Theoretical Sources of Mathematical Self-Efficacy : Research

A B S T R A C T 

 

Theoretical Sources of Mathematical Self-Efficacy of Selected Junior High School Students of Saint Augustine School – Mendez in Academic Year 2018 – 2019. A thesis submitted to faculty of Senior High School Department, Saint Augustine School – Mendez – Nuñez, Cavite in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the strand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Inquiries, Investigation, and Immersion. March 2019.

    In the general sense, this study was conducted from August 2018 to March 2019 in Saint Augustine School – Mendez to determine the sources of mathematical self – efficacy of selected Junior High School students in Academic Year 2018 to 2019. Specifically, the study aimed to 1. identify the demographic profile of selected Junior High School student in terms of sex, age, and socioeconomic status; 2. determine the academic performance of the participants in Mathematics based on their recent grade in the subject; 3. determine the theoretical sources which the participants responded the most; and 4. determine the significant relationship between mathematical self – efficacy sources and the demographic profile of the participants. The study entrenched from Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1977).

    The descriptive type of research design was employed. Furthermore, stratified and simple random samplings were utilized in getting the sample. The research used validated and reliability tested survey questionnaires from Locklear (2012). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 14 and Microsoft Excel. For the demographic profile of the respondents, the researcher used frequency count and percentage. Descriptive statistics of measure of central tendency specifically the mean was used to identify the theoretical sources of mathematical self – efficacy. Bar graphs were utilized for the presentation of learners’ answers. 

    This focused on the 150 selected Junior High School pupils of the school who are grouped according to their demographics. Additionally, the study was restricted to only four demographics namely age, sex, parents’ monthly income, and recent mathematics grade. The researchers operationalized some terms appropriate in the context of the study.

    Both male and female participants have mastery experiences as their primary theoretical source of efficacy. Meanwhile, in the aspect of age and socioeconomic status (SES) based on the parent’s monthly income, some inconsistencies are found out with the result prior to the related literature reviewed. Henceforth, age and SES have no significant linkage with theoretical sources of Mathematics self – efficacy in the locale of the research. Additionally, as the recent Mathematics grade increases, the mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal and social persuasions are enhanced as well. In addition, the physiological and emotional states disclose that students with low Mathematics performance experience anxiety and nervousness.   

  

    To sum up, mastery experience is the primary foundation of Mathematics self – efficacy in the context of the study. The second source of efficacious learning of the respondents is the vicarious experience. Furthermore, verbal and social persuasions came in third as the learners’ self – efficacy source. The physiological and emotional states are regarded as the last source with the lowest mean for efficacy. Recommendations were drawn and proposed for school administrators, mathematics educators, and all education stakeholders, parents, students, and future researchers.

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