Mathematics Achievement of Secondary School Students in Relation to Mathematical Anxiety: Analysis and Suggestions

Abstract

The mathematics achievement of secondary school students is greatly affected by many psychological factors like intelligence, learning habits, mathematical anxiety, motivation, concentration, self-confidence, and academic stress. Out of this, mathematical anxiety is prominent one as it is a feeling of tension and apprehension. In fact, it is the ratio of “tension felt” by a pupil to the “support available.” In the present review, we have analyzed all the factors responsible for mathematical anxiety to decide the achievement in mathematics. To practice mathematical problems and to feel anxious about the same are the main reasons by which pupils get bored with mathematics during their middle classes. In some cases, even pupils at primary school level may feel mathematical learning as tough and suffer from low confidence. In the present review, we have tried to figure out the reasons how mathematics achievement gets affected by mathematical anxiety. To overcome the problem of mathematical anxiety and to earn mathematical achievement, students should be taught by the teacher with improved teaching and learning methods so that they may feel encouragement towards mathematics.