Reduction of mathematics anxiety in college remedial algebra students

Debilitating anxiety in mathematics has been recognized as a student problem for many years. Recently researchers have taken a closer look at the problem of mathematics anxiety in order to formulate treatments and, ultimately, prevention of the problem. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the following two general hypotheses:

1. There is an inverse relationship between anxiety and competency in mathematics.

2. A decrease in mathematics anxiety can be brought about by a combination of mathematical and nonmathematical treatments.

Students involved in this project included 37 Freshmen students at Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, Fall, 1981. These students successfully answered less than nine questions on the Mathematics Placement Examination (MPE). Eleven students not being required to enroll in mathematics formed the Control Group. The remaining 26 students were placed in either the Instruction (15 students) or Instruction with Anxiety Reduction Treatment (11 students) Group. Both of these groups met four times per week for mathematics instruction. Members of the Instruction and the Instruction Anxiety Groups received their mathematics instruction in one of two classes taught by the same instructor. The Instruction Anxiety Group also met weekly with a counselor who led the group in mathematics anxiety reduction techniques.

For all three sections, the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was given as both a pre- and posttest. All students also took the Mathematics Placement Examination (MPE) as a posttest.

Within the three treatment groups, students were placed in the high, medium or low anxiety range according to their pretest MARS score. This division resulted in small groups and, thus, the results of various inferential statistical methods could not be utilized.

The first general hypothesis of the project was not supported statistically. All students in the Instruction Anxiety Group, however, did experience a decrease in mathematics anxiety, as measured by the MARS, and an increase in mathematics competency, as measured by the MPE.

The average final mathematics course grade for the Instruction Anxiety Group was one letter grade above the average final mathematics course grade for the Instruction Group. The conclusions of the study supported the second general hypothesis.