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63
Vol. 4 September 2016
University of Bohol Multidisciplinary Research Journal
Print ISSN 2350-7853 · Online ISSN 2362-9223
Mathematics Grades as Correlates
to Performance in Asian Psychological
Services and Assessment (APSA)
MARIBETH DUSAL-ALPUERTO
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4849-3652
mdalpuerto@universityofbohol.edu.ph
ELIJAH L. SALES
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7248-4230
elsales@universityofbohol.edu.ph
ABSTRACT
The Asian Psychological Services and Assessment, Inc. (APSA)
is an institution conducting a diagnostic test of core subjects that
includes Mathematics. Taking into account the importance of the
subject, the researchers conducted a study on students’ performance
in Math. The study sought to find if the mathematics grade is a correlator
of APSA rating by testing the relationship between the final grade
and APSA diagnostic test results. The researchers employed
the quantitative method using documentary analysis on the existing
records as to academic performance and APSA result. The subjects of
the study were the 587 students of University of Bohol High School
across the four grade levels. The data obtained were then subjected
to statistical treatments using coefficient of correlation, t-test, and
analysis of variance. Results revealed that there was a
significant correlation between the grades and APSA results
in Mathematics, while APSA results in the four levels varied
significantly. This means that students with low final grades in math
are likely to obtain low performance in APSA. The variance in the APSA
results among the four levels implied that the trend differs -
distributions of proficiency were different in the four levels.
64
Keywords - Education, Mathematics, academic performance,
diagnostic test, APSA, quantitative analysis, Bohol, Philippines, Asia
INTRODUCTION
Mathematics is one of the most important subjects in the education
curriculum worldwide and is taught in all levels. Studies have shown that
educators see mathematics as being closely linked and integral to science
and technology subjects (McCormick and Murphy, 1998). In the Trends in
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and International Association
for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) 2003 report, alarming
facts for the participating countries such as the Philippines were revealed.
The data showed that Filipino students’ poor performance in mathematics
has placed the country in the 36th rank out of 38 nations (Sangcap, 2010).
In the K to 12 Philippine Education curriculum, Mathematics is
considered one of the core subjects. In the new curriculum, the
conceptual framework of Mathematics gives greater emphasis on critical
thinking and problem solving as its twin goals. These two goals are to be
achieved with organized and rigorous curriculum content, a well-defined
set of high-level skills and processes, desirable values and attitudes, and
appropriate tools, taking into account the different contexts of Filipino
learners. One edge of any education institution is having a curriculum
which conforms to the national norms and international standards.
Hence, the University of Bohol administration engaged the services of
Asian Psychological Services and Assessment (APSA) to handle the
standardized assessment.
Taking into account the importance of the subject and the alarming
low performance of the students in math, the researchers sought to
know if the student’s final grade predicts the APSA rating.
FRAMEWORK
Several theories and studies on math learning and achievement have
been posited and extracted to give substance to this study. The learning -
cognitive theory of Piaget explains how knowledge is constructed in
the human being. It is when information comes into contact with existing
knowledge that has been developed by experiences (Piaget & Cook,
1952).
University of Bohol Multidisciplinary Research Journal
65
College performance and future careers of the students are greatly
inuenced by the students’ mathematical performance in secondary
schools. Having a solid background in mathematics enables students
to develop sophisticated life perspectives and access to more career
options. Mathematics is a subject that is indispensable academically,
professionally and in daily life. If a student is having difculty in math in the
lower level, failure to remedy it immediately could result in the mathematics
difculties worsening over time, thus hindering students from fully realizing
their academic potential (Tambychik & Meera, 2010). Hence, academic
performance in Math should be closely monitored. Although, Mathematics
is a subject abhorred by many students, still it is an interesting eld to be
studied especially since it is one of the core subjects in the curriculum.
The standard competencies learned by the student can be
assessed using national examinations or diagnostic tests at the end of
the school year. It is done to measure the achievement of the students
within the school year. Such assessment could either come from the
government or private institution (Magno & Piosang, 2016). Standardized
assessment is an effective tool to measure students’ achievement and
can be used to help them make progress (Mons, 2009). Principals view
standardized test as a viable tool for identifying remedial activities,
differentiating instructions, and identifying students with exceptional
needs (Dodge, 2007). Standards-Based Assessment (SBA) is done by
comparing each student’s rating to national or international standards.
