Math Anxiety and Development of an Instructional Material to Improve Performance in Mathematics

Abstract

In the quest to improve mathematics proficiency, it is worthwhile to emphasize not only enhancing instructional strategies but also developing a positive attitude towards mathematics. One of the things that hinder students’ performance is math anxiety, which interferes with cognitive and learning processes. This research determined the level and causes of math anxiety among students and developed an instructional material to improve their performance in mathematics. The study is an educational design research (EDR). Data on the levels of math anxiety were gathered from 307 Mathematics students, and the causes were examined through focus group discussions with 50 students and 4 mathematics specialists. Using this data, an instructional material was developed and pilot implemented in a mathematics class of forty- two (42) students. Findings revealed that 80.13% of the student- respondents had Average to High Math Anxiety. The causes of math anxiety were mainly negative experiences such as past failures, pressure to find the correct answers, embarrassment in front of peers, and strict teachers. Instructional materials that reduce math anxiety are easy to understand, contain varied activities, and incorporate additional online resources. Analysis of paired samples t-test conducted using SPSS resulted to a t-value of -12.513 and a p-value of 0.000, revealing that the instructional material significantly lowered math anxiety and improved the student’s performance in mathematics. It is recommended that universities expand guidance and counseling services to recognize math anxiety as an integral factor in students’ mental health and conduct a review of the mathematics instructional materials to evaluate their adequacy in lowering the math anxiety.