MATH ANXIETY, MATH EFFICACY, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

IN MATH OF SELECTED GRADE 11 STUDENTS

IN CATARMAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

A RESEARCH PAPER
Franco Raphael Tido
Gerald Sayde
Angie Abayon
Elainy Grajales
Arniza Arniño
Hannah Melina Calagos
Vanessa Comagdang
April Ann Gallano
Romelene Salenas
April Rose Manaog
Alvie Almasco
Chasty-Ann Aricayos
Jinefer Pajares
Justine Mabini
Yeola Horca
Joan Capawing
Donna Marie Sacate
Marian Moreno
Nina Madamba
Frezzli Mae Corot
Roghie Ann Balagso
Roshelle Jan Torres
Jerome Tegbas
Reysun Guarin
 Risty Opeña
Erwin Saldo
John Milton Orroz
Jayson Romero

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Catarman National Senior High School
Catarman, Northern Samar
 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study

Mathematics does not just deal with solving math problems but also enhances
other cognitive aspects everyone should possess. In other words, mathematics has a big
role in enhancing, boosting, and modifying our intellectual capacity. Unfortunately,
mathematics is too complex that it is not thoroughly done, understood and
appreciated thus triggering math anxiety.

Defined by Ashcraft & Faust (2000), math anxiety is the feeling of tension,
apprehension, and fright that disturb the usual manipulation of number and the
solving of mathematical problems. Ashcraft & Faust (2000), being anxious about math
correlates with lower performance in math. In fact, Guita & Tan (2018) found out
that in school year 2012-2013, the National Achievement Test (NAT) of DepEd
yielded a mean of percentage score (MPS) of 48.90 percent in all the secondary
schools nationwide. The yielded result didn’t meet the national standard passing rate
of 75 percent. This marks that mathematics academic performance in the secondary
students nationwide is low.

In the other hand, the SMEA reports that during the last semester of the
school year 2018-2019, in Grade 11 students of Catarman National Senior High
School, the MPS was 62.85 in third grading period and 78.10 of percent in the
fourth. Although 78.10 of the last grading period is above the passing standard, still,
the average of the semester is dragged down by the 62.85 percent in the third
grading into 70.48 percent, still considered a fail.

The academic performance said above by the data gathered may also be
because of the low self-efficacy of the Filipino adolescents as proven by the study
of Ouano (2011). The result of his study shows that adolescent have lower self-
efficacy when they are in higher academic level and more dramatically lower among
those who strongly endorsed performance oriented goal which is used by the
curriculum.
 As said by the above written text, the academic performance of the high
school students nationwide including the Catarman National Senior High School are
low and should be given immediate response. The reason of conducting this study
is to determine the level of self-efficacy and elaborate the factors that cause math
anxiety on the students of Catarman National Senior High School and somehow,
after discovering these factors, suggest possible solutions that will increase students’
performance in mathematics.

Objective of the Study

This study tries to find out the math anxiety, math performance, and math
efficacy of the Catarman National Senior High students.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Determine the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 age
1.2 sex
1.3 hobbies
1.4 mathematics average grade during the previous quarter
2. Determine the level of math anxiety in the respondents.
3. Determine the level of self-efficacy in math of the respondents.
4. Find out if there is a significant relationship between the profile of the
respondents and their level of self-efficacy in mathematics.
5. Find out if there is a significant relationship between the profile of the
respondents and their level of math anxiety.
6. Find out if there is a significant relationship between the profile of the
respondents and their academic performance in math.
7. Find out if there is a significant relationship between the level of self-efficacy
of the respondents in math and their academic performance on it.
8. Find out if there is a significant relationship between the level of math anxiety
of the respondents and their academic performance on it.
Significance of the Study

The results of this study will be beneficial to the following:

Students. This study will provide them awareness of their math performance
and self-efficacy yielded by anxiety towards math. Therefore, they will do some
strategies to cope in every lessons in math and uplift their academic performance.

Teachers. This study is beneficial to them since they will be able to enhance
their teaching method to their students. They will then give students-friendly math
activities that will prevent math anxiety to occur on their students.

Parents. This study is beneficial to them since they will be able to know
their children’s capacity in mathematics. Afterwards, they will do some strategies
like reward system to engage their children in math.

Community. This study will help the community to make programs, whether
out- or in-school, that teach concepts of mathematics towards students who has
math anxiety.

