An Examination of Mathematics Performance in Jamaica: Insight into the basis for low enrolment in Mathematics at the tertiary level

Abstract

In Jamaica, there is a tendency to place the bulk of formal education for students in schools. Parents, particularly at the primary level, owe most of their children’s success to the involvement of the schools. The issue of solely blaming teachers is a scapegoat for the lethargic role that many parents have played (or not) in their children’s academic life. The education of a child, especially at the primary level, should not be left to the teachers and/or administrators at schools as parents have more influence in the success of their children than teachers and this must be recognized by them to transform the dismally low performance at the primary level. The objective of this study is to evaluate factors that influence G-SAT performance in mathematics, and as such provide a bedrock for understanding deficiency in the subject area. The current study employs panel data using the 2017 GSAT results from Manchester and St Elizabethin Region 5 (i.e., Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth). The data were provided by the Ministry of Education of some 4,912 candidates who wrote the 2017 G-SAT examination in March. Results were obtained for candidates excluding their data including names on the five subjects they sat in April 2017-1) Language Arts (or English); 2) Communication Task; 3) Science;4) Mathematics, and 5) Social Studies. For this study a model will be built to evaluate 1) whether Language Arts, Communication Tasks, Science and Social Studies have a significant predictive influence on Mathematics performance, and 2) the extent of the predictability of each significant factor on Mathematics performance. The aim is to provide critical information on what affects Mathematics performance and thereby allow tertiary administrators to grasp the challenges of candidates in Mathematics to frame a solution to address the problem of dismally low performance in the discipline. The current research reveals that G-SAT Mathematics performance is influenced by performance in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Age and lastly Communication Tasks. The five predictors account for 83.9% of the variance in mathematics performance. Of the five subjects, previously listed, Social Studies contributed the most to the performance in mathematics (79.3%) followed by Language Arts (3.6%), Science (0.7%), Age (0.1%) and lastly Communication Task (0.0%). It can be deduced from the findings that Language and Social Studies hold the keys to performance in mathematics, with the latter being the main predictor. Students at the primary level must be properly taught and socialized to value scholastic achievements, especially in mathematics. Teachers and the policymakers at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information as well as teacher education departments at higher education institutions must realize that a joint approach is required to solve the math problems being experienced by students. The data is indicating that at least in Region 5 in 2017, students are more likely to perform better in mathematics if they are performing in other subject areas.