated. Teachers should regard self-concept as an important part of personality development. Schools should provide more opportunities for Mathematics teachers to develop school-based improvement program in Mathematics that will raise students' Mathematics self-concept to improve students' academic performance in Mathematics 10.