Math Phobia among School Students: A Comparative Design

: Background: A Comparative study was conducted to assess the level of Math Phobia (Mathematical Anxiety) among high School students in selected Government and Private Schools, Kollam, Kerala. A total sample of 60, High school students were selected using convenience sampling technique. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety among Government and Private High School students and to comparethe level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety among Government and Private High School students. The final objective was to find out the association between level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxietyand selected Socio-demographic variables. Materials and Methods: A Descriptive Comparative design was used to conduct the study. A sample comprising of 60High School students (30 Government and 30 Private) from 10 th Standardwere enrolled using non-probability convenience sampling technique. The conceptual framework of the study was based on Modified Health Belief Model by Becker and Rosenstock (1974). Tools used for data collection were Demographic Performa and Modified Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Results: Data analysis was done using Descriptive and Inferential statistics. Findings of the study revealed that the mean Mathematical anxiety among Government High School students was33.83±9.80 and the mean Mathematical anxiety among Private High School students were 45.87 ±17. The comparisons of the mean Mathematical Anxiety scores among the Government and Private High School students were done using the ‘Student t test’. The computed ‘t value’ at 3.27** (df=58) was statistically significant at p<0.01.No significant association was observed between the level of Math Phobia and selected Socio-demographic variables among both Government and Private School students (P>0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the study confirmed that the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety among the Private High School students were significantly higher than the Government High school students.


INTRODUCTION
It is told that, ''Science/Research without Statistics/Mathematics bears no fruits and Mathematics without research has no roots''. Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics with the major subdisciplines of number theory, algebra, geometry, and analysis, respectively. Mathematics is essential in the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, finance, computer science and the social sciences. [1] IJFMR22061206 Volume 4, Issue 6, November-December 2022 2 Mathematics is a fundamental part of human thought and logic, and integral to attempts at understanding the world and ourselves. Mathematics provides an effective way of building mental discipline and encourages logical reasoning and mental rigor. In addition, mathematical knowledge plays a crucial role in understanding the contents of other school subjects such as science, social studies, and even music and art. [2] Mathematical anxiety, also known as math phobia, is anxiety about one's ability to do mathematics. Mark H. Ashcraft defines math anxiety as "a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance" [3], [4]. According to the American Psychological Association, mathematical anxiety is often linked to testing anxiety. This anxiety can cause distress and likely causes a dislike and avoidance of all math-related tasks [3].
According to the research found at the University of Chicago by Sian Beilock and her group, math anxiety is not simply about being bad at math. After using brain scans, scholars confirmed that the anticipation or the thought of solving math actually causes math anxiety. The brain scans showed that the area of the brain that is triggered when someone has math anxiety overlaps the same area of the brain where bodily harm is registered [5] . Many leaners experienced MathematicalAnxiety in their school days and reported consequences like being anxious towards mathematics including the avoidance of mathematics and the decline in mathematics in achievement [6] .The mathematics anxiety is resulting from post mathematical experience such as learning style, past experience, teacher's personality, poor books, class room environment, the time limitations and student anxiety in mathematics learning' [7] . A study recently reported that prevalence rate of mathematical anxiety among children and adolescents range from 1% -5% with mean rate of 15%for adolescents in USA and Australia one in five children are suffering from mathematical anxiety [6]. The programme for international students' assessment (PISA), conducted a study on 74 countries. The study results reveal poor performance of Indian students in mathematics. Based on the repot Indian states bagged 72nd and 73rd position out of 74th, thus poor performance in mathematics. Also, the Indian students were not yet well prepared for such a test [8].
The Investigator(s) through this study aims to assess the level ofMath phobia and to compare thelevel among Government and Private High School students.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
To assess the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxietyamong Government High School students.
To assess the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety among Private High School students.
To Compare the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety between Government and Private High School students To find out the association between the level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety and selected Sociodemographic variables among Government and Private High School students.

HYPOTHESES
H 1 -There is significant difference in the Mean Mathematical Anxiety scores among the Government and Private High School students.     at df 58) computed to compare the anxiety scores was significantat p<0.01 level. Hence the research hypothesis (H 1 ) was accepted.

Section-IV: Association between the Level of Math Phobia/Mathematical Anxiety and selected demographic variables among Government and Private High School Students.
The association computed using chi square test statistics revealed that there was no significant association observed between level of Math Phobia and Socio-demographicvariables among both Government and Private High school students. (p>0.05). So, the research hypothesis H 2 was rejected and the null hypothesis was accepted.

DISCUSSION
The findings in the present study revealed that the mean Mathematical Anxiety score among Government High School students was 33.83±9.80 and the mean Mathematical anxiety among Private High School students was 45.87 ±17. The t value [3.27**, df=58] computed by comparison ofthe mean Mathematical Anxiety scoresamong the Government and Private high School students was statistically significant at P<0.01 level. Therefore, it is interpreted thatthe level of Math Phobia among Private School students is significantly higher than the Government School students.

CONCLUSION
The study was conducted to compare the level of Mathematical Anxiety between Government and Private High School students. The results of the study confirm that the mean Mathematical Anxiety score among Private High School students aresignificantly higher than the mean Mathematical Anxiety score among Government studentsat p<0.01 level. Therefore, it is concluded that the level of Math Phobia among Private School students is significantly higher than the Government School students.

LIMITATIONS
The study used a non-probability, convenience sampling technique.
The study was limited to a small sample (30 samples).

RECOMMENDATIONS
A similar study can be replicated among College students.
The study can be conducted on a large samplewith randomsampling to generalize the findings.
An Interventional study can be conducted to assess the effect of Progressive Muscle relaxation on level of Mathematical Anxiety among School students.