Statistical Analysis of Socio-Demographic Factors: Gender, Parental Profession, and Area Status in Shaping Mathematics Achievement

Abstract

Mathematics plays a vital role in society and serves as the foundation of all creation; without it, life cannot progress. The academic success of students in mathematics can be best evaluated through their performance. Several factors influence students’ performance in mathematics, such as gender differences, parents’ profession, area status, and departmental differences. This study was designed to examine the mathematics performance of students across these variables, including sex, area status, course of study (departments), and parents’ professions. The research was conducted on master’s level students from both government and private Universities in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Out of 42 Universities in the Province, five were randomly selected, and from these, 300 respondents (201 males and 99 females) were chosen through random sampling. Data were organized and presented in tabular form and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30. The findings revealed that independent variables such as gender and department showed a significant difference in students’ mathematics performance, whereas area status and parents’ professions showed no significant difference.