Learning Needs, General Teaching Principles, and Learning Strategies as Predictors of Mathematics Academic Achievement

Various independent variables affect or have a relationship with students' mathematics academic achievement theoretically, practically, and statistically. These variables include the learning needs of students, use of general teaching principles, and learning strategies. This study aims to examine the predictive level of learning needs, learning strategies, and general teaching principles variables on eight-grade students' mathematics academic achievement with a structural equation model. Eight hypotheses were established and tested with structural equation modeling (SEM) that are appropriate for the goal of the research and are based on the theoretical basis. This study was conducted using the relational survey model. The SEM is appropriate for testing the accuracy of hypotheses developed or the rate at which independent variables explain and affect the dependent variable. The study group consists of 301 eighth-grade students studying at the secondary school. The research data were collected through the Learning Needs Scale, the Learning Strategies Scale, the Use of General Teaching Principles Scale, and the Mathematics Academic Achievement Test. The collected data were analyzed using EFA, CFA, and SEM. SEM goodness of fit was confirmed by fit values X-2/sd, GFI, CFI, NFI, AGFI, RMSEA, and SRMR. It was discovered that learning needs affected the use of general teaching principles, the use of learning strategies, and mathematics academic achievement positively and significantly. Besides, the use of general teaching principles and the use of learning strategies affected mathematics academic achievement positively and significantly. Moreover, learning needs, the use of general teaching principles, and learning strategies together significantly explained mathematics academic achievement.