Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the level of mathematics anxiety in primary school teachers in Turkey and to investigate the influence of a number of variables over the anxiety level. 559 teachers were participated in the study. In this study, mathematics Anxiety Scale Intended for Teachers and Candidate Teachers (MKO-O) was used as the data collection tool. For data analysis, t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey test were applied. According to the research results, we have found that total anxiety scores for teachers were at the “I am anxious a little” level. Also, there was a significant difference between teachers’ anxiety level and gender variable, and female teachers’ anxiety levels were found to be higher than male teachers. Additionally, teachers’ anxiety levels decreased as their age and tenure increased. According to the variable of the program of study, the anxiety levels of teachers who graduated from primary school teaching program were lower than the graduated teachers from other programs. Moreover, it is found that the anxiety levels of mathematics teachers who like their job were lower than those who do not like their job.
Highlights
Mathematics, which is taught at all levels of education life and is one of the basic disciplines, is a subject that students are afraid of most and fail the most
Richardson and Suinn (1972) stated of mathematics anxiety that it involved “feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations”
Levine (1993) defined the mathematics anxiety as the anxiety felt at the solution of mathematical problems and at the manipulation of numbers during the daily and academic life
Summary
Mathematics, which is taught at all levels of education life and is one of the basic disciplines, is a subject that students are afraid of most and fail the most. These negative responses cause development of mathematics anxiety in time. Levine (1993) defined the mathematics anxiety as the anxiety felt at the solution of mathematical problems and at the manipulation of numbers during the daily and academic life The factors such as the nature of mathematics, quality of teaching, motivation, peer group, the method used by the teacher, not being able to associate with the daily life, unsuitability of topics with the cognitive level of students, students’ negative attitude against mathematics, inadequate level of their mathematical pre-knowledge, teacherstudent relationship may be counted among the reasons for development of mathematics anxiety. Several researches have stated that there is a reciprocal relationship between these factors (Baloğlu, 2001; Birgin, Baloğlu, Çatlıoğlu & Gürbüz, 2010; He, 2007; Ma & Xu, 2004; Shields, 2006)
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