TIPS: An Aid in Reducing Math Anxiety among Grade 11 Students During the School Year 2019-2020 (Teacher Intervention, Pedagogical Approach with Stress-O-Meter Tool)

Abstract

This action research aimed to reduce the math anxiety level with the aid of TIPS, Teacher Intervention, Pedagogical Approach with Stress-O Meter Tool among Grade 11-BPP/Cookery students. The personal experiences of the researchers, how classroom strongly contributes to the student’s attitudes towards mathematics and the curriculum requirement teachers need to meet today, being skilled at using a variety of effective pedagogical strategies and possessed a positive disposition towards teaching mathematics led the researchers to conduct this study. From the 21 sections of grade 11, one section with the lowest score in diagnostic test and highest math anxiety level measured by Mathematics anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was chosen as the respondents of this study. A 20-item pre-test and post-test covering learning competencies of Rational Functions was administered. In the duration of the study, researchers utilized khan academy videos and interactive PowerPointpresentations as an intervention coupled with pedagogical approaches-collaborative, differentiated instruction, reflective and inquiry-based learning and stress-o meter tool, measuring students’ feeling, response and reaction towards intervention. The researchers found a mean score of 6.00 in pre-test and a mean score of 12.71 in post-test, showing a mean gain of 6.71 with a percentage increase of 111. 83, a double increase in the scores, also a significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test that indicates an improvement in the scores of the students. A significant difference was also found in the stress level of the students before and after the conduct of the study. The results have shown that teachers may produce, increased, or reduced mathematics anxiety among students at all levels of schooling through their attitude, behaviour, teaching methods and instructional strategies. Teaching Mathematics with appropriate pedagogical approaches with the help of technology might change their outlook about the subject.