The Influence of Approaches to Non-Routine Problem Solving and Parental Involvement on the Mathematics Achievement of Students

This study aimed to determine the influence of approaches to non-routine mathematics and parental involvement on the mathematics achievement of second-year college students enrolled in a state college in Panabo City and Carmen, Davao del Norte. It used a descriptive-correlational design with regression analysis, and it found that both approaches to non-routine problem-solving and parental involvement are significantly related to mathematics achievement. In addition, approaches such as making a systematic list, working backward, guessing and checking, and looking for a pattern significantly influence mathematics achievement. The same goes for domains of parental involvement, home-based involvement, and school-based involvement, which have predictive power towards mathematics achievement. On the other hand, approaches such as simplifying the problem, making a drawing, and the domain of parental involvement, namely, home–school conferencing, are found not to contribute substantially to mathematics achievement. The results suggest that improving mathematics achievement can be achieved by strengthening parental involvement, such as attending regular parent meetings, maintaining consistent communication with the teacher, and providing constant support to their children. Also, it suggests improving teachers' pedagogical competence in their non-routine problem-solving approaches through targeted professional development programs and forming a school-based resource team to develop support materials for this endeavor.