Keyword: learning mathematics

ABSTRACT: Amid the post‑COVID‑19 expansion of e‑learning, this study developed and validated a survey instrument to assess e‑learning competencies among science and mathematics supervisors in Kuwait. After expert review using the Lawshe–Tristan method, an exploratory factor analysis on data from 345 supervisors confirmed an eight‑factor structure encompassing computer literacy, computer skills, educational planning, program design, pedagogical practice, assessment, professional development, and ethical/legal awareness. Confirmatory factor analysis produced an acceptable fit for teachers but a weaker fit for students, underscoring the need for further refinement. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients indicated excellent internal consistency. Descriptive analyses revealed that male supervisors, those with advanced technology expertise and higher English proficiency, and those at intermediate or secondary levels scored higher across domains. The validated instrument is a valuable tool for diagnosing training needs and guiding e‑learning professional development in Kuwait and similar contexts. The instrument thus provides a psychometrically robust tool for assessing readiness to learn and highlights demographic differences that can be used to target professional development. The study concludes with a recommendation to conduct larger sample sizes and additional validation phases to refine the instrument further and improve its applicability in different educational contexts.

ABSTRACT: The study examined how applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations and using mathematical history as teaching strategies affect students’ performance in mathematics. It also investigated the impact of students’ perceptions and teaching and learning materials on these relationships. This study is important because it offers insights into how context-based and historically grounded teaching methods can enhance mathematics achievement, informing more effective and culturally relevant instructional practices. Conducted with a cross-sectional survey design, the study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 579 secondary school students across six schools in the Kwabre East district, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in Amos (v.23) software. Results indicated that applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations positively and significantly influenced students’ performance. Incorporating the history of mathematics did not directly impact performance but was fully mediated by students’ perceptions. Additionally, students’ perceptions partially mediated the link between real-life application and performance. The use of teaching and learning materials moderated both the relationship between real-life application and students’ perceptions and the relationship between history of mathematics and students’ perceptions.

ABSTRACT: Anxiety about learning mathematics and accompanying low grades in mathematics has caused many students to the extent that they wish never to learn mathematics again. This level of apathy epitomised by students’ demotivated participation and low performance in learning mathematics reflects the general level of learning despondency among adolescent students. Although the literature suggests that the tide of learning despondency can be assuaged if students’ achievement motivation is heightened, studies exploring the mathematics achievement motivation of high school students in Ghana are scarce. To address this gap in the literature, this study, conducted within a positivist paradigm, focused on examining the relationship between perceived mathematics learning, achievement motivation, and mathematics anxiety while controlling for learning styles and gender of 322 high school students. The results showed that the motivation to strive and the motivation to participate were respectively the most substantial and minor drivers of students’ mathematics achievement motivation. Based on the correlation and regression analysis, achievement motivation positively predicted mathematics learning whiles both achievement motivation and mathematics learning were negatively related to mathematics anxiety. The study’s results further showed that mathematics anxiety dampened the extent to which achievement motivation positively influenced mathematics learning in the regression analysis.