Causal Factors Influencing Mathematical Problem Solving Ability of Prathomsuksa VI Students under the Office of Maha Sarakham Primary Education Service Area 2

Abstract

This research aimed to develop the model of causal factors influencing Prathomsuksa VI students’ mathematical
problem solving ability, to determine the congruence of the model with empirical data, and to study
direct and indirect causal factors influencing Prathomsuksa VI students’ mathematical problem solving ability.
The samples used in this study, that were obtained through multi-stage random sampling, were 557 Prathomsuksa
VI students studying in the second semester of 2014 in 47 schools under Maha Sarakham Office
of Primary Education Service Area 2. There were two instruments used in this research: one was a four-choice
test of 40 items for assessing the students’ mathematical problem solving ability, with the difficulty index of
.33 - .68, discrimination power of .30 -.80 and reliability of .87; and the other instrument was a 5-rating scale
questionnaire of 60 items for assessing causal factors for mathematical problem solving ability. This questionnaire
consisted of the 5 parts of 12 items each: Part I for assessing the students’ perception of their own
ability, Part II for determining their motivation to achieve, Part III for assessing their attitude toward mathematics,
Part IV for assessing their parents’ support for learning, and Part V for assessing classroom learning atmosphere.
The discrimination power of this questionnaire ranged from .27 to .68 and its reliability was .87.
The statistics used in data analyses were mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, Confirmatory
Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling.
Findings are as follows:
1. The developed model of causal factors influencing Prathomsuksa VI students’ mathematical problem
solving ability is in congruence with the empirical data and meets the established criteria as shown in these
statistical values that meet all the established criteria: Chi-square  X² = 78.602, df = 74, p-value = .335,X /
df = 1.062, GFI = .985, AGFI = .962, SRMR = .021, RMSEA = .011 and CFI = 1.000.
2. The causal factors directly influencing the students’ mathematical problem solving ability are parents’
support and perception of their own ability while the causal factors both directly and indirectly influencing the
students’ mathematical problem solving ability are their attitude toward mathematics and motivation to achieve;
and the causal factor indirectly influencing their mathematical problem solving ability is classroom learning
atmosphere. All the factors in the model could account for the variance in mathematical problem solving
ability at 89.90 %.