PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS MATHEMATICS IN PAKISTAN: GRADE LEVEL DIFFERENCES, TEACHER SUPPORT, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

This study investigated attitudes towards mathematics in students attending Grades 3-5 during primary education, and how these attitudes are related to grade level, gender, and type of school attended, location of school, teachers’ perceived support and mathematics achievement. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data from 781 students attending both public and private educational institutions in urban and rural areas. An Urdu adaptation of the Attitudes towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that students held a moderate level of positive attitudes towards mathematics (M= M = 3.18; SD= SD = 0.47), and a relatively high level of perceived support from teachers (M= M = 4.34; SD= SD = 0.96). Overall attitudes were found to vary significantly according to the grade level. Grade 3 students had more positive attitudes compared to Grades 4 and 5. No significant differences were found between genders. Overall attitudes were more positive in urban students compared to those in rural locations. Overall attitudes towards mathematics and perceived teacher support were positively related to achievement. The regression model indicated that 18.1% of the variance in achievement could be predicted, and it was found that type of school and teacher support were significant predictors. This highlights how student attitudes and perceived teacher support play an important role in primary mathematics education. However, the subscales lacked good reliability, and the factor model did not fit well. Further confirmation is required due to the inconsistency of the statistical results.