Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Education is essential for everyone. It helps people to earn respect and recognition. It is the

important part of life both personally and socially. The importance of it is guaranteed for every single

person. It goes without saying that it has a positive effect on human life. All people need to study.

Only with the advent of it allows people to gain knowledge and to enlarge their view over the world.

It plays such a fundamental role in our society that we can’t even imagine a life without it. It is a life-

long process to each person that needs to be reinforced throughout life.

Education is really important. It is the knowledge of putting one’s potentials to maximum use.

It is considered as a very precious tool in life. It cannot be measured by money, fame and other things

for this is the key to success that disregards the stature in life and financial capabilities as long there is

the desire to achieve goals envisioned in life. One can safely say that a human being is not in his

proper sense until he is educated. Without education, people would not have their highly developed

skills and talents that would help them become successful both in career and family in making the

right decisions in life and in becoming aware of the environment.(Colo.

http://www.angelsinheavenschool.com as cited by Naguit: 2012)

The growing awareness of the benefits of education and its implications to the nation’s agenda

on economic progress have alerted education officials to implement educational reforms, programs

and projects to address key issues and problems in the educational systems. Assessment test like

1|Page
achievement test, diagnostic test, to name a few, were administered regularly to assess mastery of

skills and concepts in the different subject areas. (Piñon: 2010)

The development of scientific and technological efficiency as one of the mandated objectives

of education has made imperative the strengthening of the Mathematics teaching in all levels of

education. The technological and scientific revolution, which characterizes this decade, is to provide

opportunities for the development of students’ understanding and appreciation of mathematical

procedures and methods of reasoning. (Estonelo, 2008)

Estonelo (2008) mentioned in his study that the debate over whether humans have an innate

capacity for Mathematics often hinges on two semantic questions: 1) What do we mean by “innate”?

and 2) What cognitive skills are to be classified as mathematical? These questions are stated in the

Journal of Gale (2006) that according to Calvo (2006), recent studies suggest that everyone is born

with at least some mathematical ability already “hardwired” into his brain.

Aquino (1995) as cited by Estonelo (2008) emphasized the importance of Mathematics in

man’s life that it permeates in all levels and all fields of endeavor. That Mathematics as one of the

basic subjects from elementary to college is an indicator of the general acceptance of its practical

value in our daily life. The skills gained in this subject are prerequisites to the subjects that the

student will take in the future.

Does mathematics exist independently of the human mind? The platonic view holds that it

does, that it is a body of concepts existing in an external reality. This implies that mathematics is

gradually discovered and mapped out, much as an unknown country might be. The opposing view is

that mathematics is internal, created by humans as the product of our minds and the way they

2|Page
function, so that anyone would describe mathematical innovations as inventions. (Lackoff and

Nunez: 2001)

Despite the numerous application of Mathematics as essential tool for all scientific and

technological researches, it is disheartening to note that many students display negative attitude

toward Mathematics, consider Mathematics as extremely difficult subject, experience aversion, and

phobia regarding this subject as revealed by researches in the field of Mathematics instruction which

were conducted by Baral (2000), Estonelo (2008), Olonan (2010), and Piñon (2012).

Both children and adults experience math anxiety, and it is often related to test taking in math,

particularly for performing well on high stakes tests (Marikyan, 2009). High math anxiety hinders

their ability to perform in the college environment by causing poor academic achievement in math

areas (Woodard, 2004). In a study of undergraduate students, individuals high in math anxiety were

found to have reduced working memory span, which in turn resulted in increased reaction time and

increased errors when performing math tasks (Ashcraft, 2001).

Statement of the Problem

The primary aim of this study is to determine the Mathematics anxiety and level of cognitive

skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 students of PLT College Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Specifically, it will sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the profile of Grade 11 students of PLT College Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

in terms of:

1.1 age;

1.2 gender;
3|Page
 1.3 mother’s occupation;

1.4 father’s occupation;

1.5 adequacy of reading materials; and

1.6 availability of ICT facilities at home?

2. What is the level of mathematics anxiety of the respondents?

3. What is the respondents’ level of cognitive skills in Mathematics along:

3.1 remembering:

3.2 understanding;

3.3 applying;

3.4 analyzing;

3.5 evaluating; and

3.6 creating?