National tests are commonly standards-based since the competencies
tested are based in the curriculum. The general intention of SBA is to
focus more on the learning competencies of each learner. For the
assessment to be standards-based, it should be aligned with the
students’ learning competencies (Magno & Piosang, 2016).
Noting the importance of academic performance in Mathematics
and the assessment of achievement, this research seeks to delve
into the relationship between the nal grade & APSA rating of the high
school students of the University of Bohol. The study aims at exploring
the possibility that the nal grade in Math as the measure of academic
performance is a predictor of diagnostic test rating.
International Peer Reviewed Journal
66
Rating/ Description
Grade 7
N = 134
Grade 8
N = 150
Grade 9
N = 153
Fourth Year
N = 150
F%R F %R F %R F %R
Advanced (90-above) A 3 2.24 5 22 14.67 3 31 20.26 429 19.33 4
Procient (85 – 89) P 23 17.16 3 54 36.00 2 43 28.10 2 37 24.67 3
Approaching
Prociency (80 – 84)
AP
42 31.34 2 58 38.67 145 29.41 141 27.33 2
Developing (75 – 79) D 59 44.03 115 10.00 4 34 22.22 3 43 28.67 1
Beginning
(74-below) B 7 5.23 4 1 0.66 50 0 50 0 5
Mean 80.04 AP 84.65 AP 84.35 AP 83.55 AP
F Above Mean 59 76 74 75
F Below Mean 75 74 79 75
University of Bohol Multidisciplinary Research Journal
METHODOLOGY
The study employed the documentary analysis of the existing pertinent
data of the students’ academic performance and their APSA test
results. The complete enumeration method was used. The subjects were
the 587 students of University of Bohol High School across all levels who
were enrolled for the School Year 2014-2015. The gathered data were
then analyzed using correlation, t-test, and analysis of variance.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Mathematics Academic Performance of Students
Table 1 depicts the summary of the students’ academic
performance in the four year levels. The academic performance was
the final grade of students in Mathematics in the School Year
2014-2015. It is categorized into Advanced, Proficient,
Approaching Proficiency, Developing, and Beginning according to the
grade range pursuant to the Department of Education (DepEd) DO 31, s.
2012 on the grading system.
Table 1. Students’ Mathematics academic performance
67
Table 2. Students’ APSA Mathematics Performance
Rating/ Description
Grade 7
N = 134
Grade 8
N = 150
Grade 9
N = 153
Fourth Year
N = 150
F%R F %R F %R F %R
Highly Procient/
Excellent (90-110) 10.75 4 0 0 3.5 0 0 3.5 0 0 3.5
Procient (80-89) 6 4.48 30 0 3.5 0 0 3.5 0 0 3.5
Progressing Towards
Standards (70-79) 71 53 197 65 1 84 55 1 66 44 2
Not Met Standards
(50-69) 56 41.79 2 53 35 2 69 45 2 84 56 1
Mean
70.99
Progressing
Towards
Standards
70.13
Progressing
Towards
Standards
69.61
Not Met
Standards
69.38
Not Met
Standards
F Above Mean 69 82 84 66
F Below Mean 65 68 69 84
Correlation between the students’ Mathematics academic
performance and APSA results
To determine whether there is significant correlation between the
students’ Mathematics academic performance and APSA result, the data
were subjected to Pearson Product Moment Coefcient of Correlation.
Further validation for the significant values, t-test was used. Table 3
depicts the correlation tests between the Mathematics final grade and
APSA test rating of the four grade levels.
International Peer Reviewed Journal
Mathematics Performance of Students as to the APSA Results
The Mathematics performance of students as to the Asian
Psychological Services and Assessment, Inc. (APSA) results were
the transmuted scaled assessment score (SAS) results of the
standards- based assessment taken by the students of the University of
Bohol High School. It was done to validate the performance of the
students with reference to the national standards in the core
subjects – English, Mathematics, and Science. Table 2 presents
the Mathematics performance of the high school students as to the
APSA results in the four year levels.
