Influence of Teaching Approaches on Senior High School Students' Mathematical Mindset and their Achievement in Core Mathematics

Abstract

The study examined the influence of teaching approaches on students' mathematical mindsets and their achievement in Core Mathematics among public Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region. A co-relational ex post facto research design was used for this study. A total sample of 384 respondents was involved in this study. Two sets of questionnaires were employed for the study. Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of teaching approaches and mathematical mindset questionnaires were used for this study. In addition, students’ achievement scores for Core Mathematics were also used for this study. The data for this study was analysed by using mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed possible influences between the teaching approaches and students’ mathematical mindsets. That is, students taught with a more student-centred approach were found to generally possess a growth mindset while those identified to possess a more fixed mindset were mostly students taught using a more teacher-centred approach. Also, a significant relationship was found between students’ mathematical mindsets and their academic achievement in learning Core Mathematics among some of the schools. The study recommends that teachers should adopt the student-centred approach to teaching since it has the potential to shape students’ learning towards a strong growth mindset.