Objectives of the Study

This research study aims to determine the Mathematics anxiety and levels of cognitive skills

in Mathematics of Grade 11 students of PLT College Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Hypothesis of the Study

1. Do the respondents profile relate significantly with their Mathematics anxiety and levels of

cognitive skills in Mathematics?

2. Do significant relationships exist between the respondents’ Mathematics anxiety and levels of

cognitive skills in Mathematics?

4|Page
5|Page
Significance of the Study

The importance of the study lies on its possible contributions for the improvement of

classroom instruction and instructional materials which subsequently leads to the attainment of

quality education. The researchers consider this endeavor important not only to students and

mathematics educators but also to administrators, curriculum planners, parents, and future researchers

as well.

Students. As the direct beneficiaries of the teaching-learning process, the students may cope

with anxiety and gain better cognitive skills that will help them develop their problem-solving skills.

Likewise, this study will help them appreciate the importance of Mathematics in their lives and its

useful application to real life situations.

Teachers. This study will provide Mathematics teachers with baseline information about the

Mathematics anxiety of students, and their strengths and weaknesses in Mathematics particularly

along the cognitive domain of learning. These would enable them to give more emphasis on topics

students are found to be weak as revealed in the findings of this study. It would also be the

springboard for them to develop instructional materials that will enhance the achievement of students.

Administrators. The findings of the study would serve as the bases for school administrators

in designing curricular and co-curricular activities that will handle Mathematics anxiety and improve

the cognitive skills in Mathematics among learners. It would also be the springboard for them to

develop evaluation instruments that will measure and evaluate effectively the achievement of

students.

Curriculum Planners. This study would serve as basis for curriculum planners to consider

important components of good curriculum in undergoing a curriculum process. As such, students will

6|Page
be assured of a curriculum that would enable them to progress from grade school to high school and

ultimately to college. Likewise, teachers will be provided with course syllabus, scope and sequence,

materials and textbooks that are properly correlated across the years.

Parents.The findings of this study will help parents in determining the anxiety and levels of

cognitive skills of their children. As such, they can extend their helping hand, moral support and

encouragement to their children for them to perform better in their school work and become critical

and logical thinkers.

Future Researchers. This study would serve as a reference for future researchers who would

like to embark on a parallel study with the inclusion of other variables not probed into by the present

study.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will determine the Mathematics anxiety and levels of cognitive skills in

Mathematics Grade 11 enrolled at PLT College Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya during the school

year 2019-2020. It will also endeavor to determine whether significant relationships exist in the

respondents’ Mathematics anxiety and levels of cognitive skills in Mathematics. Further, it will

determine whether the respondents’ profile relates significantly with their Mathematics anxiety and

levels of cognitive skills in Mathematics.

Conceptual Framework

Learning Mathematics is a growing process. It is the result of experiences in which the child

encounters problems and tries to solve them. To facilitate the learning process, the classroom should

7|Page
be equipped with a wide variety of teaching aids that will lead the child to discover the meaning of

ideas, to work out solutions and to gain insights into numbers and its uses to daily life. (Estonelo:

2008)

Under the new secondary education curriculum, the goal of basic education is functional

literacy for all. In line with this goal, the learner in Mathematics should demonstrate the following

core competencies: problem solving, communicating mathematically, reasoning mathematically, and

making connections and representations. The macro skills critical to these four competencies are

computational skills and comprehension, application to real life, creative and critical thinking and

visual imagery. (SEC 2010)

Mathematics according to Olonan (2010) is a human and creative endeavor that changes, that

goes with the trends of time. It is an essential tool for all scientific and technological researches.

Mathematics education plays influential role in the attainment of the vision to make our country an

industrialized one. A strong technological base is mandatory and the Filipino people must face the

fact that there is no way for the country to industrialize except through Science and Technology, and

Mathematics is essential to both. To borrow the words of Aquino, as cited by Capdin (2004) and

Olonan (2010), “Science cannot move itself unless powered by Mathematics… Technology moves

quite slowly if the technicians behind the wheels of the industry are mostly bereft of Mathematical

knowledge.”

Actual contact with the content of Mathematics is necessary. Formal Mathematics is like

spelling and grammar – a matter of the correct application of local rules. Meaningful mathematics is

like journalism – it tells an interesting story. Unlike some journalism, the study has to be true. The

8|Page
best Mathematics is like literature – it brings a story to life and involves intellectual and emotional.

