Linear Structural Equation Models for Intention and Achievement in Mathematics: A Study of Sims Student Data

182 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1986.The main objective of this study was to identify and explain the effective variables on achievement at the junior high school level. The sample of U.S. eighth grade students from IEA's Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) was analyzed using covariance structure analysis with the LISREL programs. An attempt was made to include all student variables which could have influential or associational relation to mathematics achievement and attitude. A tricomponent view of attitude, as discussed in the social-psychological literature, was employed which conceptualizes attitude with three components: affective, cognitive, and behavioral. In this study the components are identified as affect, likely consequences, and behavioral intention. Ten more constructs were also included as follows: socioeconomic status, home support, favoring or using calculators, male domain, age, self-concept of ability, educational aspiration, emphasis on memorizing, taking more math classes, and achievement. Two models were suggested to investigate (a) students' intention to do well in mathematics, and (b) achievement in mathematics. The result of the first model indicated that the major determinants of students' participation in math classes and intention to do well in this subject are affect and likely consequences. A correlation close to unity (r > .95) was found between affect and the construct determining the students' decision to take more math classes. The second model, revealed that achievement is determined mainly be self-concept, likely consequences, socioeconomic status, and educational aspiration. Likely consequences had a major role in both models influencing affect, intention, and achievement. Further results of the analysis indicated that sex-typing mathematics as a male domain had a negative influence on likely consequences, self-concept, educational aspiration, and intention for female students. The negative and highly significant correlations of favoring calculators with self-concept, likely consequences, affect, and intention raised some concerns of negative consequences from indiscriminant use of calculators on these variables, especially affect, self-concept, and likely consequences. Emphasis on memorizing was found also to have a negative influence on achievement.Some suggestions were made for the inclusion of additional variables that are likely to influence mathematics intention and achievement.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD