An examination on the relation between mathematics anxiety and achievements of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students

Abstract

The basic aim of this study is to develop an anxiety scale to determine the anxieties of primary education 5th - 8th graders felt for mathematics course and to examine the relation between the students’ anxieties and their achievements in mathematics in terms of various variables. Screening model was used in research. The 5th-8th graders studying in primary education schools in Sındırgı district of Balıkesir province in 2010-2011 education years constitute the population of the study. 244 students studying in a mobile village primary education school in district constitute the sample of the study. An exploratory factor analysis was performed by the researcher to examine the structural validity and factor structure of anxiety scale. The significance of difference between the upper and lower 27% for reliability was examined through Cronbach alpha coefficient. The findings revealed that the scale had a two-factor structure and that Cronbach alpha reliability was 0.89 and that the reliability values of all sub dimensions were higher than 0.70 and that all differences between item averages of upper and lower 27% groups were significant. In addition, according to the obtained results, it was determined that there was no difference in students’ anxiety levels according to the classes and that there was a negative relation between mathematics achievement scores and mathematics anxiety.