(Estonelo: 2008)

The ultimate height and stability of the Mathematical structure within each individual is

determined by the strength of the foundation. According to Duke Company (2002), supporting the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Mathematics skills is the basis of a good education.

The cognitive skills in Mathematics are the foundation for success in science and a key of focus for

rapid changes in our information-based, high technology and even free market economy.

Despite all of these, students are still forced to learn mathematics because of its numerous uses

in our surroundings and to our everyday life. It is then imperative for the Mathematics teachers to

find an effective instructional approach or strategy in order to cope up students’ Mathematics anxiety

and to improve their cognitive skills.

However, anxiety may damage mental well-being if inner conflicts become overwhelming

according to Naguit (2012). Students experiencing anxiety should be knowledgeable enough to

overcome and cope with the different problems that may arise in their Mathematics subjects.

Martinez (1996) as cited by Olonan (2010) presented guide for preventing math anxiety in students

and developing technologies for making them confident and fearless mathematicians. Some of the

basic premises underlying his work are: that the best cure for math anxiety is prevention; the best

antidote to math anxiety is math confidence; that math studies should be diverse, flexible and based

on active and interactive experiences; that the math curriculum should be challenging but matched to

students’ cognitive development; and that gender race or ethnic background do not handicap

children’s math learning and that math is a multi-cultural and equal-opportunity subject.

9|Page
 The cognitive structure variables according to Estonelo (2008) pertain to substantial and

organizational properties of previously acquired knowledge in a particular subject matter field that are

relevant for the assimilation of another learning task in the same field. Since, subject matter

knowledge tends to be organized is sequential and hierarchical fashion, what one already knows in a

given field, and how well one knows it obviously indicates one’s readiness for related new learning.

This research study was conceived from the cited concepts and insights which provided the

researchers a clear direction for the conduct of the study, that is, to determine the Mathematics anxiety

and levels of cognitive skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 students of PLT College Inc., Bayombong,

Nueva Vizcaya. The paradigm that follows illustrates how the study will be conducted.

10 | P a g e
Conceptual Paradigm

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Levels of
Cognitive Skills in
Mathematics

 Remembering
Mathematics  Understanding
Anxiety  Applying
 Analyzing
 Evaluating
 Creating

Respondents’ Profile

 Age
 Gender
 Mother’s Occupation
 Father’s Occupation
 Adequacy of Reading
Materials
 Availability of ICT Facilities
at Home

Sub – Variables

Figure 1. Research Paradigm Illustrates the Interrelationships

between the Independent and Dependent Variables

11 | P a g e
 As shown in the paradigm, the upper left box contains the independent variable - the

Mathematics anxiety.

The independent variable is connected to an oblong-shaped figure containing the dependent

variable, the levels of cognitive skills in Mathematics along remembering, understanding, applying,

analyzing, evaluating, and creating. The vector connecting the two figures indicates possible

relationships between and among these variables.

The lowermost figure contains the sub-variables - age, gender, mother’s occupation, father’s

occupation, adequacy of reading materials, and availability of ICT facilities at home. This box is

connected to the box containing the independent and dependent variables with an arrow, indicating

possible relationships existing in the respondents’ profile and their Mathematics anxiety and levels of

cognitive skills in Mathematics.

Definition of Terms

For clearer understanding of the study, the following terms are defined conceptually and

operationally:

Achievement Test in Mathematics.In this study, this refers to a 60-item validated researchers-

made test that will be utilized to determine the level of the cognitive skills in Mathematics of Grade

11 students of PLT College Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. The achievement test consists of

topics covering five chapters in General Mathematics, namely: algebraic expressions; rational

expressions; linear functions; systems of linear equations; and quadratic functions and equations.

Analyzing. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in General Mathematics which

includes objectives related to breaking a whole into parts and identifying elements, relationships and

12 | P a g e
organizing principles. In this study, it is measured through a 10-item researchers-made achievement

test in General Mathematics.

Applying. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in Mathematics which includes

ability of students to apply what he learned and comprehended in new tasks or situation. The student

should be able to apply items, concepts, generalizations, laws, models, and criteria to real life

situations. In this study, it is measured through a 10-item researchers-made achievement test in

General Mathematics.

