Calculus and Physics Academic Performances: A Correlational Analysis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Mathematics and Physics, as different fields, tend to be interwoven. Many physicists have given emphasis on the undeniable role of mathematics in physics. The universe is written in mathematical language. Physics and Mathematics are interrelated and influence each other in different ways. Most of the concepts and frameworks in both fields are created by the same people, hence, these tend to be parallel. To solve already existing physical problems, mathematicians give birth to new theories. Physical theories become the basis of different mathematical analyses.

METHODS

The study is a non-survey study, employing a purely quantitative-correlational research design since the data analyzed were taken from the school records where the subjects of the study were enrolled. This study employed the cluster sampling technique where, among the five sections of the Grade 12 STEM strand, one section was randomly selected via the fishbowl technique. The section that was randomly picked by the researcher was the STEM 12 Q-102 which has a total population of 47 students composed of 32 males, and 15 females. Descriptive statistics, z-test, and linear regression were used to statistically analyze the data.

RESULTS

Most male students performed satisfactorily in Calculus while the majority of the female students performed very satisfactorily. In general, most of the students performed very satisfactorily. In average, the NDTC SHS STEM 12 students performed satisfactorily in Calculus. Majority of the male students showed very satisfactory performance in Physics, just as the female students did, making most of the class perform very satisfactorily as well. The NDTC SHS STEM 12 students performed satisfactorily in Physics; both male and female did, too. Gender did not affect the academic performance of the students in Physics. The Calculus and Physics academic performances of the students are directly correlated. Hence, when the Calculus performance is high, the Physics ability is also high.

DISCUSSIONS

The results revealed that Calculus and Physics academics performances were positively correlated and gender was not a variable to this. This further suggests that teachers need to make sure that the subject Calculus is well-taught and that students should truly master it since it will have an impact on their Physics performance, too.