THE INFLUENCE OF MATHEMATICS ANXIETY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between mathematics anxiety and academic achievement among high school students using a quantitative, non-experimental correlational design. A sample of 240 students drawn from three public high schools completed the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) alongside a standardised mathematics achievement measure derived from end-of-term examination scores. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed a moderate to strong negative relationship between mathematics anxiety and academic achievement, r(238) = -.64, p < .001, indicating that students who reported higher levels of mathematics anxiety tended to obtain lower achievement scores. A one-way analysis of variance comparing achievement across low, moderate, and high anxiety groups, based on tertile splits, confirmed statistically significant differences among the three groups, F(2, 237) = 88.47, p < .001, with post hoc comparisons showing that each anxiety level differed significantly from the other two. Simple linear regression indicated that mathematics anxiety significantly predicted achievement and accounted for approximately 41 percent of the variance in achievement scores. These findings are consistent with international evidence linking mathematics anxiety to reduced achievement and point to the value of school-based interventions that address the emotional dimensions of mathematics learning alongside cognitive instruction. Implications for counsellors, teachers, and future research are discussed.