Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge and Instructional Practices in Relation to the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

This study seeks to determine the teachers' mathematical knowledge and instructional practices in relation to the academic performance of Senior High School Students. It drew out the level of teachers' mathematical knowledge affecting their instructions along: Making Real Life Connections or Applications, Designing Mathematics Classroom, Utilizing Technology, Applying New Learnings/Skills from Graduate Studies and Seminars and Making Student Assessment; the utilization of instructional practices which includes the following: Teaching To Appropriate Behaviors, Self-Control Strategies, Classroom Design Techniques, Accurately and Timely Consequences and Student-Teacher Relationship; the significant agreement on the rank orders of the teachers' mathematical knowledge and instructional practices used among the different zones in Tagkawayan, Quezon; the profile of the students' academic performance in General Mathematics of Grade 11 senior high school students; the significant difference on the rank orders of the students' academic performance among the different zones; the significance on the relationship between the senior high school students' academic performance with teachers' mathematical knowledge and instructional practices; and the policy recommendations generated based on the findings of this study.

METHODS

This study employed the descriptive-evaluative-inferential-correlational method of research with documentary analysis. The population consisted of thirteen (13) public senior high school mathematics teachers and two hundred forty-three (243) public senior high school students from the different zones of Tagkawayan District, Tagkawayan, Quezon. The statistical tools used were: frequency count, proficiency level, percentage, weighted mean rank order, Kruskall Wallis One-Way ANOVA, Kendall Coefficient of Concordance W and its corresponding chi-square test, Spearman Rho Correlation Coefficient and t-test for correlation analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

The findings of this study were summarized as follows:

1. The level of teachers' mathematical knowledge affecting their instructions in descending order were: Making Student Assessment

3.81 or "Much Evident"; Making Real Life Connections 3.65 or "Much Evident"; Utilizing Technology 3.51 or "Much Evident" ; Applying New Learnings and Skills from Seminars and Graduate Studies 3.44 or "Evident" ; and Designing Mathematics Classroom 3.35 or"Evident" . The overall average weighted mean was 3.55 or "Much Evident".

2. The utilization of instructional practices of the senior high school teachers in descending order were: Teaching to Appropriate Behaviour 4.23 or "Often"; Classroom Design Techniques 4.04 or "Often"; Student -Teachers Relationship 3.86 or "Often" ; Self-Control Strategies 3.60 or "Often" and Accurately and Timely Consequences 3.59 or "Often" . The overall average weighted mean was 3.87 interpreted as "Often".

3. The significant agreement on the rank orders of the teachers' mathematical knowledge among the different zones were: Making Real Life Connections and Applications, computed W was 0.59 and a chi-squre of 9.42 (p>0.05); Designing Mathematics Classroom, has 0.35 and 5.67 (p>0.05); Utilizing Technology, 0.57 and 9.07 (p>0.05); Applying New Learnings and Skills from Seminars/Graduate Studies, 0.47 and7.57 (p>0.05); and Making Student Assessment 0.41 and 6.57 (p>0.05). Accepted the null hypotheses.

4. The significant agreement on the rank orders of the utilization of instructional practices by senior high school teachers among the different zones had the following results: Self-Control Strategies, computed W of 0.20 and computed x2 of 3.16 (p>0.05); Classroom Design Techniques, 0.52 and 8.37 (p>0.05); Teaching to Appropriate Behaviors, 0.80 and 12.83 (p<0.05); Accurately and Timely Consequences, 0.21 and 3.36 (p>0.05); Student-Teacher Relationship, 0.48 and 7.67 (p>0.05). All the indicators, except Teaching to Appropriate Behaviors, were not significantly agreed among teachers in the different zones in the District.

5. The profile of the Grade 11 senior high school students' academic performance in General Mathematics of Tagkawayan district were: Logic 81.85; Functions 81.60; and Business Mathematics 81.54. The overall average weighted mean was 81.66 interpreted as "Satisfactory".

6. The Kruskall Wallis One-Way ANOVA was used to determine the significant difference on the rank orders of students' academic performance among the different zones resulted to a computed H value of 9.15 (p<0.05). The null hypothesis was rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis.