FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MATHEMATICS ANXIETY What is it?

The problem for Malaysian to achieve best results in mathematics because some of them have phobia in mathematics or we called it mathematics anxiety or mathophobia. Before we knew what the meaning of mathematics anxiety, it is better to know what the meaning of anxiety first. From this book Factors Associated with Mathematics Anxiety, we can see that a lot of research about mathematics anxiety that already discussed and also about what the meaning of anxiety. According to Spielberger (pg.9, 1996) and Sigmund Freud (1936) who the first person explains about anxiety within the context of psychological theory, he said that anxiety is something unpleasant felt. Freud had conceived of anxiety is a signal that assign of a danger situation. He also differentiates two anxiety that is objective and neurotic anxiety. Freud states the three criteria of anxiety that is anxiety is unpleasant, has physiological concomitants such as muscular tension, tremor, sweating and more and also it is consciously experienced. Other than that, Philip et al (1972) said that like Freuds formulation of objective and neurotic anxiety, most conceptions of anxiety have a two-part status such as chronic and situational anxiety, and state and trait anxiety. State anxiety is situational in nature and is a function of stressful conditions having a contemporary locus. Trait anxiety is dispositional in nature. Mathematics anxiety has both these aspects that are state and trait anxiety. Mathematics Anxiety has been defined as feelings of phobia toward number and the thing involve of mathematical problem. When it comes a number, the person will feel fear and nervous to solve it. Commonly, mathematics anxiety happened not because of the lack in intellectual but the emotion that fear of mathematics. Lindquist (1981) described mathematics anxiety as involving feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in wide variety of ordinary life and learning situations. Why does it happen? Mathematics anxiety happened due to students attitude toward mathematics. Many people tend to blame others when they cannot achieve what they want although they should know that they must blame on themselves. Many people already set their mind about the

difficulties in mathematics but actually they have myths and the misconceptions about mathematics. They thought that aptitude for mathematics is inborn and it is really difficult if someone that not good at calculating to excellent in mathematics. Other than that, some people tend to think that men are naturally better than woman at mathematical thinking and they thought that in mathematics, the important is to get the right answer than to know the basis idea about mathematics. Many people also not like mathematics because the dislike of being challenge. As usual, everyone said that mathematics is subject for high IQ students and they feel low confidence to solve mathematics problem and they tend to easily give-up if it involve of number and mathematics problem. Instead of using the reason because of mathematics is difficult, some student said that mathematics is abstract and does not relate to everyday life. In classroom, when the teacher teaches certain topic, the student found it is hard to understand when they cannot relate it with everyday life and why they must learn it. Other than that, many of them thought that mathematics is a subject that needs a lot of practice, concentration and their hard work and because of this they felt that mathematics is different from subjects where they can rely on natural talents and gifts for success. As a conclusion, if we think mathematics is difficult, mathematics will became difficult to us and vice verse. Who has it? According to this book, the people that have mathematics anxiety are mostly among the students. Bush (1991) commented that mathematics anxiety arises from a climate in which negative attitudes and anxiety are transmitted from adults to children. From these statements, we can see the children or the students are the people who highly predicted to have mathematics anxiety. This is because they are influence by many factors such as parent, teachers and their friends. A study by Betz (1978) suggests that mathematics anxiety is a problem for many college students. Another study done by English (1989) on in-service teachers reveals that teachers exhibiting higher mathematics anxiety levels were more likely to be female, more likely to have a lower attitude toward mathematics, less likely to have performed well in mathematics course, more likely to have complete fewer mathematics courses, more likely to have chosen to teach in the lower grades and less likely to have felt competent in teaching mathematics. Other than that, primary school teachers are often found to suffer most acutely from mathematics anxiety

