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INTRODUCTION
As we advance on the threshold of the millennium, fluency in Mathematics has become more indispensable in modern society. The uses to which Mathematics will be put in the coming years baffle the imagination. Since the world today demands more Mathematical knowledge of more people than ever was true of the world of yesterday, and tomorrows world will doubtlessly make even greater demands, self-efficacy towards the said subject or area of intellectual discipline will eventually serve as a determinant tool that will help an individual know how he/she will work effectively in the field definitely clipped with Mathematical concepts and calculations and how he/she will hone and expand his/her intellectual capabilities for effective participation in everyday living since Mathematics as an exact and applied science is everywhere and has eventually served as one of the significant parts of the backbone comprising economys reality. In reality, goals and objectives of people are often connected to how they assess the courses of their actions. Thus the concept of self- efficacy has the potential to facilitate or hinder our Mathematics learners motivation, use of knowledge and disposition to learn. It points out the judgment we make about our potential to learn successfully and the belief in our own capabilities. The choices we made, the effort we put forth, and how long we persist are influenced by selfefficacy (Bandura, 1997; Schunk, 1996). Virtually all people can identify goals they want to accomplish, things they would like to change, and things they would like to achieve. However, most people also realize that putting theseplans into action is not quite so simple. Bandura and others have found that an individuals self - efficacy plays a major role in how goals, tasks, and challenges are approached. People with a strong sense of self-efficacy view challenging problems as tasks to be mastered, develop deeper interest in the activities in which they participate, form a stronger sense of commitment to their interest and activities, recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments. On the other hand, people with weak sense of
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self-efficacy avoid challenging task, believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities, focus on personal failings and negative outcomes and quickly lose confidence in personal abilities (Bandura, 1994). According to A. Bandura, self efficacy is the belief in ones capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations (1995, p. 2). In other words, self - efficacy is a persons belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as a determinant of how people think, behave, and feel (1994). Since Bandura published his seminal 1977 paper, Self- Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change, the subject has become one of the most studied topics in psychology. Why self-efficacy become such an important topic among psychologists and educators? As Bandura and other researchers have demonstrated, self efficacy can have an impact on everything from psychological states to behavior to motivation. Considering prospective factors that would affect the self- efficacy of students which may also eventually affect their educational performance,sex and age of individuals specially students were taken into the limelight of the study to examine if these factors have significant effect on the construction of an individuals self- efficacy. Elaborating such, medical and physiological studies show the distinction between male and female, it reveal several variations in men and women capabilities caused by the sex factor. Boys are believed to perform better in mathematics than girls. This was attested by the TIMSS, which shows that boys had a stronger self-efficacy than girls in Mathematics and Science. This is collaborated by Sadker and Sadker (1997) who remarked that there is a gender gap in Mathematics achievement, with boys outperforming girls by highschool graduation. The sex typing of Mathematics as a masculine discipline may be related to low female confidence and performances. Conversely,as regards chronological age, it is a popular belief that age matters. Mans physical, physiological and cognitive capacities usually weaken and retrogress as age progresses. Banawa (1997) concludes that the younger the students, thebetter
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were his rating in College Algebra as indicated by a negative regression coefficient in her study. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (Owen, 1991), average Mathematics performance improved for students at the age of 9 and 13 while achievement remain stagnant for 17 yearolds. Therefore to further investigate how self- efficacy towards Mathematics is being generated, having sex and age as predictor variables, Second Year Bachelor of Elementary Education Students of Philippine Normal University, Isabela Campus were tapped to undergo a comprehensive study rooted on selfefficacy to know how the said factors instigate the process of having strong selfefficacy towards Mathematics.

BODY
Research Question Do sex and age of the Second Year Bachelor of Elementary Education Students affect their perception on their self- efficacy towards Mathematics? Hypothesis Sex and age of the student-respondents have no effect on their SelfEfficacy towards Mathematics. Value of Significance The researchers used 5% as the value of significance of this study, that is the area of rejection of the hypothesis is 5%, 2.5% for each side of the normal curve, since a two-tailed test was used. Test Statistic A Two-Way Analysis of Variance was used for this hypothesis testing.

