Causes of mathematics anxiety among secondary school students

This research investigated the causes of mathematics anxiety among secondary school students. It also determined the differences in student’s mathematics anxiety based on gender. One hundred and seventeen secondary school students from Form 2 and 4 students from four different schools aroun...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Siti Royhanah, Khalid
Format: Final Year Project Report / IMRAD
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6932/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6932/8/Siti%20Royhanah.pdf
Description
Summary:This research investigated the causes of mathematics anxiety among secondary school students. It also determined the differences in student’s mathematics anxiety based on gender. One hundred and seventeen secondary school students from Form 2 and 4 students from four different schools around Kuching districts were the sample for this study. The questionnaire was used to investigate the causes of mathematics anxiety among students. Pearson-product moment correlations were used to measure the relationships between the student’s mathematics anxiety and the grade or subject level at which the anxiety started, student’s mathematics anxiety and student’s perceptions of the value that society places on mathematics and mathematics anxiety and the perceived usefulness of certain teaching method in the alleviation of or in the contribution to mathematics anxiety.While independent t-test was used to determine differences in student’s mathematics anxiety based on gender. The results showed the correlation between student’s mathematics anxiety and student’s perceptions of the value that society placed on mathematics. The results of this study had also indicated possible correlation between student’s mathematics anxiety and teaching method. Furthermore, it was found that there were no differences in student’s mathematics anxiety based on gender. This study also showed that a teacher had the greatest influence on student’s mathematics anxiety. Lastly, the results showed that there was a correlation between student’s perceived mathematics anxiety level and MARS mathematics anxiety rating scale. In relation to grade level at which mathematics anxiety started, student’s mathematics anxiety was found to be not correlated.