Invloed van werkhouding op rekenprestaties in de groepen 7 en 8 gemodereerd door sekse.

Abstract

Mathematics is an important skill that is taught in primary school. Mathematical skills are essential for functioning well in society. In recent years, the math performance of students in the Netherlands has decreased, which is why it is important to understand the factors that influence mathematical ability in order to achieve success in math development. Two factors that influence math development are student effort and disruptive classroom behavior. Through factor analysis, effort and disruptive behavior have been combined into one variable “work attitude”. This study examines the extent to which work attitude predicts math performance in grade 7 and whether this predictor continues over time, while controlling for previous math performance. Additionally, the study examines whether the relationship between work attitude and math performance is moderated by gender. The study was conducted using existing data from 330 participants (160 girls and 170 boys) and their teachers. Math ability was measured using the Cito Mathematics test for grade 7 and grade 8. Work attitude was measured using the Cool5-18 questionnaire, which was administered to the participants' teachers. The results of the study show that work attitude is a significant weak positive predictor of math performance. However, work attitude is not a significant predictor of math performance over time after controlling for previous math performance. Previous math performance appears to be a significant strong predictor of later math performance. Furthermore, the relationship between work attitude and math performance is not moderated by gender. Therefore, the focus should be more on previous math performance rather than work attitude.