Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that

brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me

and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see

its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

― Frank Herbert, Dune

Introduction:

Mathematics is very important especially in school curriculum. It is just a subject

for us but every country is using this. World is not all about words, colors, and living

things but also numbers is a part of it. Since math is useful for our everyday lives, in a

very young age, children must know about the basic concept of mathematics. So that

we can understand math, they are teaching this. Many students said that mathematics

is a hard subject.

What is math anxiety? According to Tobias, S. , (1993), that math anxiety is

defined as feelings of tension and anxiety about manipulation of numbers and solving

mathematical problems. And also, according to Yang(2014), the four letter word MATH

is scary to many people. It is not just a fear of math or hating math but it is experiencing
a strong fear of math. When you have math anxiety, you’re not just anxious in taking

exams or reciting at the front but you are anxious with math specifically. Some

researchers said that anxiety is just like a skill. Anxieties are shaped before we learn

mathematics. Numbers and mathematical problems is the main enemy of a person with

this disability.

Math anxiety is a big a problem especially for students. It can affect the person’s

learning new things and it can affect the grades of the students. Math is so useful for

our living so it is a big factor if you have an extreme fear to this. Instead of studying well,

you can’t, just because you’re anxious. There is a big influence in student’s

achievement in school if he or she has this.

Math anxiety is caused by having a poor grades in math, can’t finish hard

assignments, pressuring by parents, and not an effective math teacher. Furner and

Duffy (2002), said that if the teachers and parents tend to pass that fear to the students.

It is very difficult for a millennial to love math mathematics if people around him/ her are

scared in mathematics. There is no one who will help him/ her to survive that subject.

Students may experience math anxiety because they have never experienced

success in their mathematics classes. Person with this disability, for them, math is

synonymous with pain and frustration. If we can’t do what we need to do, we feel that
they’re just a hindrance and a stupid person especially if they are not good at it. Just like

people with this disability, they tend to strive to excel in that topic but they are

frightened. In fact, many students are experiencing math anxiety and mostly it is in a

normal classroom. Students having math anxiety will have long-lasting consequences.

There is a big impact for a student or millennial to have a math anxiety. When the

students will be having a test or homework, it affects the student with this disability

because the fear is setting in to him/her. And also, when there is an event that he/she

can’t avoid math, he/she starts to panic. As soon as a mathematics test is mentioned,

students start to dread it. This prolonged dread breeds fear and nervousness. The

student combines the fear of failing the test, being not certain to do the problems, and

the time limit that has been given--- all of which cause math anxiety.

Math anxiety can damage or affect the working memory of a person. Working

memory can compare to a mental scratchpad. It is very important if we are engaged

with numerical problems but the working memory that was mentioned can be damage

by the math anxiety.

Mathematics is a very important subject and it is like you hit by a truck when you

have a math anxiety.

Background of the Study

Math anxiety is not just a feeling, it is a disability or illness. Some of us is

belittling this kind of disability. They are saying that if you have a math anxiety, you have

an intellectual problem but it is wrong. Math anxiety is more emotional problem than

intellectual. It is not a minor topic but it is so important. You are not informed that in

every 10 students you have interacted, there are 6 who have this disease. It is a great

number.

An earthquake has an aftershock. Just like earthquake, math anxiety is like that

too. Having math anxiety is a great disaster not only in someone’s career but also in

some aspect of his/ her life. If you are not good in math, you are an idiot. That’s the

perspective of the world towards math. Having a label of being an idiot is a great impact

for a single person. Just like other anxieties, math anxiety is a silent killer too.

The purpose of this study is to raise awareness about having math anxiety and

how people will deal with a person having this disability. Math anxiety is not a joke. It a

big hindrance for a student and for a person.

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of this study is to raise and awareness and to reduce the

numbers of people with math anxiety.

Specifically, this study is seeking for an answer to the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents according to:

a. Age;

b. Gender;

c. Grade and Level; and

d. Strand?

2. What are the characteristics of person having math anxiety?

3. How does math anxiety affect the students?

4. What are the potential consequences of having a math anxiety?

5. What recommendations can be formulated to raise awareness and conquer

math anxiety?

Hypothesis
 There is a significant effect in learning of the students with math anxiety.

Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following groups of people in the organization:

To those people having math anxiety because this will serves as an

encouragement to them to try and to give them a mindset that every failure is a lesson.

To those people who had and will have an interaction with people having

math anxiety because they will understand the individual with this ability and they will

now how to deal with it. If the topic is anxieties, understanding is a must.

To those people who is judging a person with a math anxiety and giving them

a not so good label that they will carry for their entire life.
 To those who is not fully informed about this kind of disability and they are

thinking that is normal.

To the researcher, he will know how to understand such peoples with disability

and it will give knowledge to him so that he can be a part to reduce this kind of disability.

This study may serve as a reference to other researchers who want to be

informed about math anxiety and to other researchers who is willing to investigate with

the same topic.