Mathematics mentoring of parents and pupils' academic performance as context to development of learning plans

Abstract

This study was conducted to ascertain the impact of parents' mathematical knowledge through the mentoring program and their children's academic performance. Employing the quasi-experimental matching-only pretest-posttest design, the two sections in Grade Four and their parents were part of the study but the mathematics mentoring was only employed to the 25 parents of the grade four section two pupils of Doña Agustina Barrera Memorial School in Brgy. Madalag,E. B. Magalona, Negros Occidental. For the quantitative part, this study made use of validated and reliable instruments, namely: Mathematics Performance Test (MPT), and the two sets of Six Enhanced Learning Plans in English, one set all written and discussed in English while the other set contained portions translated in the language that was both understandable to the parents and the pupils. For qualitative data, interview schedule was conducted to gather information from the pupils, parents, with their neighbors, and their mathematics teacher. Before the intervention, the mentored parents' mathematical knowledge was average and when grouped according to age, young parents had an average level, while the old parents had low level. When grouped according to number of, those with few children had low mathematical knowledge while those who have many children had average level. For their educational attainment, the parents who belonged to the elementary level and tertiary levels obtained an average mathematical knowledge while those parents in the secondary level obtained a low level. After the intervention, a high mathematical knowledge was obtained by the parents when taken as a whole and when grouped according to number of children. The young parents' mathematical knowledge became average and high for the old parents. The mathematical level of those who belonged in the elementary and tertiary levels became high while average for those in the secondary level. For the not mentored parents, an average level of mathematical knowledge was obtained before and after the intervention. As for the pupils' academic performance , they possessed an average knowledge in mathematics before and after the intervention. For inferential analysis, a no significant difference in the mathematical knowledge of the mentored parents was noted before the intervention when they were grouped according to age, number of children, and educational attainment. However, after the intervention, a significant difference occurred between those who reached the elementary and tertiary levels, and also between those who reached the secondary and tertiary levels. For the not mentored parents, a no significant difference was noted in their mathematical knowledge before and after the intervention when grouped according to age, number of children, and educational attainment. A significant difference existed in the mean gain of the mathematical knowledge between the mentored and not mentored parents. For the academic performance of the pupils with mentored and not mentored parents, a significant difference existed. A low positive correlation existed in the parents' mathematical knowledge and the pupils' academic performance. Quality time with children, putting responsibility on the teacher, favoring gambling than teaching children, nanay-teacher at home, and education for parents evolved when the pupils , parents, and people living near them were interviewed. The researcher's experiences with the parents led the development of the LEAD ( Learn to Earn an Authentic Diploma ) Theory to help not only children, but most especially the parents who were not able to finish a tertiary degree.