Mathematics Anxiety and Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

Numerous experts have now pointed to Mathematics Anxiety as the reason why students achieve poorly in maths at all educational levels. Research has examined the relationship between math anxiety and students’ academic performance in advanced nations; however, less focus is given to this topic in the Ghanaian context, particularly in the Sagnarigu municipality, where the performance of pupils in school has been poor for more than ten years. This made it necessary to investigate the topic thoroughly to determine if mathematical anxiety and academic achievement are related. To do this, the investigators used a quantitative approach and an analytical cross-sectional design to select 385 students at random from two senior high schools. While student academic reports served as secondary data to gauge learners’ success in mathematics, a 20-item math anxiety questionnaire was the primary tool utilised to gauge students’ level of arithmetic fear. The relationship between the primary and outcome variables was examined using Pearson product-moment correlation. Performance in mathematics declines as math anxiety rises, as indicated by the two variables’ strong negative association (r = -0.85). Because mathematics anxiety is a well-established predictor of performance in mathematics, the study urges all stakeholders to pay close attention to it and take aggressive action to stop it