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

A. Profile of the Student-Respondents 1. Sex Table 1 presents the distribution of the student-respondents according to whether they are male or female.

Table 1. Frequency and Percent Distribution of Student-Respondents According to their Sex Sex Male Female Total Frequency 15 15 30
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Percent 50.00 50.00 100

The table indicates that the number of female-respondents (50%) is equal to the number of male-respondents (50%). This is parallel to the fact that it is assumed that sex factor has no effect on the students perception on their self efficacy towards Mathematics. 2. Age Table 2 shows the chronological age distribution of the subjects.

Table 2. Frequency and Percent Distribution of Student-Respondents According to their Age Age 17 18 19 Total Frequency 10 10 10 30 Percent 33.33 33.33 33.33 100

The age ranges from 17 to 19 years old which implies that the age of the youngest respondent is 17 and the oldest is 19. As can be gleaned in the table, the student-respondents are equally divided in accordance to their chronological age. There are 10 studentrespondents per age, half of them are males and the rest are females.

B. Perception of the Students on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics 1. Sex Table 3 and 4 indicate the mean and verbal description of the perception of the respondents on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics according to their sex.

Table 3. Perception of the Male Student-Respondents on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 4.00 Often

Mathematics activities. 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1st Semester Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and 3.87 Often

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.73 Often it to other Mathematics-based 3.73 Often 3.93 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.86 Often

Table 3 connotes that for the male respondents, the 1st statement mostly dominates their perception with a weighted mean of 4.00. Meanwhile, both the 4th and 5th statements are least observed with a weighted mean of 3.73. In addition, all of the statements as regards self-efficacy often dominate their perception with 3.86 as the weighted mean.

Table 4. Perception of the Female Student-Respondents on their SelfEfficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 3.67 Often

Mathematics activities. 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1st Semester Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and 3.27 Sometimes

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.17 Sometimes it to other Mathematics-based 3.00 Sometimes 3.87 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.40 Sometimes

Table 4 expounds that for the female respondents, the3 rd statement mostly dominates their perception with a weighted mean of 3.87. On the contrary, the 4th statement is least observed with a weighted mean of 3.00. In holistic view, the statements as regards self-efficacy sometimes dominate their perception with an over-all mean of 3.40.

2. Age Table 5, 6 and 7 indicate the mean and verbal description of the perception of the respondents on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics according to their chronological age. Table 5. Perception of the 17 year-oldsStudent-Respondents on their SelfEfficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 4.1 Often

Mathematics activities. 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1st Semester Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and 3.7 Often

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.7 Often it to other Mathematics-based 3.5 Often 4.1 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.82 Often

The table shows that for the 17 year-olds respondents, the 1st and3rd statements mostly dominate their perception with a weighted mean of 4.1. On the contrary, the 4th statement is least observed with a weighted mean of 3.5. In holistic view, the statements as regards self-efficacy often dominate their perception with an over-all mean of 3.82. Table 6. Perception of the 18 year-oldsStudent-Respondents on their SelfEfficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 3.5 Often

Mathematics activities. 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1
st

3.8

Often

Semester

Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.4 Sometimes it to other Mathematics-based 3.4 Sometimes 4.1 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.64 Often

The table above indicates that for the 18 year-olds respondents, the 3rd statement mostly dominates their perception with a weighted mean of 4.1. On the
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contrary, the 4th and 5th statements are least observed with a weighted mean of 3.4. In holistic view, the statements as regards self-efficacy often dominate their perception with an over-all mean of 3.64. Table 7. Perception of the 19 year-oldsStudent-Respondents on their SelfEfficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 3.5 Often

Mathematics activities. 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1
st

3.1

Sometimes

Semester

Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.3 Sometimes it to other Mathematics-based 3.2 Sometimes 3.5 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.32 Sometimes

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Table 7 enlightens that for the 19 year-oldsrespondents, the 1st and 3rd statements mostly dominate their perception with a weighted mean of 3.5. On the contrary, the 2nd statement is least observed with a weighted mean of 3.2. In holistic view, the statements as regards self-efficacy sometimes dominate their perception with an over-all mean of 3.32.

