Examining the roles of problem posing and solving, mathematical creativity, and attitude on academic achievement

Abstract

This paper presents the findings to provide practical frameworks that explain the different variables that affect students’ academic achievement. A quantitative approach was adopted, specifically using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the causal relationships between problem posing skills, problem-solving skills, mathematical creativity, and attitude towards mathematics on academic achievement. Data were collected using the following adopted instruments: the problem-posing task, the scale for mathematical problem-solving skills, the mathematical creativity self-efficacy perception scale, and the attitude towards mathematics scale. Students’ grades in mathematics were used to represent their academic achievement. Conducted with 192 grade 9 students, this study investigated the direct and indirect effects of the exogenous variables. The results reveal that problem posing skills have a strong effect on academic achievement. On the other hand, problem-solving skills, mathematical creativity, and attitude towards mathematics mediate the effect of problem posing skills on academic achievement, with problem-solving skills emerging as the strongest mediator. This study supports the reliability and validity of the proposed conceptual model, which is feasible for further investigations.