Socioeconomic versus education input variables as related to grade VI arithmetic achievement in rural Newfoundland

Noel, Raftus Colum (1970) Socioeconomic versus education input variables as related to grade VI arithmetic achievement in rural Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether socioeconomic variables were more highly related to arithmetic achievement among grade VI pupils of rural Newfoundland than were certain educational input variables. In addition, the relationships between arithmetic achievement and sex, intelligence, reading ability, mother's education, father's occupation, size of family, absenteeism, classroom enrolment, teachers' qualifications, and the age of the school building were investigated. -- Data were collected, during the month of May, 1968, by means of two questionnaires and three standardized tests, from 77 teachers, 684 parents and 684 students; all resident in the two Electoral Districts of Trinity North and Trinity South. -- Descriptive and statistical analyses were made of the data thus collected. The statistical procedures used to test the hypotheses included "t" tests, Pearson product-moment correlations, partial Pearson product-moment correlations and multiple correlations. -- The major finding of this study revealed that the combined socioeconomic variables were more closely associated with and thus explained more of the variance on arithmetic achievement than did the combined educational variables. Girls were found to score significantly higher than boys on arithmetic problem solving but no significant difference was found between the scores of these two groups on arithmetic concepts. Intelligence, reading ability, mother's education and father's occupation were all found to be significantly related to pupils' scores on both measures of arithmetic achievement. Size or family was found to be more closely associated with the arithmetic achievement of girls than of boys. No significant relationships were found between arithmetic achievement and absenteeism. With the exception of girls on arithmetic concepts, no significant relationships were found between teachers' qualifications and arithmetic achievement. Neither the classroom enrolment nor the age of the school building showed any significant relationships with arithmetic achievement. Intelligence and reading ability were found to be the most important variables associated with the arithmetic achievement of students used in the study. -- The major finding suggest the need for educators to consider, when devising or implementing any arithmetic program, the socioeconomic background of the student population to be served. Compensatory education should be provided for students who come from the lower socioeconomic strata of society, and the present provincial government's policy of providing adult continuation classes should be extended to all areas of the province. -- Since the level of arithmetic achievement was found to depend to an important degree on the students ability to read, any improvement in this aspect of the curriculum should bring a corresponding improvement in the level of arithmetic achievement.

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