C. Summary of the Perception of the Students

Table 8 presents the summary of the perception of the students on their self-efficacy towards Mathematics according to their sex and age.

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Table 8. Summary of the Perception of the Student-Respondents on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics Statements Mean Verbal Description 1. Mathematics is interesting, fun and enjoyable. I am attracted and challenged to work in 3.835 Often

Mathematics activities 2. I am satisfied with the performance (e.g. quizzes, recitation, exams, etc.) I have in my 1st Semester Mathematics subject. It is a clear manifestation of the achievement of the course goals and 3.57 Often

objectives. 3. Mathematics is beneficial to my everyday life. Its practical applications are being observed. 4. I can comprehend with ease the Mathematical concepts that Ive learnt and can effectively integrate disciplines. 5. I approach Mathematics with a feeling of 3.45 Sometimes it to other Mathematics-based 3.365 Sometimes 3.9 Often

confidence of being able to solve Mathematical problems and situations. Over-all Mean 3.624 Often

Table 8 shows that for the student-respondents, the 3rd statement mostly dominates their perception with a weighted mean of 3.9. On the contrary, the 4 th statement is least observed with a weighted mean of 3.365. In holistic view, the statements as regards self-efficacy often dominate their perception with an over-all mean of 3.624.

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D. Significant Difference between the Factors Affecting the Perception of Students on their Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics

Table 9 presents the difference between factors affecting the perception of the students on their self-efficacy towards Mathematics. The factors are the respondents sex and age.

Table 9. Summary of the Two-Way Analysis of Variance between the Factors Sex and Age

Sum of Squares Sex Factor Age Factor Interaction Within Total 1.875 1.568 1.469 6.48 11.392

df

Mean Square

Interpretation

1 2 2 24 29

1.875 0.784 0.7345 0.27 3.6635

6.944 2.90 2.72

Significant Not Significant Not Significant

The table above shows that only sex factor is significantly different with F(1,24)=6.944 against F-table=4.26, p<.05 (two-tailed). Meanwhile, age factor and the interaction between the factors are not statistically significant with F(2,24)=2.90 and F(2,24)=2.72 against F-table= 3.40 and 4.26 respectively both p>.05 (two-tailed).

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CONCLUSION
A Two-Way Analysis of Variance was conducted to investigate the effect of sex and age on the self-efficacy of Second Year Bachelor of Elementary Education Students of Philippine Normal University, Isabela Campus, towards Mathematics.These students were divided into six groups (group 1: male- 17 years old; group 2: male- 18 years old; group 3: male- 19 years old; group 4: female- 17 years old; group 5: female- 18 years old; group 6:female- 19 years old). The interaction effect between age and sex was not significant, F (2, 24)=2.72, p > .05 (two-tailed). Among the factors, only sex has a significant effect on the self-efficacy of students toward Mathematics. Hence it is sex that determines the efficacy of students in Mathematics. This further implies that males have stronger self-efficacy towards Mathematics than that of females.In contrast, it was found out that the age doesnt have any significant bearing in the construction of self-efficacy since the range of the ages are close, having only a year interval. The result of the study is parallel to the study conducted by Sadker and Sadker (1997) that there is a gender gap in Mathematics achievement with boys outperforming girls. The sex typing of mathematics as a masculine discipline may be related to low female confidence, performance, and self-efficacy.

Furthermore, the result of the study with regard the age factor coincides with the study held by the National Assessment of Educational Progress which states that Mathematics performance remained stagnant for 17 year-olds and above.

Bibliography Aguinaldo, Clemente Jr. M. (2001). Academic Performance of the Students, their Attitudes towards Mathematics, and their Perceptions about the basic

mathematics courses and their teachers at Philippine Normal University, Isabela Campus: A Correlational Study. Aguinaldo, Clemente Jr. M. (2004). The Mathematics Competency of Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers in the Province of Isabela.

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Bandura, A. (1977). Self-Efcacy: Towards a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychology Review, 84, 191 215. Cardona, Roldan S. (March 2009). Mathematics Anxiety and Math Achievement of Prospective Elementary Teachers. Covey, Stephen R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly People. Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas.

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