Cognitive Skills in Mathematics. These refer to the skills in Mathematics that students need to

develop along the six levels of the cognitive domains of learning based on the revised Bloom’s

taxonomy of behavioral objectives such as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing,

evaluating, and creating. In this study, it is measured through a 60-item achievement test in General

Mathematics.

Creating. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in Mathematics which is considered

to be the highest level in the revised Bloom’s taxonomy of behavioral objectives. This component is

related to putting parts together in a new form, producing a unique communication or plan, and other

creative activities in which various elements are unified. In this study, it will be measured through a

10-item researchers-made achievement test in General Mathematics I.

Evaluating. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in Mathematics which involves

reviewing and assessing evidences, facts, and ideas and making appropriate statements and judgments

of worth in terms of either internal or external criteria. In this study, it will be measured through a 10-

item researchers-made achievement test in General Mathematics.

13 | P a g e
 Mathematics Anxiety. These refer to the disabling condition of the students in Mathematics. It

is a condition in a specific and real fear of Mathematics that causes students to have an obsessive

desire to avoid Mathematics completely. In this study, it is measured through a 15-item anxiety

questionnaire in Mathematics.

Remembering. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in Mathematics which includes

objectives related to learning and recalling of specific terms and facts, conventions, trends,

classifications and categories, methodologies, principles and generalizations, and theories and

structures. In this study, it will be measured through a10-item researchers-made achievement test in

General Mathematics.

Respondents’ Profile. In this study, it consists of the sub-variables age, gender, mother’s

occupation, father’s occupation, computer literacy, adequacy of reading materials, and availability of

ICT facilities at home.

Understanding. It is one of the components of cognitive skills in Mathematics which is one

step more complex than learning and recalling knowledge and objectives. This level includes the

development of students’ ability totranslate and interpret what has been learned from one level to

higher level and extrapolate by extension to past and future situations. In this study, it will be

measured through a 10-item researchers-made achievement test in General Mathematics.

14 | P a g e
15 | P a g e
 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES AND LITERATURE

Definition and Nature of Mathematics Anxiety

Mathematics anxiety describes the states of mind developed through personal experience, and

individual emotional responses to these experiences. Negative feelings towards learning mathematics

arise as a consequence of a range of encounters relating to the way mathematics is presented, taught

and learnt by individuals (Green &Allerton, 1999). According to Sheffield and Hunt (2007),

mathematics anxiety in many ways is easy to describe and define. It is the feelings of anxiety that

some individuals experience when facing mathematical problems. Like other form of anxiety,

students may feel their heart beat more quickly or strongly, they may believe they are not capable of

completing mathematical problems, or they may avoid attempting mathematics courses.

Mathematics anxiety is known as a disabling condition when students struggle with

mathematics. This condition is a specific and real fear of mathematics that causes students to have an

obsessive urge to avoid mathematics completely (Oxford &Vordick, 2006). Mathematics anxiety can

occur in all levels of education from primary school to higher education, and once established, can

persist in life, interfering with every day activities involving numeracy and further learning of

mathematics. Mathematics anxiety usually comes from negative experiences in working with

teachers, tutors, classmates, parents or siblings (Yenilmez, Girginer, &Uzun, 2007).

Many students who suffer from mathematics anxiety have little confidence in their ability to do

mathematics and tend to take the minimum number of required mathematics courses, greatly limiting

their career choice options. This is unfortunate especially as society becomes more reliant on

mathematical literacy (Scarpello, 2005). Barnes (2006) stated that mathematics anxiety could be
16 | P a g e
caused by a number of things: unpleasant past experiences with mathematics in the classroom, a

parent conveying the message to their children that mathematics is boring and useless, or from the

attitudes of the teachers themselves.

Mathematics anxiety is a problem for many college students, not only those in developmental

mathematics courses. If a technique is found to facilitate the alleviation of mathematics anxiety for

students through improved pedagogies, information, and resources, it could remedy students’

mathematics anxiety while helping them acquire the necessary mathematics skills required for degree

completion (Johnson, 2003).

Historical Development of the Study of Mathematics Anxiety

Mathematics anxiety has been studied extensively over the last fifty years. Research shows that

mathematics anxiety is caused or influenced by past experiences with teachers, the classroom

environment, parents (Cemen, 1987; Fitzgerald, 1997) though not inherited from parents (Stuart,

2000) and from remembering poor mathematics performance (Cemen, 1987; Ferry et al., 2000;

Tobias, 1985).

