Learning Difficulties of Students in Mathematics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15066877Keywords:
Difficulties, Learning, mathematics, studentsAbstract
This study determined the level of learning difficulties in Mathematics of the Grade 7 learners in a public secondary school, in a small-sized division, in southern Negros for the school year 2023-2024 as the basis for an intervention plan. The descriptive research design was used in this study with which data was gathered from 170 Grade 7 learner-respondents utilizing a researcher-made questionnaire that has passed extensive tests of validity and reliability. The questionnaire gathered the profile of the students – sex, distance from home to school, parents’ highest educational attainment, and average family monthly income, and focused on 4 major variables which are Content Knowledge, Learning Environment, Teaching Strategies, and Parental Support. This study revealed that the Grade 7 learners face moderate difficulties in Mathematics across different areas. They encounter moderate challenges in understanding mathematical content, navigating the learning environment, and adapting to various teaching strategies. However, seeking parental support for mathematical studies appears to be particularly challenging, with students reporting high levels of difficulty in this aspect. These findings seeks the attention of parents to be more engaged in the learning process of students, especially those with lower educational attainment and income levels. Workshops, seminars, and informational sessions can be organized to educate parents on the importance of their involvement in their child's mathematical education and provide them with strategies to support learning at home.
References
Ateş, A. (2021). The Relationship Between Parental Involvement in Education and Academic Achievement: A Meta-analysis Study. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 11(3), 50-66. Retrieved from http://www.pegegog.net
Baroudi, S., & Sarimanoğlu, N. (2019). Exploring the relationship between teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 10(1), 123-145. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1332355.pdf
Benson-O'Connor, C. D., McDaniel, C., & Carr, J. (2019). Bringing math to life: Provide students opportunities to connect their lives to math. Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1299
Bevans, R. (2023, June 22). ANOVA in R | A Complete Step-by-Step Guide with Examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/anova-in-r/
Castillo, C. B., Lynch, A. G., & Paracchini, S. (2020). Different laterality indexes are poorly correlated with one another but consistently show the tendency of males and females to be more left- and right-lateralized, respectively. *Royal Society Open Science*, 7(4). [https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191700](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191700)
Chalise, Hom Nath (2019). Aging: Basic Concept. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2019 - 1(1). AJBSR.MS.ID.000503.
Chen, M., & Mok, I. A. C. (2023). Perceived parental involvement influences students’ academic buoyancy and adaptability: The mediating roles of goal orientations. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1248602
Davis-Kean, P. E., Tighe, L. A., & Waters, N. E. (2021). The role of parent educational attainment in parenting and children’s development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(2), 186–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721421993116
Dendiego, D., & Narciso, N. C. (2019). Difficulties that Grade 11 students of Kaytitinga National High School face during mathematics class. Ascendens Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Abstracts, 3(2B). Retrieved from https://ojs.aaresearchindex.com/index.php/AAJMRA/article/view/7760
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2019). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.
Gundaya, D. (2024). Factors affecting learners' performance in general mathematics at PHINMA COC. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS). Retrieved from https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/factors-affecting-learners-performance-in-general-mathematics-at-phinma-coc/
Haider, Syed & Hussain, Athar & Haider, Mohammad & Zakir, Anam & Shahdi, Reshma. (2024). Impact of Parents Education Level on the Academic Performance of their Children. 10.13140/RG.2.2.35824.47364.
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2019). School resources and student achievement: A review of the literature (No. w21813). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w21813
Hernández-Padilla, E., Bazán-Ramírez, A., Bazán-Ramírez, W., & Solano-Gutierrez, J. (2023). Parental participation and parents’ support: Effects on mathematics achievement, 2018 national assessment of learning, Mexico. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1154470
Hernández-Padilla, E., Bazán-Ramírez, A., Bazán-Ramírez, W., & Solano-Gutierrez, J. (2023). Parental participation and parents’ support: Effects on mathematics achievement, 2018 national assessment of learning, Mexico. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1154470
Hidayatullah, A., Csíkos, C. (2024) The Role of Students’ Beliefs, Parents' Educational Level, and The Mediating Role of Attitude and Motivation in Students’ Mathematics Achievement. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 33, 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00724-2
Idris, M., Hussain, S., & Ahmad, N. (2020). Relationship between Parents’ Education and their children’s Academic Achievement. Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 7(2), 82-92. https://doi.org/10.46662/jass-vol7-iss2-2020(82-92)
Lam, Si-Man, and Yisu Zhou. (2021). SES-Achievement Gaps in East Asia: Evidence from PISA 2003–2018. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 22: 1–20.
Leong, P. Y., Wang, J., & Martin, M. O. (2020). Inquiry-based learning: A conceptual and practical review for middle school mathematics. Journal of Educational Research, 113(3), 231-243.
