Student Mathematics Motivation and Engagement among Senior High School Students: Basis for a Proposed Enhancement Framework

Abstract

This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study examined the association between student Mathematics motivation and Mathematics engagement among 300 Grade 11 students from three private Catholic senior high schools in Davao City, Philippines. Within the three participating schools, nine Grade 11 sections were selected through simple random sampling, and eligible students in the selected sections comprised the study sample. Adapted questionnaires measured student Mathematics motivation across intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and perception of Mathematics, and Mathematics engagement across emotional, social, and cognitive engagement. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, Pearson product-moment correlation, and single-predictor linear regression. Results showed high student Mathematics motivation (M = 3.61, SD = 0.55) and high Mathematics engagement (M = 3.85, SD = 0.79). Motivation was positively associated with engagement, r = .628, p < .001, 95% CI [.554, .692]. The regression model was significant, F(1, 298) = 194.06, p < .001, and higher self-reported Mathematics motivation statistically predicted higher self-reported Mathematics engagement, B = 0.90, SE = 0.06, 95% CI [0.782, 1.018], β = .628. The model explained 39.4% of the variance in engagement. Because the study was cross-sectional and based on self-report data, these findings are interpreted as association and statistical prediction rather than causal determination. The results, together with theory and prior literature, informed a proposed enhancement framework whose pathways require further validation.