An Analysis of Mathematics Anxiety

Level Among BSE Mathematics

Students of Northwest Samar State
University
 Introduction

Math anxiety (MA) is the feeling of depression or anxiety when faced with a math
problem. MA can affect a student's math performance. Bloom pointed out that learning
outcomes include cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor aspects. Besides cognitive
learning, emotional learning also plays a very important role in learning mathematics. Her
emotional role in mathematics education was initiated by Polia since 1957 in problem-solving
research that conveys hope, determination and emotion. One emotional area of math
learning that has received the attention of researchers is the anxiety experienced by math
students known as math anxiety (MA) . Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state or feeling
anxious [Seah, W T, & Wong N Y 2012]. MA is the panic, helplessness, numbness, and
mental confusion that some people experience when they have to solve math problems. It is
both an emotional and cognitive fear of mathematics [Fiore G 1999].
However, researchers generally assume that fear significantly reduces student
performance learning. Researchers in the Supreme Court field concluded that MA damages
the memory of initial knowledge in mathematics students [Ma X 1999]. The students' fear is
serious may affect student performance on math tasks, but otherwise reduce anxiety levels
is consistently associated with improved performance [Hembree R 1990].
In the Vietnamese context, mathematics is an important compulsory subject for all
students in the education system from primary to high school. Math skills continue to
improve at each grade level. Therefore, when students need to develop extensive math
skills, take math exams, and prepare for them, pressure is likely to arise. In particular,
mathematics is a compulsory subject for entrance exams and final exams. This creates even
more pressure for high school students to complete math assignments in class, get good
grades in math, and prepare for final exams at the same time. For these reasons, the author
was interested in the degree of mathematics anxiety among Vietnamese high school
students. Math anxiety includes tensions and emotions that interfere with your ability to
manipulate numbers and deal with math-related problems in everyday situations
(Richardson and Sunn, 1972). McAnallen (2010) suggested that mathematics anxiety is a
reaction to mathematics avoidance that leads to failure to acquire important skills and
ultimately to making appropriate career decisions.
In the Philippines, there is no denying the fact that educational institutions across the
archipelago produce mathematically incompetent graduates every year. The 1999
International Mathematical Science Research Trends (TIMSS) results showed just how far
behind the Philippines is other neighboring countries in Asia. As the government struggles to
restore its international honor, Within the community, the Bicol region also struggles to gain
academic reputation at the national level. This shows how poor mathematics pedagogy
Furthermore, Possible factors contributing to this phenomenon include difficulty
understanding mathematical concepts, lack of motivation and study habits, and 105
international peer-reviewed journals. Strict teachers and failure of major exams,
overcrowded mathematics curriculum, weak foundations of students' basic skills, lack of
adequate school facilities, negative attitudes and fixations of Filipinos towards mathematics,
to name a few. Ideas, etc. (Laguador, 2013; Lee-Chua, 2005) ; Lee-Chua, 2005). Of these,
researchers believe that the latter has a greater impact on the aforementioned educational
dilemma. Lee-Chua (2005) calls these negative attitudes. Filipino learners' stereotypes
about mathematics.
 Framework of the Study

