TEST ANXIETY AS DETERMINANT OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN ONITSHA EDUCATION ZONE, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This relationship between test anxiety and senior secondary school students’ academic achievement in Mathematics in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State was determined. he subject. Two research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 alpha level guided the study. Correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 3,619 senior secondary school two (SS2) students in public secondary schools in Onitsha Education Zone, from where a sample size of 400 students were selected through two-stage sampling procedure involving stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data for the study were collected using two instruments.  Mathematics Test Anxiety Scale (MTAS) and Mathematics Achievement Scores (MASc) for measuring students’ academic achievement, which were obtained from school records. The MTAS was validated by three experts in Faculty of Education Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha method, which yielded reliability coefficients of 0.90, indicating that the instruments were reliable for the study. The MTAS was administered on the respondents by the researchers with the assistance of five school Mathematics teachers. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Moment Correlation to answer the research questions, and null hypotheses were tested using Simple Regression Analysis. Findings revealed that test anxiety significantly and negatively influenced students’ academic achievement in Mathematics. Also, Mathematics test anxiety negatively affects academic achievement for both genders, with the effect being stronger for female students than male students.

 Based on the findings, it was recommended among other things that teachers should adopt supportive instructional strategies and schools should organize counselling programs aimed at reducing Mathematics test anxiety among students.