Math talent development of elementary school students: The relationship of gender, math motivation, and goal orientation to math achievement

Research has established that motivation is an important factor of student achievement. Many researchers in the field of gifted education consider motivation to be a crucial component of giftedness, yet the literature base for motivation and math talent development within gifted populations is scarc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Colorado, Ann Haimburger
Format: Others
Language:English
Published: W&M ScholarWorks 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618626
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1836&context=etd
Description
Summary:Research has established that motivation is an important factor of student achievement. Many researchers in the field of gifted education consider motivation to be a crucial component of giftedness, yet the literature base for motivation and math talent development within gifted populations is scarce. This descriptive study used a within-group design to measure the math motivation, math achievement, and goal orientation of high-ability 5 th grade math students to elucidate the relationships among motivation, achievement, goal orientation, and gender. Findings indicated that math achievement, math motivation, and goal orientation were similar for both genders; students had high math achievement yet low math motivation; and a high number of students had a performance goal orientation. Ideas for future math motivation research for the gifted are shared.;Keywords: gifted math students, math achievement, math motivation, goal orientation.