A Comparative Study of Students’ Attitudes toward Mathematics in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Indonesia and Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v12i2.20233Keywords:
Gender Stereotypes, Comparative Study, Mathematics Attitudes, Secondary Education, Southeast AsiaAbstract
This study aims to explain students' attitudes toward mathematics in Southeast Asia, focusing on Indonesia and Thailand. Students' attitudes towards mathematics significantly influence their learning success and academic motivation. This quantitative study involved 494 secondary school students from Indonesia and Thailand. The instrument used was the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales (F-SMAS) questionnaire with a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicate that gender did not show substantial differences in Indonesia and Thailand at the secondary school level, but country of origin did. in Indonesia and Thailand at the secondary school level showed more positive attitudes towards mathematics than Thai students as seen from the higher average scores in self-confidence (Indo: 3.57, Thai: 3.11), greater maternal support (Indo: 3.67, Thai: 3.25), more optimistic perceptions about the usefulness of mathematics better preposition more optimistic perceptions of the usefulness of mathematics (Indo: 3.78, Thai: 3.39), and higher motivation (Indo: 3.32, Thai: 3.12). While there were no significant gender differences between the two countries, the stereotype of mathematics as a male domain was more pronounced in Indonesia (Indo: 3.55, Thai: 3.31), highlighting critical areas for intervention in the education system and the promotion of inclusive attitudes toward mathematics. These findings are expected to enhance the formulation of more contextual educational policies and encourage greater interest and achievement in mathematics among students in the Southeast Asian region.
References
Dewaele, J. M., Botes, E., & Greiff, S. (2023). Sources and effects of foreign language enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom: A structural equation modeling approach. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45(2), 461–479. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263122000328
Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, S. H., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(1), 103–127. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018053
Fennema, E., & Sherman, J. A. (1996). Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale. 6(1).
Fortune, A., & Spangenberg, E. D. (2023). Trait- and State-Components of Mathematics Anxiety versus Perceived Mathematics Anxiety. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 11(6), 1366–1385. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.2958
Gao, X., Tey, N. P., & Lai, S. L. (2023). Absenteeism and Students’ Attitudes Toward Science: Impact on Exam Results Among Eighth-Grade Students in Malaysia and Singapore. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 22(6), 991–1010. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/23.22.991
Goss-Sampson, M. A. (2024). Statistical Analysis in JASP: A Guide for Student (6th Editio).
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2008). The role of cognitive skills in economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(3), 607–668.
Hidayatullah, A., & Csíkos, C. (2024). The Role of Students’ Beliefs, Parents’ Educational Level, and The Mediating Role of Attitude and Motivation in Students’ Mathematics Achievement. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(2), 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00724-2
Hussein, Y. F., & Csíkos, C. (2023). The effect of teaching conceptual knowledge on students’ achievement, anxiety about, and attitude toward mathematics. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12938
Hyde, J. S., Lindberg, S. M., Linn, M. C., Ellis, A. B., & Williams, C. C. (2008). Gender similarities characterize math performance. Science, 321(5888), 494–495. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1160364
Irvine, J. (2020). Positively Influencing Student Engagement and Attitude in Mathematics through an Instructional Intervention Using Reform Mathematics Principles. Journal of Education and Learning, 9(2), 48–75.
Li, C., & Wei, L. (2023). Anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom in language learning amongst junior secondary students in rural China: How do they contribute to L2 achievement? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45(1), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263122000031
Liljedahl, P., & Oesterle, S. (2020). Teacher beliefs, attitudes, and self-efficacy in mathematics education. Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education, 825–828.
Masserang, C. (2021). Understanding the Identities, Emotions, Attitudes and Motivations of Developmental Mathematics Students in the Context of Their Prior Learning and Life Experiences.
Mazana, Y. M., Suero Montero, C., & Olifage, C. R. (2019). Investigating students’ attitude towards learning mathematics.
Meier, M. A., Burgstaller, J. A., Benedek, M., Vogel, S. E., & Grabner, R. H. (2021). Mathematical creativity in adults: Its measurement and its relation to intelligence, mathematical competence and general. Journal of Intelligence Creativity., 9(1), 10.
Mullis, I. V. S., Martin, M. O., Foy, P., Kelly, D. L., & Fishbein, B. (2019). HIGHLIGHTS TIMSS 2019: International Results in Maths and Science. 32.
Niepel, C., Burrus, J., Greiff, S., Lipnevich, A. A., Brenneman, M. W., & Roberts, R. D. (2018). Students’ beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics across time: A longitudinal examination of the theory of planned behavior. Learning and Individual Differences, 63(December 2017), 24–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.02.010
Nurbavliyev, O., Kaymak, S., & Sydykov, B. (2022). The effect of active learning method on students’ academic success, motivation and attitude towards mathematics. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(2).
Nurlu, Ö. (2025). Unpacking mathematical gender stereotypes: trends and directions from 25 years of research. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1–53. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1660583
Nyman, M. (2020). What do students’ feel about mathematics. Compulsory school students’ emotions and motivation towards mathematics (Issue April). Stockholms Universitet.
OECD, (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). (2018). Education in Thailand: An OECD-UNESCO Perspective. OECD Publishing.
Payadnya, I. P. A. A., Wulandari, I. G. A. P. A., Puspadewi, K. R., & Saelee, S. (2024). The significance of ethnomathematics learning: a cross-cultural perspectives between Indonesian and Thailand educators. Journal for Multicultural Education, 18(4), 508–522.
Roberts, D. L., Banerjee, R., & Vistro-Yu, C. P. (2024). Fourth International Handbook of Mathematics Education. In Mathematics Education in Asia: Curriculum and Its Origins (pp. 29–72). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Rončević Zubković, B., Pahljina-Reinić, R., & Kolić-Vehovec, S. (2023). Age and gender differences in mathematics learning during school transition. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 11(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2021.1934206
Saha, M., Islam, S., Akhi, A. A., & Saha, G. (2024). Factors affecting success and failure in higher education mathematics: Students’ and teachers’ perspectives. Heliyon, 10(7).
Shaturaev, J. (2021). (2021). Education in indonesia: financing, challenges of quality and academic results in primary education. Архив научных исследований.
Siriwat, P. (2017). A Study of Science Curriculum Implementation in Secondary School in Thailand. The University of Manchester (United Kingdom).
Suherman, S., & Vidákovich, T. (2022). Adaptation and Validation of Students’ Attitudes Toward Mathematics to Indonesia. Pedagogika, 147(3), 227–252. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2022.147.11
Takunyaci, M., Masal, E., Masal, M., Ergene, Ö., & Erden, K. (2019). Fennema - Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales: Adaptaition to Turkish Culture. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 9(1), 208–223. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.533645
Wen, R., & Dubé, A. K. (2022). A Systematic Review of Secondary Students’ Attitudes Towards Mathematics and its Relations With Mathematics Achievement. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 8(2), 295–325. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.7937
Wijaya, T. T., Hidayat, W., Hermita, N., Alim, J. A., & Talib, C. A. (2024). Exploring contributing factors to PISA 2022 mathematics achievement: Insights from Indonesian teachers. Infinity Journal, 13(1), 139–156.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
License and Publishing Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities tacitly or explicitly of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and publishing agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with JK agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Licensing for Data Publication
-
Open Data Commons Attribution License, http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/ (default)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