(Briggs, 1993; Briggs and Crook, 1991) possibly because of the lack of a firm foundation in mathematics, coupled with the nature of the subject itself. When this happened/occur? Mathematics anxiety can happen or occur for all people who think that mathematics is difficult. From this book, Mathematics anxiety obviously develops in some persons during the early years of schooling (Bush, 1991) and because of this we can state that the person who has higher prediction to have mathematics anxiety is the students. Other than that, there are some people who started disliking mathematics when they transfer from primary school to secondary school and some people start when move from the lower secondary level to the upper secondary level, from Form three to Form Four. Some people also state that they have started to dislike mathematics after National Examination such as PMR and SPM. This is because they get stress to achieve excellent results in mathematics. Who/what created it? All this perception that students have due to many factors also. In mathematics anxiety, it shows that all the factors are interrelated with one another and it is difficult to pin point its actual roots. Bush (1991) commented that mathematics anxiety arises from a climate in which negative attitudes and anxiety are transmitted from adults to children. McMillan (1976) found that teachers attitudes toward certain subject had greater effects the students attitudes toward that subject. In this book, the respondent said that the teachers play the important role in making students like and dislike the subject. They said that the way the teachers teach that is too fast make them hard to understand that subject. Because of this, the students will feel that the mathematics is boring and it is really difficult to learn mathematics because they must catches up it faster and they become more low confidence when they see that their friends can understand it easily. In classroom, the important is teacher-students relationship. When students feel comfortable with the teacher, they will easily ask the question in classroom if they did not understand about certain subject. Some attitudes that not good for teachers to do it in classroom is blaming the students if they cannot understand, ridiculing the students, strict and fierce, use of threats and force to the students and did not showing interest in their students. All this attitudes will results the students that fear in mathematics and also not good in mathematics. Other than

that, the examination also gives an effect to students. The students said that once they fail in test, they will feel that they will fail again in other test although the interest in mathematics. Some students will feel tense and nervous in examination and cannot solve the question because of their mind became blank. Lazarus (1974) and Wilhelm and Brooks (1980) added that negative parental attitudes may be transmitted to their children and that parents often reinforce their childrens mathematics anxiety. According to Poffenberger and Norton (1959), there are three ways how the parents influence their children attitudes toward mathematics that is by parental encouragement, parents own attitudes and by parental expectations of childs achievement. In this book, we can see that the three ways is really had greater influence to the students performance. Other than that, the problem that causes the mathematics anxiety is peer group. Many students exclaimed that they are influence by their friend for not bothering to make any attempt to study mathematics. Some students that have friend that just average in mathematics, they felt that they did not have a challenge in learning mathematics. They also said that although they were going convincing one another that they will still be promoted to form four if they fail in their mathematics examinations during their PMR National Examination. How do you reduce it? All the problems have the method to solve it. When we already know what the problem is, we can easily found the method to solve it. As a future teacher, I think the method to reduce mathematics anxiety is created the harmony teacher-students relationship. Teacher cannot blame the students if they cannot understand, ridiculing the students, strict and fierce, use of threats and force to the students and did not showing interest in their students. Actually, the teacher must have caring attitudes toward their students. Other positive qualities that will attract students interaction are patience, gentleness, encouragements and many more. The students has state that they like mathematics because their teacher always there if they have a problem regarding mathematics. As a teacher, we must blaming ourselves rather than students if they cannot understand certain topic and we must stop to threat the student to excel in mathematics. Other than that, the teacher must change their style of teaching according to their students performance, if they get the students that only at average, they must use another method that more interactive rather than chalk and talk. If they get the student who already excellent, they must give a lot of problem instead of tell about the basis idea which they already excellent. But,

the most important is the teacher should not have mathematics anxiety because if the teacher also have it, it is difficult to solve problem among students.

How do you eliminate it? There are some method can be use to eliminate mathematics anxiety among us. Morris (1981) suggests the method to overcoming the mathematical anxiety. One of them is minimize or eliminate such test and replace them by other less threatening forms of assessment. As we knew, examination is one of the factors that cause the students perception towards mathematics. So, this method will help the students performance and the most important is their perception about mathematics is difficult will eliminate slowly. Other method is refraining from isolating a student at the blackboard but instead request that students work together in small groups co-operatively on problems. This method is all about the teaching method of teacher. Group discussion is the best way to let the students discuss among them about their idea and share with their friend about their understanding because the peer is also influence the students attitudes towards mathematics. The last method that suggest by Morris (1981) is eliminate show-of-hands competitions and class contest that openly compare one student with another, as many students are particularly distressed by such competitiveness. The competitive spirit is good for students but sometimes it will make the students stress and tension. Because of that, the teacher should avoid the game that can make the students compare themselves with their friends. The best way is the teacher should treat their student in same way without influence by their results in mathematics. Actually, to eliminate the mathematics anxiety all the people must show their concern to solve it because the factors of mathematics anxiety in interrelated to one another and it is difficult to pin point its actual roots. So, if everyone takes an action towards this problem, mathematics anxiety will be eliminate.

References: Marzita Puteh (Ph.D) (2002). Factors Associated with Mathematics Anxiety. Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Tanjong Malim.