Analyzing multilevel model of educational data: Teachers’ ability effect on students’ mathematical learning motivation

Abstract

Motivation to learn mathematics decreased due to the inability of teachers to implement innovative learning models and techniques. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of teachers' ability on students' motivation to learn mathematics by using quantitative methods and survey approaches. There were 32 mathematics teachers and 542 students in the 24 schools within the Depok region, selected as respondents through a stratified random sampling method. The research instruments of two questionnaires of teachers’ competence and students’ learning motivation were distributed to the respondents. Data analysis was conducted to test the random effect of teachers’ ability on students’ motivation to learn mathematics by using the effect of teachers’ random intercepts and competence as models 1 and 2, respectively. These two models were analyzed using the n-level Structural Equation Model (nSEM), and the result showed that model 2 was the best one to investigate the random effect of teachers’ ability and students’ learning motivation. The data analysis showed that the variance among teachers’ ability (0,0027) was less than learning motivation among students (0.0597). These findings indicated that the motivation levels of students taught by the same teacher varied significantly, whereas the effects of the teachers were relatively homogeneous. In other words, teachers’ ability was somewhat the same in increasing students’ learning motivation. Based on these findings, this research work suggests teachers keep improving their teaching techniques. Hence, students will be well motivated to learn so that the learning objectives will be well achieved.

Keywords

• mathematics teachers
• students’ motivation
• teachers’ competence
• teachers’ random effect