Exploring in-service teachers anxiety towards chemistry

Abstract

This research paper explores the chemistry-anxiety of in-service teachers. The tool used for this study was piloted with 42 students in a different college than the study site. The main objective of the study was to determine in-service mathematics and environmental science teachers’ anxiety of chemistry. The sample for this study consisted of 662 in-service teachers taking basic chemistry course, in sixteen groups. Of these 636 (Average age=21.8 yrs) completed the Derived Chemistry Anxiety Rating Scales properly. These were second-kiremt/summer Mathematics and Environmental science in-service teachers registered in basic chemistry course in Arbaminch College of Teachers Education, Southern, Nations, Nationalities and Peoples regional state (SNNPRS), Ethiopia in the year 2018 G.C. Anxiety rating scales were used for assessing anxiety of the in-service teachers in terms of the three subscales. Quantitative analyses were carried out to analyze the data. The results of analyses revealed that the in-service teachers were a little bit to moderately anxious in learning basic chemistry. However, the in-service teachers displayed relatively high level of anxiety in Handling Chemicals Anxiety followed by Chemistry Evaluation Anxiety and Learning Chemistry Anxiety. Males and Females were similar in anxiety in terms of Chemistry Anxiety (the whole scale), Chemistry Evaluation Anxiety and Handling Chemicals Anxiety. Nevertheless, statistically, Females are more anxious than males in Learning Chemistry Anxiety subscale. Correlation analyses indicate significant positive correlation coefficients among the subscales. Based on these results and discussions, conclusions were made.