Socioeconomic, Demographic, Attitudinal and Involvement Factors Associated with Math Achievement in Elementary School.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which socioeconomic factors, demographic factors, parent and student attitudes, and parent involvement were associated with math achievement. Students in Grade 5 were selected as the population for this study. Random sampling procedures were used to select the sample. Students in the sample completed a modified version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales. Normal Curve Equivalent Scores (NCEs) from the math scales on the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test were obtained for all students from the individual school records. Parents of the students also participated by answering questions pertaining to their attitudes toward math, their level of involvement in the classroom, and questions that pertained to socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The findings from this study suggested that each of the six scales used from the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales were all significantly associated with the math, computation, and composite scores of the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test. Family annual income, parents\u27 educational level, and parent involvement were also significantly associated with math achievement. Four of the six attitudinal scales; the Mathematics as a Male Domain, Confidence in Learning Mathematics, Parent, and Mathematics Anxiety Scales, were significantly related to parents\u27 educational level, family\u27s annual income, and gender. Socioeconomic and attitudinal factors were the most powerful predictors of math achievment, while gender and parent involvement were not strong predictors