"Mathematics anxiety" was first detected in the late 1950s. Dreger and Aiken (1957) noticed

undergraduate college students reacting emotionally to arithmetic and mathematics. Although this

reaction appeared to be similar to test anxiety in general they found that in mathematics it was a

construct all its own and labeled it numberanxiety (Dreger& Aiken, 1957 p. 344). In fact test anxiety

research contains a section that explicitly acknowledges mathematics anxiety (Hembree, 1990).

Sarbin (1964) found that the word anxiety derived from the Old French word anguisse, which referred

to choking sensations in the throat (Friman, Hayes, & Wilson, 1998). Lewis (1970) defined anxiety as

17 | P a g e
a state of emotion supported by fear and dread (Hembree, 1990). It is a physiological reaction to

events with uncertain but potentially adversive outcomes (Friman et al., 1998).

In 1972, Richardson and Suinn (1972) defined mathematics anxiety as a feeling of anxiety that

interferes with a person's ability to work with numbers and solve mathematical problems both in

academic and real life situations (Richardson &Suinn, 1972). In 1980, Richardson and Woolfolk

(1980) found that mathematics 18anxiety was not only an emotional reaction to the use of

mathematics but also to the content of mathematics (Richardson &Woolfolk, 1980). Buxton (1981)

identified panic, fear, anxiety, and embarrassment resulting from an emotional reaction to doing

mathematics (Ma, 1999). In 1987, Cemen (1987) expanded the definition of mathematics anxiety to

include a perceived threat to self-esteem (Cemen, 1987). The fear reaction caused by mathematics

anxiety can also cause physical effects such as dry mouth, sweaty palms, queasy stomach or a

headache (Fotoples, 2000) from activation of the autonomic nervous system (Rothbart& Jones, 1998).

Anxiety in the extreme can lead to elevated heart rate, respiration, perspiration, and blood pressure

(Friman et al., 1998).

The unpleasant emotion of anxiety is directed towards fear of threats in the future and is out of

proportion to the real threat (Hembree, 1990). Mathematics anxious students do not like preparing for,

waiting for, or taking mathematics tests. Many become anxious if they think they will be called on in

class to do anything mathematical where others will be watching and perhaps evaluating their abilities

(Brush, 1981). If they are unable to control this anxiety it can debilitate their performance (Cemen,

1987).

Cemen (1987) found that mathematics anxiety was a process of situational antecedents, which

included the stressor and the contextual factors surrounding the stressor. The stressor would lead to

18 | P a g e
mathematics anxiety only if it was a perceived threat to the person's self-esteem. Contextual factors

that could contribute to19 mathematics anxiety include the classroom environment, the way

mathematics is taught, the nature of mathematics being learned, and situational antecedents of test

anxiety (Cemen, 1987; Kelly &Tomhave, 1985). The student fearing that he or she will not be

successful in mathematics will not want to take the chance of failing or appearing as incompetent.

This self-doubt seems to be a personality factor that contributes to mathematics anxiety (Cemen,

1987).

According to Cemen (1987) there are three types of antecedents related to anxiety:

environmental antecedents, which occurred in the past and have an indirect effect on the immediate

anxiety reaction through dispositional antecedents, dispositional antecedents which determine

whether or not the individual will perceive the stressor as threatening to self-esteem, and situational

antecedents which surround the stressor and contribute to the perception of a threat. The interaction of

these antecedents produces the anxiety (Cemen, 1987).

Wigfield and Meece (1988) found that mathematics anxiety is composed of two components,

an affective and a cognitive component. While the affective component relates to perceptions of

ability and performance, the cognitive component relates to the perceived importance and effort

involved in learning and using mathematics (Wigfield&Meece, 1988). Similarly, Cemen (1987) found

that mathematics anxiety is associated with two attitudes towards mathematics: perceived usefulness

of mathematics to the student's life or career aspirations and that it is a male domain. If students have

mathematics anxiety they may convince themselves 20 that mathematics is not useful and therefore

the study of it can be avoided (Cemen, 1987).