Future Researchers. This study will help the future researchers in making
researches about the level of math anxiety, self-efficacy, and academic performance
in math of the Catarman National Senior High School students.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study will be conducted only within the premises of Catarman National
Senior High School. The respondents will be grade 11 students from different
academic strands this school-year 2019-2020.

However, this study is limited when it comes to the answers of the grade
11 respondents. Hectic schedules of both the researchers and the respondents will
yield hard right timing in when to distribute the test questionnaires. The answers
of the respondents is beyond the control of the researchers. In addition, this study
is also hindered by the time allotted to the researchers as well as the research
experiences to conduct the study. Another hindrance is the poor access to materials
which we can utilize in doing our study.

Theoretical Framework

Our study is conducted to study math anxiety and how it affects the academic
performance in mathematics of the Catarman National High School students. These
three following theories correlate with our study apropos for how math anxiety
fosters among the Catarman National Senior High students as a whole.

Our study is supported by three theories namely, Deficit theory, Reciprocal

theory, and Debilitating theory. Deficit theory by Eller (1989) suggests that people
who start out with poorer math performance are more likely to develop anxiety
about math. Studies have suggested that students with mathematical learning
disabilities such as developmental dyscalculia (which causes reduced math
performance) have higher levels of math anxiety even the children without
mathematical learning disabilities.

Reciprocal theory, which was proposed by Dewey Bernard Larson (1898-

1990) suggests that math anxiety might cause decrease math performance and poorer
performance might elicit math anxiety.

The third one is the Debilitating theory and was proposed by Hembuee
(1990). It suggests that the link between math anxiety and math performance is
driven by anxiety’s devastating consequences in learning and recalling math skills.

Moreover, the only theory that supports self-efficacy among the students is
the Self-efficacy theory proposed by Bandura (1977). The said theory says that the
behavior and performance is affected by self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is then made by
the experiences which can be vicarious, social persuasion, and physiological
feedbacks.
Conceptual Framework

Our study aims to see the level of math anxiety and self-efficacy in the
Catarman National Senior High students and how it affects their academic
performance in mathematics not regardless of their profile.

In conducting this study, the researchers identified the two variables which
are the dependent and independent variables. The independent variables are the self-
efficacy in math, level of math anxiety, and the profile of the respondents which
compromise the age, sex, hobbies, and the mathematics average during the previous
grading period. The dependent variable, however, is the academic performance of
the respondents in mathematics. Further self-efficacy and level of math anxiety of
the respondents are affected by their profile, though both independent variables.
More importantly, These three independent variables are responsible for the increase
or decrease of the academic performance of the respondents in the long run.

Paradigm of the Study

Independent Variables Dedependent Variables

Profile of the Respondents:

1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Hobbies
1.4 Math average during the previous
grading school year 2019-2020

Academic performance in
Math

Level of math anxiety and self-

efficacy of selected grade 11 Senior
High students in Catarman National
High School.
Hypotheses of the Study

This study hypothesized that:

1. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and

their level of self-efficacy in mathematics.

2. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and

their level of math anxiety.

3. There is no significant between the profile of the respondents and their academic
performance in math.

4. There is no significant between the level of self-efficacy of the respondents in

math and their academic performance on it.

5. There is no significant between the level of math anxiety of the respondents and
their academic performance on it.

Definition of Terms

To understand easily, the following terms were defined operationally and

conceptually:

Academic Performance. Conceptually, it is the extent to which a student,

teacher, or institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.
Operationally, the academic performance of selected grade 11 students in
mathematics.

Age. Conceptually, it is the period of human life, usually marked by a

certain stage or degree of mental or physical development and involving legal
responsibility (Dictionary.com). In this study, it refers to the total number of years
the respondents live.

Debilitating theory. It suggests that the link between math anxiety and math
performance is driven by anxiety’s devastating consequences in learning and recalling
math skills.
 Deficit theory. It says that poor performance in math leads to math anxiety.

Hobbies. Operationally and conceptually, the activities or interest pursued

outside one’s regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure
(Thefreeddictionary).

Math anxiety. It is the feeling of tension, apprehension, and fright that

disturb the usual manipulation of number and the solving of mathematical problems.

Mathematics Average. Conceptually, it is the grade that is calculated by

adding quantities together and then dividing the total by the number of quantities.
Operationally, it refers to the total average grade of grade 11 respondents in
mathematics for the first semester of school year 2019-2020.

Reciprocal theory. It says that math anxiety might cause decrease math
performance and poorer performance might elicit math anxiety.

