Differential effects of seating arrangements and sociometric relationship on students’ attitude towards mathematics

*John Ezekiel L. De Asis, Edrenfel B. Gumia, Jefferson M. Gohiling and Alben P. Sagpang

College of Teacher Education, University of Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines *Corresponding author: deasisjohnezekiel@gmail.com 

Abstract

Although quite a few studies conducted the effect of seating arrangement and peer factor to students’ attitude toward a specific course such as math, several educators believe that it is crucial for learning performance. Different seating arrangements provide students dynamic educational experiences and peer- relationship creates impact on students’ academic achievement. Looking through these possibilities, it is an important decision to consider since both factors possibly play a significant role in the optimization of students’ performance. Quasi-experimental design was conducted to investigate the effect. Specifically, a Likert scale pre-test/post-test between-group design was employed to the three groups: one control group and two experimental groups. Also, sociometry assessment was formulated through Glasser’s Choice Theory where people rely their choices based on five primary needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. Rearranging the seating arrangements, experimental groups were rigorously analyzed based on two assumptions: (1) the mean score of the student’s ATM versus the mean score of the sociometry; and (2) mutual relationship that indicates good motivation (Ariani, 2017). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to assess the effects of the treatment. Students experiencing either sociometry-based traditional or horseshoe seating arrangement reported more positive attitude towards math than did students experiencing mere traditional seating arrangement. The result from this study is deemed beneficial to the educators and students to optimize learning environment. 

Keywords

attitude towards math; choice theory; quasi-experimental research design; sociometry; seating arrangement..

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