Exploring Pre-Calculus (MAT133) Final Assessment Marks Between Gender Using Principal Component Analysis: A Case In UiTM Tapah
Abstract
Pre-Calculus covers additional algebraic and trigonometric, where the
students are encouraged to become proficient in those topics to
prepare for an in-depth calculus learning. In Universiti Teknologi Mara
(UiTM), practically every semester the issue of Pre-Calculus’ high
failure rate is commonly reported. One of the ways to measure the
students' understanding of this subject is through the final assessment
performance. Besides, gender significance is one of the most notable
studies in mathematics performance. Therefore, this study aims to
compare the performance of part 1 diploma students who registered
Pre-Calculus in UiTM Tapah in in accordance to their gender. To
analyze the results, this study performed Descriptive and Principal
Component Analysis using R statistical software. It was found that the
students faced problems in answering Question 2, but scored more
marks for Question 5. This revealed that most of the students faced
difficulties in handling sketches of parabolas and circles. It was also
discovered that the female students outperformed the males in this
course.
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