19 | P a g e
 Generally, the affective domain in the context of mathematics education refers to beliefs,

feelings and moods such as anxiety, confidence, frustration, and satisfaction that describe

mathematical tasks. The affective domain is generally more difficult to measure and describe than

cognition (McLeod, 1992). This is because affect is less precise than cognition according to H. A.

Simon (1982). For example fear can have many distinctions that ordinary language cannot express in

a dependable way (McLeod, 1992).

Mathematics anxiety does affect many students and is debilitating (Fitzgerald,1997). The

higher the level of mathematics anxiety, the lower the performance level in mathematics (Hembree,

1990). This was found to be true for adults (Quilter &Harper, 1988), college students (Betz, 1978;

Frary& Ling, 1983), high schoolstudents (Ma, 1999; Saigh&Khouri, 1983), and elementary students

(Chiu & Henry,1990; Ma, 1999; Raymond & Raymond, 1998), thus indicating the developmental

pervasiveness of mathematics anxiety. In contrast, a positive attitude toward mathematics and higher

mathematics achievement is related to lower mathematics anxiety (Hembree, 1990). As the student

becomes more successful in performing mathematics, aversion to mathematics decreases (Lent,

Lopez, Brown, & Gore, 1996b).

Because mathematics anxiety is so wide spread, many are not afraid to admitto having it. Many

people believe that learning mathematics is not only useless but a 21 painful experience that is

courageously endured. Attitudes are different when it comes to reading. People will proudly admit to

having mathematics anxiety but would never admit to not being able to read (Battista, 1999; McLeod,

1992).

Mathematics anxiety is a problem for many people. It can have detrimental effects for college

students including feelings of nervous tension, fear of rejection, and stress (Truttschel, 2002).

20 | P a g e
According to Perry (2004), much like a novice golfer on the first tee, the mathematics student can

seriously hamper her or his performance by being nervous and insecure toward mathematics. At the

college level, this anxiety is most often seen in mathematics courses required for nontechnical majors.

Most mathematics teachers would agree that mathematics anxiety stems primarily from students’

fears of failure and feeling of inadequacy. In most cases, mathematics anxiety is not extreme or

overwhelming, yet it continues to haunt most students throughout their encounter with mathematics.

Many adults are blocked from professional and technical job opportunities because they fear or

perform poorly in mathematics. Most of these adults are brain-capable of learning more mathematics.

Theirs is not a failure of intellect, but of nerve. All people have some mathematics anxiety, but it

disables women and minorities more than others. There is a cure, but it involves changing learners

and teachers attitudes at the same time.

Mathematics anxiety also could develop as a result of a student’s prior negative experiences

learning mathematics in the classroom or at home (Rossnan, 2006). Mathematics anxiety has been a

prevalent concern among educators and others in the society for decades. Now, with the advent of

computer technology, the need for understanding of mathematics is becoming critical. Teachers can

play an important role in reducing the 2

level of mathematics anxiety among their students (Furner & Berman, 2003). Students tend to have

high level of nervousness, fear, or discomfort toward mathematics, due to their prior experiences with

mathematics teachers and other influential persons (Baylor, Shen, & Warren, 2000)

Mathematics anxiety in children is a learned response from the attitudes of parents and

educators alike. Alleviating this problem involves many issues ranging from cognitive development to

changes in environmental viewpoints. Changing these external biases seems to be the most basic

21 | P a g e
solution. Parents and educators must change their perspectives of mathematical skills in a positive

way. Students model the expectations and attitudes of their parents and educators. By embracing

mathematics as an essential tool for success in our society, these adults can help create a new

viewpoint among students toward skills that are so fundamental to so many aspects of life.

Mathematics educators need to recognize the causes of mathematics anxiety. Educators can

become more informed about the effects of mathematics anxiety by reading related literature and

attending workshops and conferences on the topic. Students should be made to realize that myths such

as mathematics aptitude are genetic and mathematics being a male domain is simply not true

(Woodard, 2004). Changing attitudes about mathematics will require support from parents, teachers

and society. If negative attitudes are not changed, students’ performance, college and career choices

will be limited (Shields, 2006). Mathematics anxiety is a reality for many students. Educators should

be knowledgeable about its causes and provide supportive learning communities that assist students in

overcoming it (Barnes, 2006).

