CHAPTE V

IMPLICATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, CONCLUSIONS

Introduction
This chapter will discuss the findings of the study, implications for
educators, and recommendations for future research.
Summary of Findings
The finding of this study was that 37 percent of the eighth grade
students who took the survey disliked math. This is a large percentage and
indicates how widespread the problem may be. Wilkins and Ma (2003)
found that students’ attitudes toward math became less positive as they
entered high school. Since 37 percent already dislike math when they
leave middle school and they get even less positive in high school, its no
wonder that there is such a widespread dislike of math.
There was a highly significant correlation (p<.01) of those students
who did not like math and those that indicated they weren’t good at math.
This agrees with the highly significant correlation (P<.01) between the
students answers on the survey and their expected grade in their current
math class. One possible reason students say they’re not good at math is
may be that they had at least one year they fell behind. Table 2 shows that
5 of the 18 students who dislike math agreed strongly with that statement.
Also, answers on the open-ended question asking about their best and
worst experiences in math were overwhelmingly related to achievement
(test scores, grades, understanding). This indicates that students’
achievement in math is an important factor in whether or not they like
math. Therefore, this suggests students place a lot of emphasis on
extrinsic motivation. In this case, extrinsic motivation can lead to a
negative attitude toward math.
Affective anxiety also had significant correlations with the dislike of
math. Affective anxiety can be described as nervousness, fear, dread, or
tension (Ho et al., 2000). The two questions: “I dread having to do math”
and “I’m afraid to answer questions in math class” had significant
correlations (p<.01 and p<.05 respectively) with “I don’t like math.”
There were some other interesting correlations that may shed some
light on why students dislike math. The question: “The personality of the
math teacher is not important,” relates to the affective environment of the
classroom and had significant correlations to “Math is too hard”, “When
taking a math test, I usually feel nervous and uneasy” (highly significant),
“I’m afraid to ask questions in math class” (highly significant), “I’m afraid
to answer questions in math class”, and “I will only take math courses that
are required” (highly significant). These results suggest that the affective
environment in the classroom (in this case the teachers personality) plays
an important role in the students’ affective anxiety, future plans of the
students, and their perception of the difficulty of math.
Previous research has indicated that students with negative attitudes
will avoid taking math classes that are not required or choosing a career in
a math related field. For example, Schiefele & Csikszentmihalyi (1995)
stated “One of the most important reasons for nurturing a positive attitude
in mathematics is that it may increase one’s tendency to elect
mathematics courses in high school and college and possibly to elect
careers in a math related field” (p. 177). The definition of dislike for this
study is the desire to avoid math classes. The last correlation discussed
relates to that definition. The question: “I will only take math courses that
are required” had significant correlations with the teacher personality, lack
of interest (boring), anxiety, and perceived ability.
Implications for Educators
The results of this study suggests that educators should focus on
improving the classroom affective environment, addressing affective
anxiety, and reducing the effects of negative extrinsic motivation in order
to foster positive attitudes in math. The students gave some interesting
suggestions on how to make math more enjoyable. They were play more
math games, have some fun activities, make it interesting/relevant, have
some group activities, use real life examples, and less homework. All of
these suggestions address the results of this study. In discussions with the
classes, the idea of bringing in professionals in various fields (not just
math/science) was offered. The students seemed to like the idea and it
would help them envision where math fits in the “big picture.” The
students were asked whether they would like and/or use a homework “chat
room” where the teacher would be available during certain times to
answer questions. The students seemed very receptive and excited about
the idea. Since most students had Internet access and since “instant
messaging” is so popular with the students this may be an innovative way
to get them interested in doing homework. One eighth teacher indicated
that in eighth grade the requirements and amount of curriculum to cover
increased greatly over sixth or seventh grades. Thus, she felt she didn’t
have time to engage in most of the students’ suggestions such as playing
math games. This is a conundrum a lot of teachers face.
Educators should look for ways to foster positive attitudes in
students at all grade levels, but since a negative attitude toward math is
evident by eighth grade, educators at earlier grade levels should help
students build positive identities as math learners. For those students who
dislike math, focusing on the students understanding instead of grades
may help counter the negative effects of extrinsic motivation. The results
of this study agree with the findings of Stipek et al. (2000) which found
students enjoyment and positive emotions toward math were higher when
there was a focus on improvement and mastery over grades. To address
the problem of students’ affective anxiety (e.g. being afraid to answer
questions in math class), teachers should focus on creating an emotionally
safe environment where students feel comfortable and know they won’t be
looked down upon by the teacher or other students if they get the answer
wrong or don’t understand. Since falling behind may be reason students
say they aren’t good at math and therefore don’t like math, teachers
should strive to make sure as many students as possible obtain mastery of
the subject. Tutoring is now available in most schools (including the middle
school surveyed) and should be encouraged and expanded. Peer tutoring
during class time or group work may help those students who are falling
behind. Math skills build on earlier skills and understanding and become
more complex.
Limitations
The survey was conducted at only one school and only 49 of the
approximately 90 eighth graders participated. The school is ethnically
(98% white) and economically (low to middle income) homogeneous
providing no diversity.
Summary
The results suggest that the reasons students dislike math are
related to the negative effects of extrinsic motivation, affective anxiety
and the affective environment of the classroom.
Recommendations for Future Research
Since the dislike of math is evident in eighth grade, future research
should focus on when students begin to dislike math. Research should also
study the effects of interventions suggested for effectiveness.
Conclusion
This chapter discussed the results and findings of the survey,
implications for educators, and recommendations for future research. With
the widespread dislike of math and focus of government and the society
on improving math and science achievement, educators should focus on
changing these negative attitudes