Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy in Reducing Math Anxiety in Adolescents

Abstract

The current study examines the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy in reducing math anxiety in adolescents. The study was conducted using an experimental method. The research sample consisted of 24 high math-anxious students based on the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) scores having their ages between 13-17 years. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, 12 subjects in each group. 5 males and 7 females were in the experimental group while 6 males and 6 females were in the control group. Pre-testing was followed by the intervention given to the experimental group, 16 sessions of tailored Cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy, involving 90-minute sessions twice weekly. Both groups were tested again with A-MARS after the intervention terminated. Statistical analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics, paired and independent sample t-tests. The data analysis revealed that the intervention has high statistical significance proving CBGT to be highly effective in reducing math anxiety and three subscales of A-MARS: math test anxiety, math course anxiety, and numerical anxiety. The research experiment is implicative for therapists, school psychologists, educators, and parents of math-anxious children.