Mathematics Anxiety and Its Relationship with Form Four Students’ Achievement in the Klang District, Malaysia

The aim of this study was to identify the level of Mathematics anxiety and its relationship with form four students’ achievement in Klang district. The study involved a sample of 182 male and 160 female students (n = 342) from ten daily schools in the Klang district. The Students Mathematics Anxiety Scale (SKMP) was used to measure mathematics anxiety level. This exploratory research used design method of descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (t-test, one way ANOVA, correlation Pearson r, Spearman’s rho multiple regressions) to analyze the data. Findings showed that the level of students mathematics anxiety were on moderate level (mean = 2.37; SD = 0.74). In details, all the underlying dimensions of mathematics anxiety, that are class climate (mean = 2.03; SP = 0.78), incapability (mean = 2.41; SP = 0.76), abstraction of mathematics (mean = 2.33; SP = 0.86), and mathematics achievement test (mean = 2.65; SP = 0.97) on moderate level. The findings showed that 52.9% of respondents had experienced the physical symptoms during the mathematical situations in moderate level. Analyses on perceptions of mathematics showed value of mathematics (mean = 1.74; SD = 0.79), self confidence (mean = 3.42; SD = 1.05) and enjoyment of mathematics (mean = 3.17; SD = 1.04) in mathematical situations were low. Study also showed there was a significant relationship between students’ perception and their mathematics anxiety (r = 0.50). In detail enjoyment of mathematics (r = 0.43), self confidence in mathematical situations (r = 0.40) and value of mathematics (r = 0.21) showed a moderate relationship with mathematics anxiety. The findings have shown there was a significant relationship between mathematics anxiety and the occurring of physical symptoms during the mathematical situations (r = 0.61). An analysis of variance among groups of pure science (n = 117), technical science (n = 111) and humanities science (n = 114), revealed that these groups differed significantly (F (2,339) = 8.38, p < 0.05). The findings of a one-way ANOVA indicated a significant difference between science humanities group with pure science group and the science technical group respectively. Yet a no significant difference was found between the According to the findings several suggestions were suggested to school, Education Ministry and future research. As a outcomes, the study can be used as a resource in planning and implementing quality teaching and learning of mathematics. This aspect should be instilled in the teaching approach in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in secondary school especially the schools in rural area

Understanding the reasons that hinder mobile e-book use of university mathematics students

This study determined the issues related to usage of mathematics mobile e-book and how these issues affected the learning process of the participants. The study used qualitative case study design. Eight postgraduate Mathematics students from Abstract Algebra research group from a local public university in Malaysia were interviewed and observed. The data were analysed in terms of content analysis and descriptive analysis. The findings showed that, utilitarian, affective and cognitive reasons affected the learning activities of the participants negatively. It is concluded that, this study contributed in terms of expanding readers understanding on the reasons that demotivates the usage of mobile e-books and how it's dampen the learning process of the participants

Incorporating lesson study in assessing impact of algebraic mastery learning module on secondary school students' mathematics performance and anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of using Algebraic Mastery Learning Module with incorporation of Lesson Study on Form Four students’ performance and mathematics anxiety toward mathematics learning in a national secondary school. The study utilized the true experimental design using the randomized pre-post test control group design consisting of an experimental group (n = 28) using the Algebraic Mastery Learning Module (AMaLM) teaching and a control group (n = 27) using the Algebraic Conventional Learning Module (ACoLM) teaching for four weeks of teaching and learning duration. Both groups were compared on cognitive variables (overall mathematics performance, algebraic conceptual knowledge-ACK, algebraic procedural knowledge-APK, and algebraic utility knowledge-AUK) and affective variables, (overall mathematics anxiety, mathematics class climate anxiety, mathematics inability anxiety, mathematics abstraction anxiety, mathematics test anxiety, mathematics beliefs and anxiety symptoms). Additional measures such as number of errors, type of errors made by subjects during solving test problems, students’ views on AMaLM and teachers’ views on using AMaLM through Lesson Study were studied. Two instruments were used in this study, namely Algebraic Comprehension Test (ACT),Students Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale (S-RMARS) with the use of AMaLM and ACoLM. The results of ANCOVA indicated that students from AMaLM (treatment) group performed better significantly on their overall algebraic performance (ACK, APK and AUK) (72.54; SD=8.66). Hence, there was significant impact of the different instructional approach, favouring the AMaLM for the learning of mathematics among students. Consistently the results of ANCOVA for overall mathematics anxiety (mathematics class climate anxiety, mathematics inability anxiety, mathematics abstraction anxiety, mathematics test anxiety, symptoms of mathematics anxiety) (2.39;SD= 0.47) also showed that there were significant mean differences between the two groups, with the participants from AMaLM group showing lower mathematics anxiety compared to the ACoLM group. ANCOVA test on the means performance of retention test also showed that participants from AMaLM group significantly performed better than the participants from ACoLM group. Further students in experimental group showed overall favourable views towards the AMaLM usage. The teachers involved expressed supportive views toward the Lesson Study technique and the content of AMaLM in developing the fundamental algebra for students. These results seem to support the contention that the use of mastery learning based instruction AMaLM with incorporation of Lesson Study reduce mathematics anxiety hence increase performance of mathematics. Overall, the results of the study suggested that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the use of AMaLM in learning and incorporation of Lesson Study in teaching mathematics can improve students’ confidence toward working on algebraic based problem solving and improve the performance

Enhancing algebraic conceptual knowledge with aid of module using mastery learning approach

This paper discusses the effect of Algebraic Mastery Learning Module (AMaLM) usage on mathematics achievement of low achievers with high anxiety in mathematics. In this quasi-experimental study, 50 low achievers in Form Four from a secondary school located in a rural area were involved. Target participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group with AMaLM and conventional instruction strategy group. The content of activities for two the groups was the same but differed in its structure of teaching. The activities were carried out for about three weeks of intervention period. The activity papers for conventional instruction (CI) strategy group were solved with the use of only paper-and pencil and compared with the solutions presented by the teachers. The experimental group solved algebra problems also as paper-and pencil activities but utilizing the AMaLM. AMaLM is a self guided book to ease the learning of mathematics for low achievers with mathematics anxiety. It was developed based on constructivist learning theory and mastery learning theory. The material to be learned is subdivided into small units, covering from one lesson to another. The two groups completed Algebraic Comprehension Test (ACT) before and after the intervention period. The mean scores of ACT 1 and ACT II for the AMaLM group and CI group after the intervention were 58.32, 36.88 and 25.8, 22.96 respectively. Results showed that the experimental group improved considerably better than control group. The preliminary findings of this pilot study provided evidence that the construction and mastery of the algebraic concepts assist students towards positive attitude in mathematics learning. AMaLM as self-guided learning tools has favoured the learning process specifically in reinforcing algebraic knowledge for low achiever with anxiety towards mathematics