Mathematics Anxiety, Academic Performance, and Sex of the Students

Abstract

Introduction

Mathematics anxiety in many ways can easily be defined and described. It is the negative feeling that the individual experiences when confronted with situations that involve mathematical problems. The incidence of math anxiety among students continues to increase over the years. Studies showed that highly math-anxious individuals choose courses and career paths that require little math and avoid those which require a lot of mathematical manipulation (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007; Ashcraft, Krause & Hopko, 2007). This increasing avoidance of students on activities involving math must be given emphasis. Dealing with the day-to-day activities in life requires knowledge of mathematical manipulations and computations. In this matter, a study was conducted to find out students' mathematics anxiety and its relationship to their performance in math.MethodsThis study is a descriptive type of study as it tried to describe the relationship between the students’ mathematics anxiety and their academic performance. Also, the study tried to investigate if students’ mathematics anxiety differed significantly as to their sex and grade level.

Results

The findings of the study revealed that mathematics anxiety experienced by the respondents does not affect their academic performance in math. Also, the study shows that sex is not a determining factor of mathematics anxiety while grade level is found to be a determining factor of the respondent's mathematics anxiety wherein as the respondent's advances in their schooling, the anxiety level they experience increases. Results also reveal that teachers, parents, and students should work hand-in-hand in reducing the anxiety level of the students. Also, the application and practice of mathematics in real situations help in alleviating the anxiety level. Also, a positive outlook and attitude towards mathematics must be exercised by the teachers, parents, and students. Further studies applying situated learning is recommended in this study.

Discussions

A closer look at the results of this study must be taken into consideration. Since this study was only limited to one school and that the math anxiety scale-covered only 14 items. Thus, a wider area of respondents is recommended for future researchers in the field. More comprehensive instruments in assessing students' anxiety levels and assessing their academic performance are further encouraged.