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Open Access Article

Factors Influencing Mathematics Achievement of University Students of Social Sciences

Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor, SI-4000 Kranj, Slovenia

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 29 October 2020 / Revised: 23 November 2020 / Accepted: 25 November 2020 / Published: 1 December 2020

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate the main factors influencing the mathematics achievement of social sciences university students in Slovenia. A conceptual model was derived where three categories of variables were taken into account: attitude towards mathematics and math anxiety, engagement in learning activities, and attitude towards involving technology in learning mathematics. Data were collected for seven consecutive academic years and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results showed a very high coefficient of determination for mathematics achievement (0.801), indicating that variables "Perceived Level of Math Anxiety", "Self-Engagement in Mathematics Course at University", and "Perceived Usefulness of Technology in Learning Mathematics", together, explain 80.1% of the total variance. Based on our findings, we can conclude that teaching in secondary school is a crucial determinant for success in mathematics at university. It is essential to identify the best methods for secondary school math teachers which will help them give future students better entry-level knowledge for universities. These methods will, hopefully, also improve the level of mathematics self-confidence, as well as lower the level of math anxiety, which all considerably affect the performance of students in university mathematics. View Full-Text

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MDPI and ACS Style

Brezavšček, A.; Jerebic, J.; Rus, G.; Žnidaršič, A. Factors Influencing Mathematics Achievement of University Students of Social Sciences. Mathematics 2020, 8, 2134. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8122134

AMA Style

Brezavšček A, Jerebic J, Rus G, Žnidaršič A. Factors Influencing Mathematics Achievement of University Students of Social Sciences. Mathematics. 2020; 8(12):2134. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8122134

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brezavšček, Alenka, Janja Jerebic, Gregor Rus, and Anja Žnidaršič. 2020. "Factors Influencing Mathematics Achievement of University Students of Social Sciences" Mathematics 8, no. 12: 2134. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8122134

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