Levine, S. C., & Pantoja, N. (2021). Development of children’s math attitudes: Gender differences, key socializers, and intervention approaches. Developmental Review, 62, Article 100997.
Lombardi, Caitlin M., and Eric Dearing. 2021. Maternal support of children’s math learning in associations between family income and math school readiness. Child Development 92: 39–55.
Malabarbas, G. T., Saragena, N. D., Francisco, R. N. M., Montales, G. P., Nabor, J. K. P., & Ballescas, K. J. M. (2022). Parents’ involvement in modular distance learning and the academic performance of grade 6 learners in a public school. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences, 4(4), 121-130. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361254515_PARENTS'_INVOLVEMENT_IN_MODULAR_DISTANCE_LEARNING_AND_THE_ACADEMIC_PERFORMANCE_OF_GRADE_6_LEARNERS_IN_A_PUBLIC_SCHOOL
Marks, Gary N., and Artur Pokropek. 2019. Family income effects on mathematics achievement: Their relative magnitude and causal pathways. Oxford Review of Education 45: 769–85.
McLeod, S. (2023). P-Value And Statistical Significance: What It Is & Why It Matters. https://www.simplypsychology.org/p-value.html
Narciso, J. (2019). Difficulties that Grade 11 Students of Kaytitinga National High School Face During Mathematics Class. A&A Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Abstracts (AAJMRA). Retrieved from https://ojs.aaresearchindex.com/index.php/AAJMRA/article/view/7760
Okello, K. (2023). Impact of Learning Environment on Academic Performances. Journal of Educational Research, 34(2), 38-42.
Preclaro M. (2019). The acquisition of Mathematics skills of Filipino children with learning difficulties Issues and challenges
Refugio, C.N., Galleto, P.G., Noblefranca, C.D., Inoferio, H.V., Macias, A.O., Colina, D.G., & Dimalig, C.Y., (2020). Content knowledge level of elementary mathematics teachers: The case of a school district in the Philippines. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 15(3), 619-633. DOI: 10.18844/cjes.v15i3.4551
Rin, E. & Domondon, C. (2021) Career Path of Senior High School Graduates in the University of Northern Philippines. Psychology and Education, 8(4): 4269-4274
Rodríguez, S., Regueiro, B., Piñeiro, I., Estévez, I., & Valle, A. (2019). Gender differences in mathematics motivation: Differential effects on performance in primary education. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03050
Roeser, R. W., Midgley, C., & Urdan, T. C. (2019). Perceptions of the School Psychological Environment and Early Adolescents’ Psychological and Behavioral Functioning in School: The Mediating Role of Goals and Belonging. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(1), 221–234.
Tran, T., Hoang, A. D., Nguyen, Y. C., Nguyen, L. C., Ta, N. T., Pham, Q. H., Pham, C. X., Le, Q. A., Dinh, V. H., & Nguyen, T. T. (2020). Toward sustainable learning during school suspension: Socioeconomic, occupational aspirations, and learning behavior of Vietnamese students during COVID-19. *Sustainability*, 12(10). [https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104195](https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104195)
UNICEF Philippines. (2021). Parental engagement in children's education. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/philippines/media/6116/file/Parental%20Engagement.pdf
Utami, A. Y. (2022). The role of parental involvement in student academic outcomes. Journal of Education Review Provision, 2(1), 17-21. https://doi.org/10.55885/jerp.v2i1.156
Vasquez, E., Bello, A., & Ong, M. (2021). The influence of parental support on students' attitudes toward mathematics. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 19(5), 885-903.
Vidad, D. C. (2019). Students' mathematics problem solving difficulties and coping and strategies: A model building study. University of the Philippines Open University. Retrieved from https://repository.upou.edu.ph/handle/20.500.13073/367
Wang, M. T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2019). The reciprocal links between school engagement, youth thriving, and civic engagement among diverse youth: A longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology, 55(11), 2373-2385.
Yu, Z., & Deng, X. (2022). A Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in e-Learners' Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction, Motivation, Attitude, and Performance Across the World. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 897327. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897327
Yunianto, W., Prahmana, R. C. I., & Crisan, C. (2021). Indonesian mathematics teachers’ knowledge of content and students of area and perimeter of rectangle. Journal on Mathematics Education, 12(2), 223-238.
Zhang, F., Jiang, Y., Ming, H., Ren, Y., Wang, L., & Huang, S. (2020). Family socio-economic status and children’s academic achievement: The different roles of parental academic involvement and subjective social mobility. British Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12374
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Skinner, E. A., Scott, R. A., & et al. (2023). Parental support and adolescents’ coping with academic stressors: A longitudinal study of parents’ influence beyond academic pressure and achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52(11), 2464–2479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01864-w
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rani Caper D. Escosar, Dr. Rey T. Eslabon (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
