The Mediating Role of English Achievement in the Relationship Between Science and Mathematics Achievement Among Grade 10 Students
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Abstract
Background and Aim: Filipino Grade 10 students earn strong school-assigned grades yet continue to post some of the lowest mathematics scores worldwide. Because language proficiency may channel subject-matter knowledge into quantitative success, this study examined whether English achievement, operationalized as the final English subject grade, mediated the relationship between Science and Mathematics performance in a Philippine public high school.
Materials and Methods: Archival final grades for Science (X), English (M), and Mathematics (Y) were retrieved for 251 Grade 10 students enrolled in a Philippine public high school. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were calculated in Jamovi. A single-mediator path model was estimated via ordinary-least-squares regression with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) to obtain indirect (a × b), direct (c′), and total (c) effects.
Results: Mean grades were high (Science M = 89.8, SD = 4.6; English M = 89.1, SD = 4.6; Mathematics M = 88.5, SD = 4.4). Significant positive correlations emerged among all subjects (Science–English r = .694; Science–Math r = .514; English–Math r = .546; all p < .001). Path a (X → M) was significant (b = .616, SE = .052, p < .001), as was path b (M → Y; b = .574, SE = .135, p < .001). The indirect effect of Science on Mathematics through English was significant (b = .353, 95% CI [.18, .35]), while the direct effect remained significant (c′ = .144, SE = .056, p = .010), indicating partial mediation.
Conclusion: English achievement, measured via the dedicated English-subject grade, partially explained the Science–Mathematics linkage. This suggests that integrating language support into STEM curricula may yield measurable gains, especially in linguistically diverse settings such as the Philippines. Strengthening language proficiency within science instruction may therefore enhance mathematics outcomes at this pivotal stage of secondary education.
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