Self-efficacy. Conceptually, it is the individual’s belief in their innate ability

to achieve goals (Wikipedia) . Operationally, it is how efficient respondents are in
mathematics.

Sex. It is the biological classification of individuals as men or women.

 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the related literature and related studies.

Math Anxiety
Whether inside or outside the school, students apply mathematics for personal
purposes and their mathematics skill should be boosted as it is for preparation to
today’s future in the aspect of science, education, economy, and even daily
interaction. However, the academic performance in math of the students implies that
they are impeded by anxiety towards mathematics and therefore should be given
immediate attention. The following review in literatures discusses how real math
anxiety is as it impedes the development of self-efficacy and inclination in
mathematics of the students and how urgent it is for us to give solutions on this
problem.
According to Paechter et al. (2018), anxiety disorders are some of the most
widespread mental health issues worldwide and in educational settings, individuals
may suffer from specific forms of test and performance anxiety that are connected
to knowledge domain. Peachter et al. said that math anxiety is the most prominent
and widespread for all ages across the globe.
In a study of Paechter et al. (2018), they stated that in United States of
America, 93 percent of adult US-Americans indicate that they experience some level
of math anxiety. Paechter estimated that approximately 17 percent of the US
Samaritan suffers from high level of math anxiety. In the other hand, in 2012, the
Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that across the 34
participating Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
countries, 59 percent of the 15 to 16 year-old students reported that they often
worry in math classes and difficult for them, 33 percent reported that they get very
tense when they have to complete math homework, and another 31 percent stated
that they get very nervous doing math problems.
In a study of Patena and Dinglazan (2013) in selected department in Lyceum
University of Batangas, they found out that there is a poor performance in college
algebra. Patena and Dinglazan found out that only the College of Allied Medical
Professions (CAMP) passed the departmental examination of 84 to 89 percent which
are progressing towards the standard and the other departments which are the
Lyceum International Maritime Academy (LIMA), College of Computer Science
(CCS), and the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) are below.
 As an aid to math anxiety, Paechter et al. (2018) recommended that
educational institutions, teachers, parents, and affected person should try to modify
themselves. Paechter et al. added that educational institution should implement
curricular strategies against math anxiety; teachers should choose strategies that
enhance students’ interest and motivation through making math instructions and tasks
attractive to both sexes; parents may support their children in developing positive
self-concept; and learners should have positive self-concept and optimistic learning
behaviors. Moreover, Patena and Dinglazan (2013) recommended that teachers should
develop positive relationship with students and focus more on classroom activities,
which will involve active teaching - learning process and students’ participation in
the class. Patena and Denlazan added that teachers may organize periodic seminars
and workshops for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators designed to
promote positive attitudes towards mathematics. Patena and Dinglazan encourage the
Students Unified in Mathematics (SUM) to conduct tutorials session or peer tutoring
for those who have low performance in Mathematics.
As conclusion, Paechter et al. (2018), math anxiety poses a severe problem
over entire life spans. Paechter et al. added that the effects of math anxiety on
performance have been widely investigated, and its negative impact has been
acknowledged. Nevertheless, Paechter et al., issues still remain regarding math
anxiety that need further investigation.

Self-efficacy
In Townsend and Wilton’s (2003) research on evaluating change in attitudes
towards mathematics, they emphasize that elements of self-efficacy are present in
recent calls by educators to address the problems posed by negative attitude toward
mathematics. As Seifert (2004) states in his report on Understanding Student
Motivation, the self-efficacy theory refers to a person’s judgment about his or her
capability to perform a task at a specific level of performance. This belief is formed
by a history of experience that persuade a person that he or she has what it takes to
be successful in mathematics (Townsend & Wilton, 2003). In addition, Seifert stated
that the worth of the individual is connected to his or her ability to do something
well.
Jackson and Leffingwell (2000) found that there distinct age groups in which
the anxiety producing problems became evident: Grade 3 and 4, Grades 9-11, and
college level, predominantly in freshmen year. Jackson and Leffingwell found out
in there study that students became traumatized as early as kindergarten and 16
percent of students experienced their first traumatic ecounter in grade 3-4. Tankersley
(1993) said that researches has shown that fourth grade is often when students first
experience math anxiety. She added that encounters such as these leave little room
for development of a student’s self-concept within the area of mathematics.
 Alpacion et al. (2014) stated in their study that students who have shown
positive attitude towards mathematics tend to perform well. They added that
performance in mathematics can be improved by developing a positive attitude
towards the subject. However, students who are not confident perceive themselves
incapable and may avoid tasks that are seen as challenging or difficult and as a
result, students lack of confidence in their ability to perform mathematics follow
creating math anxiety (Seilfert 2004).
A student’s perception on success in mathematics has been researched for
years and many have found a direct relationship between a student’s self -efficacy
and math anxiety (Adeniyi 2017). He added that mathematics anxiety has fostered
such strong research into its own origin and effects on students’ performance and
research has concluded that mathematics anxiety can lower a student’s performance
in math.
Townsend and Wilton (2003) stated that, attitudes toward mathematics appear
more polarized than for any other curriculum area. They explain that certain
instructional strategies may able to increase a student’s perception of their ability
to learn and therefore reduce the tension associated with mathematical dislike, fear,
and poor performance in mathematics. Townsend and Wilton added that it is more
important to look into instructional strategies to enhance and encourage learning
taking place within the mathematics classrooms.

