Rima International Journal of Education (RIJE)

An analysis of Cognitive Emotional and Physical Symptoms of Mathematics Anxiety: Its Relationship with Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Senior Secondary School Students in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Aliyu Garba

Department of Science Education,  Faculty of Education, Sokoto State University, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Email: aliyu.garba@ssu.edu.ng

Abstract

This research aimed at exploring the students’ level of mathematics anxiety, gender differences in mathematics anxiety, and the relationship between mathematics anxiety and students’ mathematics score among secondary schools in Sokoto state, Nigeria.109 questionnaires were distributed and 102 were retrieved back. The study is quantitative in nature. The data were collected using cognitive, emotional and physical mathematics anxiety rating scale CEP-MAR with reliability alpha score of .810 adapted from Maths anxiety rating scale MAR by Godbey (1997) and it captured Last mathematics examination Score of the respondents. Data were analysed using SPSS. The findings revealed that about 70.8% of the respondent have higher level of mathematics anxiety, there is significant difference of mathematics anxiety across students’ gender and there is inverse relationship between mathematics anxiety and students’ achievement. However, both emotional and physical symptoms indicated no significant difference on gender in terms of mathematics anxiety while cognitive symptoms indicated singnificant difference.

Keywords

Mathematics anxiety, mathematics score, gender, CEP-MAR

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