INFLUENCE OF MOTHER TONGUE AND PERSONALITY TRAIT AS CORRELATE OF SELF-EFFICACY AND INTEREST OF UNDERGRADUATE TOWARDS MATHEMATICS IN ONDO STATE
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of mother tongue and personality traits on the self-efficacy and interest of undergraduates in mathematics.
The research adopted a correlational design, involving a sample of 281 undergraduate students (105 male, 176 female) from three universities in Ondo State, Nigeria. Participants completed a self-efficacy scale, a mathematics interest inventory, a personality trait questionnaire, and a demographic survey that included their mother tongue, applying Pearson’s correlation analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for its interpretation.
The Pearson correlation analysis for research question one revealed a significant positive relationship between the influence of mother tongue and the self-efficacy of undergraduates towards mathematics (r = .975, p < 0.01). Research question two analysis showed significant correlations between self-efficacy and the personality traits of undergraduates towards mathematics (r = .926, p < 0.01). A statistically significant relationship was found in research question three between the influence of mother tongue and the interest of undergraduates towards mathematics; it shows that there is a significant relationship between the influence of mother tongue and the interest of undergraduates towards mathematics (r = .879, p < 0.01). Significant relationships were also found between interest and the personality traits of undergraduates towards mathematics (r = .994, p < 0.01). Hypotheses five and six (r = .914, p < 0.01 and r = .971, p < 0.01 respectively) emphasize that the combined influence of mother tongue and personality traits provides a powerful predictive model for both self-efficacy and interest of undergraduates towards mathematics.
The study concluded a significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and interest in mathematics. Furthermore, conscientiousness and openness to experience personality traits were positively and significantly correlated with both self-efficacy and interest in mathematics. The findings carry profound implications for educational practice. The project’s ultimate recommendation is the powerful insight that academic success is a product of an intricate interplay between a student’s cultural identity and their inner disposition, a reality that must be embraced to foster a new generation of confident and engaged learners. The findings reveal that personality traits are strong predictors of students’ self-efficacy and interest in mathematics.
Key Words: interest in mathematics, Mother tongue, Personality, Self-efficacy, Traits.
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