Relationship between ethnic identity, attitude, and mathematical creative thinking among secondary school students

Several studies have investigated the relationship between attitude, ethnicity, and mathematical creative thinking among secondary school students. Nonetheless, there is a lack of information regarding how ethnicity serves as a mediator in the correlation between attitude towards mathematics and mathematical creative thinking. To address this gap, the current study employed a descriptive correlational structural equation model to examine a hypothetical model. A survey was conducted among 896 secondary school students, consisting of 415 males and 481 females. Descriptive and correlational data analysis was performed using SPSS and Mplus. Ethnicity/culture and attitude significantly promoted creativity in mathematics, suggesting that an increase in ethnicity leads to a better attitude toward mathematics and higher mathematical creative thinking. Additionally, a positive relationship was observed between attitude toward mathematics and mathematical creative thinking, indicating that students who have positive attitude are more likely to perform creative thinking. Mathematical creative thinking increased as attitude and ethnicity increased. Overall, the correlation between attitude and ethnicity was significantly impacted by the promotion of critical thinking skills in mathematics. These findings are beneficial for mathematics educators in designing more effective courses that align with 21st century educational trends.