The Use of Problem-Solving Training in Reducing Mathematics Anxiety among Nigerian Secondary School Students

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the use of problem-solving training in reducing mathematics anxiety among a group of senior secondary school students in Ogun State, Nigeria area. A 2 x 2 pre-test, post-test factorial design (treatment and gender) was used in the study. 120 students who had high scores on the mathematics anxiety scale were randomly selected from the 492 students which responded to the scale. Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised (MARS-R) by Plake and Parker (1982) was the instrument used in the study. Analysis of covariance was used to analyse the two hypotheses formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed a significant effect of treatment on participants’ level of mathematics anxiety (F-ratio= 5.81, P < 0.05). Students exposed to treatment had reduced levels of anxiety in mathematics compared with those in the control group. The study also revealed that gender affected students’ anxiety in mathematics significantly.

Key words: Mathematics anxiety; problem-solving; control group; gender; senior secondary school students