Attitudes and Academic Performance of Grade 6 Students in Learning Mathematics: Conceptual Understanding in the Context of Education

A systematic approach to problem solving is one of mathematics' primary goals in order to make it easier to address comparable challenges in a similar manner. Every day, mathematics plays a fundamental role. An increased degree of conceptual understanding in Mathematics can influence higher academic performance. This study aimed to investigate and determine the level of understanding and the students’ attitudes towards their academic performance in learning mathematics. The study was conducted in the academic year 2022–2023 at Dimasalang Elementary School in the District of San Luis I, Division of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. This research was to serve as the foundation for developing or establishing a bridge program for incoming sixth graders at the mentioned school. Moreover, the study employed a quantitative approach with descriptive correlational research designed. The participants of the study were composed of students in the abovementioned school; the actual respondents were gathered using the complete enumeration sampling. Based on the findings, the level of conceptual understanding of Grade 6 pupils in learning mathematics, had the overall mean score of 78.13 with a standard deviation of 27.74, which had the descriptive interpretation of approaching. Therein, the average scores of the learners who took the examination ranged from 24 to 43 out of 50-item knowledge test. Thus, the academic performance had a significance value of 0.089. The attitudes pertained with (sig=0.000), while the conceptual understanding obtained with 0.452 significance value. The attitude towards learning mathematics had the greatest degree of influence with beta weights of (0.264), (t=4.123), and p-value of 0.000. Which indicates its significance level at 0.01 level. Moreover, the conceptual understanding of Grade 6 pupils in learning mathematics with beta-weights of (0.216), (t=-3.088), and probability of 0.452. This signifies that the more positive the attitude towards mathematics the stronger is the performance in mathematics. The results of the study would be the basis of what kind of intervention program should be designed and implemented that could improve students conceptual understanding and attitude towards mathematics.