Mathematics anxiety, achievement, and gender among secondary school students in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
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Abstract
High levels of mathematics anxiety are known to negatively affect students’ learning and academic performance; however, empirical evidence within the Malaysian context particularly among secondary school students in Sabah remains limited. Drawing on prior literature that often reports higher anxiety among female students and a negative relationship between anxiety and achievement, this quantitative study aimed to assess mathematics anxiety levels, examine gender differences, and investigate its relationship with students’ mathematics achievement. A total of 300 lower secondary students from a secondary school in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah participated in the study, and data were collected using a modified Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS) questionnaire, while mathematics achievement was measured based on students’ school-based mathematics examination scores. The findings indicated that the overall level of mathematics anxiety was moderate (μ = 3.04, 2.33 < μ < 3.67), suggesting that although anxiety is not at a critical level, it may still hinder optimal performance and confidence in learning mathematics. An independent samples t-test revealed that female students reported slightly higher mathematics anxiety (M = 3.11, SD = 0.07) compared to male students (M = 2.97, SD = 0.06); however, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.135, p > 0.05), indicating that gender is not a determining factor. In contrast, a significant difference in mathematics anxiety was found based on students’ mathematics achievement (F(5,294), p < 0.05), suggesting that anxiety levels vary meaningfully across achievement groups. These findings imply that even moderate levels of mathematics anxiety warrant attention, as they may still affect students’ academic outcomes; therefore, teachers should implement supportive instructional strategies and foster a positive learning environment to reduce anxiety and enhance students’ engagement and performance in mathematics.
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