Student´s perceptions of mathematical ability development in the classroom and its relationship to academic achievement

Abstract

The low results obtained by Colombian students in international tests such as PISA or TIMSS have revealed the existence of weaknesses in the effectiveness of the education offered in our country in areas such as Reading, Mathematics and Science. In the particular case of Mathematics, a variety of research has been developed, some with students, others with teachers, others on the evaluation process and others on the characteristics of pedagogical practices and/or didactic resources used by teachers in order to motivate their students and thus improve the effectiveness of the teaching process. This research takes a look at the mathematical processes defined by the NCTM and intends to determine their implementation in the classroom in the opinion of the students, for this purpose a sample of 1737 students from nine

public institutions located in four districts of the city of San José de Cúcuta, Norte de Santander was formed. A quantitative approach was adopted at a descriptive level for which the survey was used as an instrument for data collection, suggesting a list of 47 items rated on a Likert scale where the activities that should ideally be promoted to enhance each mathematical process were characterized. The results allowed identifying that there were no statistically significant differences in the students’ opinions among the different levels of academic performance, allowing the identification of strengths   and   weaknesses in the mathematics teaching process. It is concluded that the liking for the subject is statistically correlated with the level of academic performance achieved by the student, and it is necessary for teachers to continue promoting mathematical processes in the classroom to achieve the goal of guaranteeing an education that forms mathematically competent students.