The Mediating Effect of Students’ Resiliency on the Relationship of Self-Concept and Mathematics Performance

Abstract

Several studies have found links between students' self-concept and mathematics performance. However, few related researches has been conducted during this time of COVID-19 where learning mathematics is said to be really tough and challenging for the students. Recent articles also claimed that in this difficult times, students’ resiliency really matters towards their performance. Hence, this study investigated the mediating effect of students’ resiliency on the relationship between self-concept and mathematics performance of junior high school students. The study was conducted using descriptive - correlational method. Employing stratified random sampling, a total of 278 students were subjected to the study. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the respondents’ self-concept, resiliency, and mathematics performance. Mediation analysis was then employed to describe the mediating effect of students’ resiliency. Results revealed that the respondents’ obtained a mean rating of 2.61 level of self-concept which means that students maintained positive perception towards mathematics in this new normal. The resiliency level of 3.70 indicated that students exhibited persistence in learning mathematics in the face of adversity. Data confirmed that self-concept directly influenced mathematics performance by an estimate of 3.49, but also had an indirect effect through the students’ resiliency by 1.06. Hence, resiliency partially mediated the relationship of students’ self-concept and mathematics performance. This result supports the importance of self-concept to the students’ mathematics performance, but also stress the significance of cultivating students’ resiliency in this new normal.