Personal Variables and Anxiety in English and Mathematics: Correlational and Comparative Investigation among Pre-University Students

Jerryk Comawas Alico; Usamah D. Maraorao; Rovelyn D. Maraorao

doi:10.31686/ijier.vol5.iss11.852

Authors

Jerryk Comawas Alico Mindanao State University Marawi City, Philippines
Usamah D. Maraorao Division of Mati City Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines
Rovelyn D. Maraorao Division of Mati City Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol5.iss11.852

Keywords:

Affective Domain, Mathematics anxiety, English Language Anxiety, Profile variables

Abstract

Literatures on the role of students’ emotion in learning have brought to light some realizations as to how teaching should transpire. This comparative and correlational research attempts to enrich further such realizations by providing more information about language and mathematics anxieties—two of the most investigated forms of anxiety. This study also correlated some profile variables such as age, sex, ethnic affiliation, and type of high school attended to the two anxieties. Involved in the investigation were 98 pre-university students who were part of the last batch of students in the Pre-University Center in the second semester of academic year 2015-2016. The reliable questionnaires used to gather data were the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Data revealed that students have significantly higher level of mathematics anxiety compared to their language anxiety level. There was a negative correlation between the said anxieties, but it was not significant. The descriptors of mathematics anxiety showed that fear of assessment and evaluation, like final grading, upcoming tests, and taking an exam, was the main cause their anxiety. However, the language anxiety descriptors only exhibited indirect and inconclusive behavioral causes to their anxiety such as feeling like not going to their English class and thinking of other irrelevant things during the class. When profile variables were correlated with mathematics and language anxieties, only sex was found to be significantly associated with mathematics anxiety while none had a significant relationship with English language anxiety. A significant difference was also found between male and female students’ mathematics anxiety levels, showing that female students were more anxious than male ones. Findings imply that mathematics and language teachers need to improve their teaching methods and styles to alleviate, if not eliminate, students’ anxieties.

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Author Biographies

Jerryk Comawas Alico, Mindanao State University Marawi City, Philippines

Special Assistant, Office of the Vice President for Planning and Development
Usamah D. Maraorao, Division of Mati City Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Teacher II, Department of Education
Rovelyn D. Maraorao, Division of Mati City Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Teacher II, Department of Education

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