Analysing the Influence of Students’ Resilience on their Mathematics Academic Performance in Mezam Division, Cameroon.

Abstract:

The main objective of the study was to analyse the influence of students’ resilience on their mathematics academic performance in Mezam Division in Cameroon. The study adopted the causal comparative research design. The study was carried out using seven functional public secondary schools in Mezam Division for the 2023/2024 academic year, with first cycle students (Forms 1 to 5) constituting the population of the study. With the help of the Krejcie and Morgan Table, a sample of 368 students was drawn from an accessible population 8813 first cycle students. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select this sample for the collection of data. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was vetted by three experts and its test-retest reliability index established as 0.87. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts, means, Pearson product-moment correlation, one sample t-test and regression analysis. The findings of the study revealed that students in Mezam Division exhibit significantly low resilient abilities in mathematics. The findings also revealed that there is a moderate positive correlation (0.587) between students' resilience and their mathematics academic performance. Furthermore, the regression analysis indicated that approximately 34.4% of the variations in students' mathematics academic performance can be accounted for or predicted by their resilience. It was recommended that educators and policymakers need to focus on nurturing, developing and fostering students' resilient abilities through targeted interventions and teaching strategies.