Academic Performance in Math

According to Gourgey (1992), the reasons that lead to poor achievement by

many learners are feeling of being powerless when mistakes are made and not
knowing how to correct them; distrust of own intuition; math is emotionally charged,
evoking strong feelings of aversion and fear of failure; and math is seen as a
subject to be performed by applying algorithms dictated by higher authority, rather
than understanding underlying logical principle. And this is just one of the sited
reasons of researchers that lead to poor mathematics achievement according to the
University of Pretoria.

In the Philippines, Guita and Tan (2018) found out that in school year 2012-
2013, the National Achievement Test (NAT) of DepEd yielded a mean of percentage
score (MPS) of 48.90 percent in all the secondary schools nationwide. The yielded
result didn’t meet the national standard passing rate of 75 percent. It implies that
the data provided is low. Guita and Tan added that the academic achievements of
the students are deemed important in determining their levels of learning and
therefore math should be given attention even if it is the second most difficult
subject as cited by Andamon (2015).
 Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

Locale Of The Study

Located at Barangay Dalakit, Catarman Northern Samar, the Catarman

National Highschool offers quality education up to this day. The school was
established under Batas Pambansa Bilang 478 which was signed on June 10 1985.

The whole Catarman National Senior High School holds 1506 students, in
exact number and exactly 40 Senior High School teachers are employed.. The
Catarman National High School offers academic track and TVL track. The academic
strands are the Science Technology and Engineering (STEM), Humanities and Social
Sciences (HUMSS), Accountancy and Business Management (ABM), and General
Academic Strand (GAS). For the non-academic track is Technical Vocational Strand
(TVL).

Research Design

Our study has a descriptive- correlational research design. Descriptive in the

manner of answering WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW questions regarding to
the development of math anxiety among the Catarman National Highschool students.
While correlational in the manner of how we find relationship between our
independent and dependent variables which are the Self- Efficacy and Math Anxiety
and how they affect Catarman National Senior High Students’ Academic Performance
in Math.

The Variables

The independent variables are the math anxiety and self-efficacy of the
students. Math anxiety which is one of the independent variables is defined by
Ashcraft and Fraust (2000), as the feeling of tension, apprehension, and fright that
disturb the usual manipulation of number and the solving of mathematical problems.
The other independent variable which is the self-efficacy is defined by PISA (2003)
as the students’ self-belief in their ability to overcome difficulties.

The dependent variable is the academic performance of the Grade 11 Senior

High students which is operationally defined in our study as the average of the
respondents in mathematics during the first grading of the school-year 2019-2020.

Population and Sampling

For exactly 798 Grade 11 students, we will choose samples from different
strands using the stratified random sampling method.

During the distribution of our research instrument, 10 samples will be selected

in each section regardless of academic strand using the simple random sampling.
To avoid class interruption, the researchers will give the questionnaires to the
respondents only during recess. They will be given one night to answer the
distributed questionnaires and will be retrieved the other day.

The Respondents

The Grade-11 population of students is composed by 798 and are in 15

sections. Five sections in Humanities And Social Sciences (HUMSS), two sections
in Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM), four in General Academic
Strand (GAS), two in Technical Vocational and Livelihood (TVL), and two in
Accountancy Business and Management (ABM). The total member of the sample is
150 and 10 samples for every section regardless of strand.
 Mentioned in the population and sampling, stratified sampling and simple
random sampling will be used. In choosing how many samples and in what manner,
stratified random sampling will be chosen and random sampling in selecting the ten
samples who will answer the questionnaire, the researchers made.

