Asking Good Questions to Understand Voluntary Enrolments in Mathematics

Ning Li ()
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Ning Li: Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute

Chapter Chapter 5 in Statistics for Data Science and Policy Analysis, 2020, pp 55-70 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract It is of national concern that participation in higher-level mathematics subjects in senior secondary schools has been declining over the last few decades in Australia. As a gateway subject for tertiary studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), the persistent decline can impact the country’s economy in the long term. Understanding the causes of the decline can inform practice and help shed light on possible solutions. This paper describes the design and validation of a survey instrument for measuring factors that influence students’ decisions to continue or discontinue studying mathematics beyond Year 10. Taking a social cognitive perspective, the instrument investigates motivation in subject selection under the assumption that what people think, believe and feel affects how they behave. An initial form of the instrument was developed and piloted to 564 Years 10 & 11 students. The responses were then used to analyze the reliability, factorial structure, and discrimination of the form. Psychometric evidences support the formation of a reduced form on scales of self-concept, self-efficacy, subjective value, anxiety and learning experience in mathematics. The refined form has reliable internal consistency and a clear structure.

Keywords: Instrument; Survey item analysis; Self-efficacy in mathematics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-15-1735-8_5

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-1735-8_5

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