<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Noor Ismail</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Halimah Awang</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF STUDENTS’ CHARACTERISTICS AND ATTITUDES ON MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century </style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">attitudes towards mathematics learning</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">mathematics achievement</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">mathematics knowledge</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2008</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">November/2008</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1392298052.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">9</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">This paper analyzes mathematics performance of grade eight students using Malaysian data drawn from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2003. In particular it examines the effects of students’ characteristics and attitudes towards mathematics learning on their achievement. Background information including gender of students, parents’ education level and whether students speak the language of test at home are assessed in terms of their influence on mathematics score. The number of books in home, availability of study desks and computers in home are categorized as educational resources while students’ attitude takes into account students’ educational aspirations, their perception of being safe in school, time spent on mathematics homework, self-confidence in learning mathematics and the value students place on mathematics. Chi-squared tests and odds ratios are used to examine the associations and strength of the relationships of these factors with mathematics achievement. The results show that except for gender, language spoken at home and time spent on mathematics homework, all of the other variables have significant positive influence in classifying students to low, medium and high achievers. </style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">34-41</style></section></record></records></xml>