Discriminant analysis of psycho-social predictors of mathematics achievement of gifted students in Nigeria

Abstract

The disturbing issue of mathematics underachievement among gifted students seems more like a mystery than a reality and therefore calls for urgent intervention. This is why this study was motivated to investigate the psycho-social predictors that are reliable in discriminating potential achievers and underachieving gifted students in Mathematics. The study is a causal comparative study of 154 gifted SSII students purposively selected through multi-stage screening form 15 secondary schools in Calabar education zone, Cross River State, Nigeria. The discriminant analysis was used to answer the four research questions set to guide the study. There were three main instruments used in the study; the adapted Slosson Intelligence Test Revised (SIT-R r= 0.89) edition, Psycho-Social Scale for Adolescent (PSSA; r=.72, .69, .76, .78, .68, .73 and .73 for the sub-scales) and mathematics Achievement Test (MAT; r=.78).The result of the data analysis revealed that selected psycho-social variables: mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics interest, mathematics task commitment, peer influence, parental influence and mathematics career aspiration) significantly and reliably predict and classify gifted students into mathematics potential achievers and underachievers with the exception of the students' general intelligence. The findings show that there are more gifted mathematics underachievers (N= 82; 53.3%) than gifted potential mathematics achievers (N= 72; 46.7%). It also shows that 100% of the gifted underachievers and potential achievers were perfectly classified.