Modeling the Determinants of Students' Choice of Mathematics as a Specialization: A Binary Logistic Regression Analysis

This study investigated the factors influencing students’ decision to pursue mathematics as their major in the Bachelor of Secondary Education program. It examined the respondents' demographic profiles, academic honors, participation in mathematics-related activities, attitudes toward mathematics, and self-reported motivation, enjoyment, and self-efficacy. The majority of the respondents were female, graduates of public Senior High Schools, and came from the Humanities and Social Sciences strand. Most were recognized with academic honors and had participated in the MTAP Challenge organized by Metrobank Foundation, MTAP, and the Department of Education. In terms of academic performance, the majority obtained a final grade of 2.00 or higher in Mathematics in the Modern World. Attitudinal measures indicated that students generally viewed mathematics as valuable and enjoyable, though confidence in learning advanced mathematics and class participation remained relatively low. Logistic regression analysis revealed that Attitude Towards Mathematics and MTAP Participation were statistically significant predictors of students’ likelihood to choose mathematics as their major. Students with positive attitudes had an odds ratio of 8.68, while MTAP participants were also more likely to choose mathematics, indicating the importance of early exposure and favorable dispositions. Other variables such as sex, academic strand, type of school, academic honors, and final grades did not show significant influence. The model’s predictive performance was stronger in identifying students likely to specialize in mathematics than those who were not. The findings highlight the value of fostering positive attitudes and providing enrichment opportunities to promote mathematics specialization among education students.