Context Based Mathematics Problem Solving: Cognitive and Affective Effects on BIT and BS VOC-Tech Students

This context based Mathematics problem solving has been shown to have direct efforts on students’ bearing. This study compares the cognitive and affective effects of the Context-Based and Traditional approach on voc-tech students from the two programs. Quantitative data were collected using a Pretest and Posttest examination in mathematics problem solving to assess the levels of students’ problem solving performance and an attitude, beliefs and confidence (A-B-C) questionnaire to assess the voc-tech students’ attitude, belief and confidence. For qualitative analysis, the students’ journals, interview responses, and the teacher−observers’ and raters’ notes and comments were analyzed. The results showed that the students have a very low analytic level and limited content knowledge in mathematics prior the intervention. However, the context-based approach enhanced the students’ problem solving skills as exhibited by the numerically higher scores and improvement in the quality of the experimental class’ solutions and responses to the problem solving posttest. After the treatment, statistical tests revealed that the contextbased approach had a significant effect on the voc-tech students on certain topics of mathematics in terms of approach, program and ability level. Results also revealed that the experimental group showed a significant improvement in their attitude and beliefs in mathematics problem solving compared to their counterparts in the control group. Comparing the posttest results by program, the BS students are significantly higher than the BIT students in their overall problem solving scores as well as the BIT and BS students in the experimental class. Keywords - Mathematics, context based, Mathematics problem solving, attitude, belief, confidence, Voc-tech students, Iloilo, Philippines