Math anxiety in Peruvian students of regular basic education: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: math anxiety among secondary school students is a widely studied and recognized phenomenon in the educational community. This emotional disorder can hinder learning and affect students' emotional well-being. Objective: to describe the level of math anxiety in a sample of Peruvian regular basic education students. Methods: quantitative, non-experimental, and cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample consisted of 150 students of both sexes who were administered the Mathematics Anxiety Questionnaire, an instrument with adequate metric properties. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: the level of math anxiety for 63,3 % of students was moderate, for 26,7 % it was low, for 6 % it was high, for 3,3 % it was very low, and for 0,7 % it was very high. When evaluating the dimensions of attitudes, emotions, and beliefs, it was found that they were also predominantly rated at the moderate level. This means that the majority of students occasionally feel concern, nervousness, or tension when facing situations related to mathematics in the classroom. Conclusions: the level of math anxiety experienced by the majority of Peruvian regular basic education students is moderate. Therefore, it is suggested to implement emotional support programs that provide tools for managing anxiety, as well as teacher training to identify and support students so they can effectively cope with it.