Theoretical Framework

There were different components and hypotheses that can influence the Mathematics
Anxiety of BSE Mathematics students. With these in intellect, the think about utilized
different hypotheses to set up a system of the connections between the different variable or
components that can influence the Arithmetic uneasiness of the understudies.
The theory of math anxiety evolved from pedagogy, psychology and neuroscience a
comprehensive understanding of mathematical anxiety (Buckley et al., 2016). Research is
ongoing in this regard, field addition theory is used. Recently, the processing efficiency
theory and the attention control theory have been attracting attention (Passolunghi, Caviola,
Agnostini, Perin, Mammarella, 2016) are used in the field of mathematics. Anxiety research
Processing Efficiency Theory (PET) postulates a relationship between anxiety and anxiety
fear enhances performance by facilitating the idea that he has two functions fear increases
worry, which in turn increases anxiety. Attentional resources are reduced and attentional
control over performance is compromised (Eysenck and Calvo, 1992). For example, if a
student needs to simplify (-2)˄3, the students may not focus on or care about the negative
aspects. Look at the side of the numbers and answer like (2) ˄ 3. It is one of Attention
Control Theory (ACT) expanding PET Focuses on Negative Effects of Anxiety on Individual
Processing Efficiency measures of individual attention control (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos,
Calvo, 2007). As well, a modern elucidation system highlighting the importance of the
evaluation handle within the advancement of arithmetic uneasiness is at the forefront of
inquire about within the following decade (Rameriz, Shaw, and Maloney, 2018).
The elucidation system recommends that on the off chance that understudies can
emphatically reappraise their negative reactions related with science uneasiness, at that
point they may be able to see arithmetic as a challenge and not something to be maintained
a strategic distance from. Rameriz et al. (2018) implied that, “it can be viable to energize
people to reappraise their math on edge response or grasp the see that disfluent learning
can be useful” (p.156). For occurrence, in the event that a instructor is able to induce the
understudy to decipher his or her on edge feeling upon entering a science course as a
feeling of fervor rather than uneasiness at that point learning is more likely to require put. For
occasion, composing around their sentiments around arithmetic may offer assistance
diminish the level of uneasiness by diffusing the anxiety through expressive composing
(Stop, Rameriz, and Beilock, 2014). Also, having understudies recognize the significance of
hard-work and battle to memorize arithmetic will too advantage their learning handle.
In spite of the later progresses, three of the foremost broadly utilized hypotheses to
depict arithmetic uneasiness are: shortfall hypothesis (Tobias, 1986), weakening uneasiness
show, and social cognitive hypothesis (Dowker et al., 2016; Rameriz et al., 2018). The deficit
theory claimed that a destitute execution in science leads to arithmetic uneasiness (Tobias,
1986). A few of the conceivable causes of the destitute execution within the shortage
hypothesis were the result of scientific learning inabilities in early childhood such as
dyscalculia (Passolunghi, 2011), selfregulation shortages when learning arithmetic such as
consideration shortfall hyperactivity clutter (ADHD) (Jain and Dawson, 2009; Lee et al.,
2014), and diminish in arithmetic execution from one year to the another due to the
understudies recollecting their earlier destitute science execution, especially in male
understudies (Ma and Xu, 2004). In rundown, in the event that the cause of mathematics
anxiety is related to the shortage hypothesis and a understudy does not get science
mediation, at that point the learning diminishes exponentially in consequent a long time in
comparison to the students’ age fitting peers.
Another driving hypothesis of Mathematics anxiety was conceptualized as the
debilitating anxiety model which is based on the preface that arithmetic uneasiness will
decrease execution in arithmetic (Carey et al., 2015). For illustration, in case a instructor
calls on a understudy to reply to a science address as portion of the lesson lesson, a
understudy with science uneasiness may involvement unfavorable physiological indications
(i.e., fast heart rate, cognitive perplexity, sweat). Lyons and Beilock (2012) utilized useful
attractive reverberation imaging f(MRI) to examine the physiological changes that happened
in numerically on edge understudies. Their discoveries appeared that the student’s
frontoparietal organize got to be actuated when foreseeing a science errand. The
frontoparietal portion of the brain is where working memory happens. Hence, the work of
Lyons and Beilock (2012) given prove that arithmetic uneasiness influences the cognitive
working of understudies and in this manner ruins their capacity to memorize arithmetic. Be
that as it may, it would have been beneficial in case Lyons and Beilock (2012) had measured
arithmetic uneasiness from a extend of understudies with moo uneasiness encounter stretch
and stress in comparison to understudies who have more weakening science uneasiness
appearing the negative physiological indications. It is conceivable that understudies with
moo uneasiness may not appear an enacted frontoparietal arrange. This would illustrate
distinctive levels of arithmetic uneasiness; a few of which can be tended to with fitting
mediation whereas other cases with more weakening indications may require more in-depth
psychological support.

Lastly, while all of the mentioned theory supported the upward movement of
Mathematics Anxiety of the students, one of the theories mentioned “if students can
positively reappraise their negative responses associated with mathematics anxiety, then
they may be able to view mathematics as a challenge and not something to be avoided”.
Therefore, addressing the anxiety of the students in Mathematics Subject is a very serious
topic and it took a plenty of study to handle properly and according to The deficit theory
claimed that a destitute execution in science leads to arithmetic uneasiness (Tobias, 1986).
 Conceptual Framework
Figure 1, as showed on this page, presented the whole process of the study. The

input was where the researchers identified the profile of the respondents in terms of age,

sex, year level, the respondents’ previous semester’s general weighted average (GWA).

Also, it showed in the input the Mathematics Anxiety test that focuses on the fallowing

domain such as Physical Factor, Assessment Factor and Social Factor. The following factor

were a great help to the researchers to identify students’ level of anxiety.

What is the profile of

BSE Mathematics

students in terms of;

 Age;

 Sex;

 Year Level

 General An Analysis of
Weighted Mathematics Anxiety
Level Among BSE
Average (GWA); Mathematics Students
and of Northwest Samar
State University in
 High School terms of: Proposed anti-anxiety
graduated from  Physical and remedial
Emotional program/activity or
What is the level of the Factor seminars
 Assessment
anxiety of BSE
Factor
Mathematics students  Social Factor

in terms of;

 Physical and

Emotional

Factor

 Assessment

Factor

 Social Factor
 Figure 1. The Paradigm of the Study entitled “ An Analysis of Mathematics Anxiety
Among First Year BSE Mathematics Students of Northwest Samar State University”

The process dealt with analysis of mathematics anxiety of BSE Mathematics

students in terms of, Physical and Emotional Factor, Assessment Factor and Social Factor.

The anxiety tool was used as a tool to measure the level of anxiety and the result of the test

are used to determine the relationship between the anxiety level of BSE Mathematics

students to their profile.

Lastly, the output presented a proposal for a anti-anxiety remedial program/activity or

seminar. The researchers proposed the said remedial seminar/activity/program through the

help of the Mathematics Educator’s Guild (MEG), an organization for mathematics majors. In

this organization, the researchers implemented the proposed output. The output benefited

the students address their mathematics anxiety.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the analyze the cause Mathematics Anxiety Level

among BSE Mathematics Student of Northwest Samar State University.

Specifically, it sought answer to the following:

1. What is the profile of BSE Mathematics students in terms of;

1.1 Age;

1.2 Sex;

1.3 Year Level

1.4 General Weighted Average (GWA); and

1.5 High School graduated from

2. What is the level of the anxiety of BSE Mathematics students in terms of;

2.1 Physical and Emotional Factor

2.2 Assessment Factor

2.3 Social Factor

3. Is there a significant relationship between the students’ level of anxiety and the

profile of the respondents?

4. Based on the findings of the study, what anti-anxiety remedial program can be

proposed to address math anxiety among BSE Mathematics?

Related Literature
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