Students’ Anxiety and Mathematics Achievement in Senior Secondary School II in Abak Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of students’ anxiety and mathematics achievement among Senior Secondary School II students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study aims to uncover the influence of this psychological factor on students' academic performance in mathematics, and a predictive research design was employed. In this study, gender was incorporated as a moderating variable. Data was collected from 180 randomly selected students across six public secondary schools within the zone. The instruments for data collection were the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) and structured questionnaires to measure anxiety. The reliability of MAT was established using the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (K-R20), and a coefficient of 0.798 was obtained. Cronbach’s Alpha (α) was used for the calculation of the reliability indices of Mathematics anxiety as 0.893. Data were analysed using Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple regression, and moderated regression. Findings show that affective factors, such as mathematics anxiety, negatively impact students’ performance, with high levels of anxiety correlating with lower achievement. Gender differences were explored, and results show that gender does not significantly moderate the prediction of mathematics achievement with anxiety. The research recommends educational strategies that enhance students’ attitudes towards mathematics. Such strategies could help mitigate anxiety and improve overall performance.