Table 2. Students’ APSA Mathematics performance
68
Table 3: Summary of the correlation between
the Mathematics academic performance and APSA results
of the four grade/year levels
Grade/ Year
Level
Academic
Performance
APSA
Performance r
Critical Value
at 0.05 Level of
Signicance
Remarks
Grade 7 80.04 70.99 0.622785 0.1946 Signicant
Grade 8 84.65 70.13 0.23655 0.1946 Signicant
Grade 9 84.35 69.61 0.165303 0.1946 Insignicant
Fourth Year 83.55 69.38 0.26725 0.1946 Signicant
Analysis of variance in the Four Grade/Year Levels as to the APSA
results
Tables 4 and 5 present the analysis of variance one-way classification
in the four grade/year levels as to the APSA results. The obtained F value
5.09 was greater than the critical value of 2.60 at 0.05 level of
significance with 3 and 583 degrees of freedom, thus, the null
hypothesis was rejected. The APSA results of the students in the four
grade/year levels varied significantly. The significant variance was
further tested using the Scheffe’s test. The difference lied between the
Grades 7 and 9 pairing and also that of the Grade 7 and Fourth Year
pairing.
Except for Grade 9, there were significant correlations between
academic performance and performance in APSA for Grades 7, 8 and
Fourth Year. The higher the academic performance, the higher
the performance in APSA was found. This implied that the APSA is a
reliable test to measure performance.
Table 4: ANOVA one-way classification in the four grade/year
levels as to APSA results
Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Fourth Year Total
N134 150 153 150 587
Mean 70.99 70.13 69.61 69.38 70.00
Source of
Variation SS df MS Computed
FRemarks Critical Value
at 0.05
Column
Mean 215.09 3 71.70 5.09 >2.60
Error 8215.91 583 14.09 Signicant
Total 8431 586 Ho: Reject
University of Bohol Multidisciplinary Research Journal
69
Between Treatments Mean 1 Mean 2 F’ F(0.05)(K-1) Interpretation
Grade 7 Grade 8 70.99 70.13 3.7147 7.8 Insignicant
Grade 7 Grade 9 70.99 69.61 9.6572 7.8 Signicant
Grade 7 Fourth Year 70.99 69.38 13.0191 7.8 Signicant
Grade 8 Grade 9 70.13 69.61 1.4538 7.8 Insignicant
Grade 8 Fourth Year 70.13 69.38 2.9936 7.8 Insignicant
Grade 9 Fourth Year 69.61 69.38 0.2844 7.8 Insignicant
CONCLUSION
The academic performance in Mathematics based on the final
grades of the students from the Grades 8 & 9 were on the
Approaching Proficiency level, while those from the Grades 7 and
Fourth Year were on the Developing level which in general was not
considered good performance. As to the APSA test, the students
generally obtained below passing marks. This concurred with the study
of Alcuizar (2016) which stated that if the academic performance is low,
the result of standardized test is likely to be low as well.
Overall, the final grade in Mathematics was significantly correlated
with the APSA test result. It implied that the Mathematics subject grade
is a predictor to APSA rating.
As to the significant result of the variance in the APSA test result of
the four year levels, it must have been due to the gap between the Grades
7 and Fourth Year. The trends of ratings in the levels varied, possibly
due to low Mathematics performance.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that the carrying out of
the competencies indicated in the Mathematics syllabus should strictly
be ensured. Timely submission and checking of lesson
plans, auditing of competencies covered, as well as monitoring of
delivery should be regularly observed.
Improving Mathematics instruction is a must. Subject teachers should
undergo retooling. Thus, training on new teaching strategies and classroom
management styles are highly needed. Furthermore, it is also recom-
International Peer Reviewed Journal
Table 5: Multiple comparisons using Scheffe’s test in the four
grade/year levels as to APSA results
70
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University of Bohol Multidisciplinary Research Journal
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REFERENCES CITED
Alcuizar, R. M. (2016). Determinants of low academic performance
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International Peer Reviewed Journal
