COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5 | DOC FORMAT: MS WORD/PDF | PRICE: ₦5,000

GET COMPLETE WORK

ANXIETY AS CORRELATES OF STUDENT’S ACADEMICS PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN ETINAN LGA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the study

 

Mathematics is widely regarded as essential for a nation’s economic, scientific, and political development. Due to this common understanding, every country in the world has made mathematics a mandatory subject in all aspects of its school system. Mathematics concepts are typically introduced at a young age. Missing a test can trigger anxiety, leading to feelings of tension, worry, or dread that interfere with math performance. Mathematics anxiety affects some secondary school students because they struggle to understand its fundamentals (Ayob & Yasin, 2017). According to Odiri (2015), students’ mathematical expectations increase as they progress through school and enter adulthood at home and work. Students must have a strong mathematical foundation to become mathematically literate in the future. A solid foundation requires more than just the rote application of procedural knowledge. A 2004 Ontario Ministry of Education study emphasizes that all students should be able to understand, make sense of, and apply mathematics, as well as connect concepts and recognize patterns throughout mathematics. The research suggests that students must be able to express their reasoning, demonstrate mental flexibility to handle new mathematical concepts, and be motivated to continue practicing mathematics.

Over the years, educational scholars have focused on students’ fear of learning and understanding mathematics. Researchers have explored several relevant factors, including: According to Cargnelutti, Tomasetto, and Passolunghi (2017), anyone who has studied Mathematics or Statistics in any higher institution in Nigeria will agree that the experience can be torturous and often feels like a simple drill and drudgery. Karjanto (2017) further explained that the attitude of mathematics teachers at the tertiary level is also prevalent at the secondary level, where teachers tend to mystify mathematics. As a result, students perceive mathematics as a difficult subject meant only for exceptional students. At the elementary level, many teachers, most of whom are not equipped to teach mathematics, also contribute to this perception. This often leads students to believe that mathematical topics are extremely difficult to grasp, causing fear and anxiety. Among these barriers, the emotional component is often overlooked. Simply put, mathematics anxiety is commonly used to describe the emotional and mental distress some students experience when attempting to learn mathematics. However, it is often inadequately defined in practice. Radisic, Videnovic, and Baucal (2015) explored how aspects of mathematics, such as its precision, logic, and focus on problem-solving, cause anxiety in some individuals. Studies have shown that mathematics anxiety negatively affects math performance and achievement. Several scholars have also suggested that math anxiety contributes to observed gender differences in math achievement and course enrollment trends.

While research indicates that student achievement in mathematics is influenced by many interrelated factors, which can be classified as student, school, and home factors, many researchers consider student anxiety a key factor when trying to understand and explain math achievement. Therefore, there is a need to further explore the causes of mathematical anxiety in students, which affects their performance.

 

1.2 Statement of the problem

The decline in performance in Mathematics by students has created anxiety in students and strengthens the perception that they are weak in Math. Mathematics anxiety may influence mathematics attitude towards mathematics problems directly or indirectly where students develop avoidance behaviors towards mathematics. First, mathematics anxious students may avoid mathematics courses or subjects dealing with mathematical tasks and this may mean that these students do not gain competence or mastery of mathematics operations. Second, mathematics anxiety may influence mathematics attitude. Math’s anxious students may attempt to evade particular classes and their anxiety may directly affect their ability to success.

According to Gunderson, Park, Maloney, Beilock, & Levine (2018), most students experience math anxiety since elementary school. This fear is transferred by school teachers through teaching methods. Traditional methods such as lecturing; teaching basic skills without an emphasis on the concept has been identified as a factor that contribute to Mathematics anxiety. Research by Haciömeroğlu, (2017) opined that instructional methodologies that are used for teaching embrace a key role in children’s ambitions to pursuing future career choices related to mathematics. The old teaching practices such as expectations on correct answers, fear of making errors, and rote calculations and memorizations are said to be the contributing factors to students’ anxiety and attitude towards mathematics in basic classrooms. According to Yeo et al. (2015), teachers can influence Mathematics attitude and anxieties in students when they embarrass Tomohiro and Mezuk 227 them in front of others, assign many complex assignments and when they delay in helping students solve problem after consultation Other Three major Mathematics anxiety factors (Environmental, Emotional and Social factors) have been identified to be mainly responsible for Mathematics anxiety among students which in the long run affects academic performance.

Several research studies support the fact that students’ success in Mathematics depends upon the learners’ disposition (fear or confident) in the subject as this determines their ability, willingness to learn, choice of action and response to challenges. More so it determines the level of engagement, interest, personal effort without which one can hardly perform. Upon this premise the researcher seek to examine anxiety as correlates of students academics performance in mathematics in Etinan LGA, Akwa Ibom State

1.3 Objectives of the study

The primary objective of the study is to anxiety as correlates of students academics performance in mathematics in Etinan LGA, Akwa Ibom State. The specific objectives is as follows:

1. To find out the level of Math anxiety among students in Etinan LGA
2. To investigate factors that contributes to mathematics anxiety among secondary school student in Etinan LGA
3. To ascertain whether student Math anxiety influences their academics performance in mathematics
4. To seek recommendations on how to improve students interest towards learning and achievement of mathematics.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the level of Math anxiety among students in Etinan LGA?
2. What are the factors that contributes to mathematics anxiety among secondary school student in Etinan LGA?
3. Does student Math anxiety influences their academics performance in mathematics?
4. In what way can students maths anxiety be eradicated to improve learning and achievement of mathematics.

1.5    Significance of the study

The need for this research is to elicit useful information that could be the problems associated with teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools. Not until useful ideas to the problems militating against mathematics education is unraveled, through a research of this kind, we will not be able to suggest useful and workable solutions to the problems. This study would help in understanding the importance and influence of the affective construct regarding teaching and learning which is hopped would appeal to stakeholders to take the necessary measures. This focused on the main students ‘beliefs and perceptions about mathematics which are considered significant factors underlying school experiences with the hope that this would add student voice to the factors known to influence learning. The importance of the study was for exposition and also for reference purposes as would give impetus to the development of further research that seeks to understand the effect of student attitudes on learning. Interest change therefore, requires determining factors driving the attitude and using that information to bring out the necessary change i.e. helping students to learn and bring out their best potentials. These efforts may define the obscure role of the teacher in molding the learners’ attitudes and motivating them towards learning the subject. Continued attention should then be directed towards creating, developing and reinforcing positive attitudes towards the subject.

1.6    SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study borders on anxiety as correlates of students academics performance in mathematics. This study is a quantitative survey that will cover five secondary schools selected in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa ibom State. Both sexes of teachers and students shall be used as subjects to get information on the teaching and learning of mathematics through a self-report instrument (questionnaire).

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study. Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.