Creativity enhanced program for twice exceptionally gifted: effects of mathematics anxiety level

Abstract

TThis research aimed to verify the effectiveness of a program based on the creative problem-solving strategy in alleviating mathematics anxiety among gifted students with mathematics learning difficulties at public primary schools in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this goal, the researcher employed the experimental approach in its quasi-experimental design. Raven Progresivve Matris Test (RPMT) was applied to determine the general mental level. The mathematics anxiety scale was applied immediately after the training, as well as during the follow-up testing after four weeks of post-measurement. The sample of the study consisted of 10 grade-six gifted students with mathematics learning difficulties, whose ages ranged between 132 and 135 months. The sample was divided into two randomly chosen groups. The first is the control group, which consisted of five students. The second is the experimental group, which consisted of five students. The experimental group students received 18 training sessions, which were applied over six weeks, three days per week. Immediately after the training and during the follow-up test on the mathematics anxiety scale. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that the experimental group were superior to the control group in the performance on mathematics anxiety scale. In addition, there were no statistically significant mean score differences among the experimental group students immediately after the training and during the follow-up test on mathematics anxiety scale. This indicates a decrease in the mathematics anxiety scale. The researcher recommends the use of a creative problem-solving strategy to help those students.