Prevalence of mathematical anxiety in university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21640/ns.v15i31.3185Keywords:
anxiety, math, university students, education, emotions, traits, educational experiences, sciences, disciplines, studiesAbstract
The data presented below are the result of research aimed at describing the traits of mathematical anxiety by areas of university study and their relationship with the traits of anxiety in general. The Mathematical Anxiety Index questionnaire and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were applied to 526 students with an average age of 21.7 years, from the following academic areas: Physical-Mathematical Sciences and Engineering, Agricultural Biological Sciences, Health Sciences, Economic-Administrative, Humanities and Technical. It was observed that the students of Humanities and Biological Sciences had higher scores in the Mathematical Anxiety Index, while students in the Economic-Administrative and Mathematical Physical Sciences and Engineering area obtained the lowest scores, which means that they have lower traits of mathematical anxiety. The interpretation of the data was as expected, although the students of Hu and BS don’t study educational experiences that involve the use of mathematics, there is still a latent negative response to the discipline.
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