Research Instrument

The research instrument that we will use in our study is a questionnaire that
will be answered by our grade 11 respondents from the Catarman National Senior
High School. The adopted questionnaire for math anxiety is from the study of
Jennilyn F. Balbalosa entitled as “Factors affecting Mathematics Performance of
Laboratory High School at Laguna State Polytechnic University”.

The questionnaire is in table and has four tests. The first test is for the
profile of the respondent. The name, age, sex, hobbies, and math grade during the
first quarter of the school year 2019-2020 are asked. Secondly, the second test is
all about the students’ interest and habits in math. Inside the table are questions
regarding the students’ habits and interest in math answered by how frequent the
respondents do math. The options are labeled as “always”, “often”, “sometimes”,
“rarely”, and “never” and the respondents will pick one from the choices. The third
test, in the other hand, focuses on the teacher factor and is divided into two parts
which are the teachers’ personality traits, skills, and instructional materials that they
use and answered by the same answers provided in the first test.

Further, for measuring self-efficacy, we adopted the Morgan-Jinks Self-

Efficacy Scale and modified the series of questions for them to be connected in
mathematics which is the fourth test. The questions are answerable by really agree,
kind of agree, kind of disagree, and really disagree.
Scoring and Interpretation of Data

To determine the mathematics anxiety of the students, the researcher adopted

the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Skills (MARS) developed by Ikegulu as cited by
Rubio (2011). The scale is a Likert scales with items answered on a five-point
scale- from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient obtained
is 0.92. The scoring procedure was as follows.

Scale Range Qualitative Description Interpretation

5 4.20-5.00 Strongly Agree Highly Positive

4 3.40-4.19 Agree Positive

3 2.60-3.39 Undecided Moderate

2 1.80-2.59 Disagree Negative

1 1.00-1.79 Strongly Disagree Highly Negative

To determine the self-efficacy of the selected Grade 11 students in

mathematics, we made our own scale.

Scale Range Qualitative Description Interpretation

4 3.25-4.00 Really Agree Highly Positive

3 2.50-3.25 Kind of Agree Positive

2 1.75-2.50 Kind of Disagree Negative

1 1.00-1.75 Really Disagree Very Negative

To determine if there are relationships between the variables which are the self-
efficacy and math anxiety, we used the concept of Estonanto (2017).

For math anxiety independent variable:

Level of Math Anxiety Anxiety Range No. of Students Percentage

Highly Positive 4.20-5.00

Positive 3.40-4.19

Moderate 2.60-3.39

Negative 1.80-2.59

Very Negative 1.00-1.79

TOTAL 150 100%

For self-efficacy independent variable:

Level of Self-Efficacy Self-Efficacy Range No. of Students Percentage

Highly Positive 3.25-4.00

Positive 2.50-3.25

Negative 1.75-2.50

Highly Negative 1.00-1.75

TOTAL 150 100%

For academic performance in mathematics dependent variable

Performance Level Average No. of students Percentage

Very High 95-100

High 90-94

Average 85-89

Low 80-84

Very Low 65-79

TOTAL 150 100%

Validation Of Research Instruments

Our research instrument no longer need to be validated since the study

where this questionnaires were used had been successful. Only the profile were
added and should be as they are part of the independent variables.

Data Gathering Procedure

The data will be taken from ten students in every section regardless of
strand. The questionnaire will be distributed to the respondents during recess so that
the class will not be interrupted and will be retrieved the other day.

After the data are collected, they will eventually be analyzed. The two data,
level of math anxiety and level of self-efficacy, are measured separately but in the
same process. The answers will be gotten its average and will be classified to
where in the range they fall. Afterward, they will be classified as to where in
interpretation row they belong.
Statistical Treatment of the Data

The researcher will use descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, and
standard deviation to describe the mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy and how they
relate to academic performance of the students. Descriptive statistics is more
appropriate as it will determine the range of math anxiety and self-efficacy of the
respondents on where they fall in average, in how frequent the respondents in being
such as belong to one of the interpretations, and so forth.

Thus, if used, the aforementioned hypothesis will be answered pertaining to

the level of anxiety and self-efficacy, and relationship between the variables.

In determining the level of math anxiety of the respondent, as said in the

part of scoring and interpretation of data, we will use the Mathematics Anxiety
Rating Skills (MARS) and we made our own way of determining the level of self-
efficacy but to be accurate, we made it at the same pattern and concept of the
MARS.

However since the remaining hypothesis discuss about the relationship of the
variables, only critical analysis will be used to answer them using the data gathered.