Factors influencing students’ academic achievement in mathematics: A case of Kaffa Zone Tello Woreda Oda Primary School

Abstract

Academic achievement of students at the primary school level was a foundation for acquiring educational skills, materials, and knowledge, usually spanning a variety of disciplines.  Understanding the factors affecting mathematics achievement at primary school was important for deciding on the teaching and learning process of mathematics in secondary and higher education. This study investigated the factors that influence the academic achievement of students in mathematics in Kaffa Zone Tello Woreda Oda primary school. The target groups for this study were 318 grades 5- 8 students. This group was sampled using stratified sampling techniques, and the sample size was 160 students. The data was collected using questionnaires, student interviews, and a teacher questionnaire.  The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression models using a statistical package for social science (SPSS version 20). The finding of this study indicates that students’ academic achievement in mathematics is significantly related to students’ attitudes towards mathematics, studying systems of mathematics, math-test anxiety, and learning resources of mathematics. The significant relation of academic achievement with the predictor variables accounts for 56.8% of the variance.  This indicates that the prominent factors for academic achievement in mathematics were students’ attitude towards mathematics, studying system of mathematics, math-test anxiety, and learning resources of mathematics. The other factors investigated by descriptive statistics were parents' educational background, parents' occupation, and teacher-related factors such as teachers' attitudes towards the subject, teachers' methodology, and teaching strategies.  Generally, the factors influencing the academic achievement of students at the primary school level were students’ attitudes towards mathematics, studying system of mathematics, math-test anxiety, learning resources of mathematics, parents’ educational background, and parents’ occupation, teachers’ attitude towards the subject, teachers’ methodology and teaching strategies. Finally, the researchers suggested that the concerned bodies should take measures of these factors that influence the academic achievement of mathematics at the primary school level to boost the students’ academic achievement in mathematics.