Cognitive Skills in Mathematics

The theories of assessment by Bloom et al (1956) provide a good starting point for the

categorization of questions that later revised in 1999 by Dr. Lorin Anderson, a former student of

Bloom's, and his colleagues as they published an updated version of Bloom’s Taxonomy that takes

into account a broader range of factors that have an impact on teaching and learning. For

completeness the six levels and its revisions are:

 Level 1: Knowledge Remembering

 Level 2: Comprehension Understanding

 Level 3: Application Applying

22 | P a g e
  Level 4: Analysis Analyzing

 Level 5: Synthesis Evaluating

 Level 6: Evaluation. Creating

The new terms are defined as:

Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term

memory. eg. find out, learn terms, facts, methods, procedures, concepts

Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through

interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining.

Understand uses and implications of terms, facts, methods, procedures, concepts.

Applying: Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing. Make use

of, apply practice theory, solve problems, and use information in new situations.

Analyzing: Breaking the material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to

one another, and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing, and attributing.

Take concepts apart, break them down, analyze structure, recognize assumptions and poor logic,

evaluate relevancy.

Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and

critiquing. Set standards, judge using standards, evidence, rubrics, accept or reject on basis of criteria.

Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing

elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing. Put things

together; bring together various parts; write theme, present speech, plan experiment, put information

together in a new & creative way.

23 | P a g e
 However, these six levels of educational objectives give no more than a guideline and have

frequently been the subject of discussion particularly when related to problem solving, suggest that

Bloom’s taxonomy is not helpful in identifying which learning are involved. They, however, gave an

alternative which divides into headings not too far moved from Bloom’s: Routines; Diagnosis;

Strategy; Interpretation; Generation.

However, it is not clear if they are totally in favor of this approach as they immediately

identified the problems with it. They concluded that Polya’s (Alfred, 1996) approach is the most

useful but it is interesting to note that subsequently under heading of Methods for Assessing Problem

Solving, Bloom’s objectives reappeared when Freeman and Lewis (1998) admitted that most

problems of the calculated solve/prove variety are test of application or of analysis.

Problem Solving Strategies: Polya. One of the simplest theories came from the

mathematician Polya (Alfred, 1996) who, in 1957, put forward a four-point approach to learning:

1. Understanding the problem;

2. Devise a plan to solve it;

3. Carry out the plan; and

4. Check the result.

This theory relates well to the process of constructing computer-assisted assessments from an

author’s point of view. Although authors of assessments are faced with problems posing tasks, they

too have to deal with problem solving in constructing a meaningful test. Polya’s approach provides a

good framework. Understanding is needed to identify what the questions should ask. The author then

must devise a logical question set, write them and test them. The theory in the effect demonstrates

24 | P a g e
the required skills of the author in problem solving. It also offers a very sound approach to problem

solving in general.

At this point, it is worth considering whether problem solving, which nowadays is assumed to

be a skill in its own right, is actually a collection of skill as defined by Bloom (1956). For example the

following may be said about Polya’s four-point strategy.

1. To identify the problem in the first place requires knowledge of the subject matter.

2. This needs to use of the higher skill of comprehension of the problem in context (and may

require analysis skills to break down the problem in the first place).

3. A student can then apply these skills (knowledge, comprehension, and perhaps analysis) to

carry out the plan for solving the problem (application and synthesis).

4. A sensible student will then try to assess whether the solution is appropriate (evaluation).

Polya also give the wise advice: if you can’t solve a problem, then there is an easier problem

you can’t solve: find it.

Mathematical Problem Solving: Schoenfeld. McBeath (1992) may well be corrected in

believing that all skills can be tested by objective assessment. Strategy allows for the problem to be

sectioned in to considerably more manageable questions and introduces a stepped approach to solve

the problem- a feature of some computer based assessment systems. Moving on, there is more than a

passing resemblance of Polya’s theory in that of Schoenfeld’s Mathematical Problem Solving Theory

(1985). He advocates that four categories of knowledge /skills are needed to be successful in

Mathematics. These are:

1. Resources (procedural knowledge);

2. Heuristics (strategies and techniques);

25 | P a g e
 3. Control (decisions on what to use); and

4. Beliefs (general concepts).

Wilson et al. (1993) in their research on problem-solving recognize the contributions of both

Polya (Alfred, 1996) and Schoenfeld (1985) in this field. They firmly believe that the most important

part of these theories is self-reflection: “it is what you learn after you have solved the problem that

really counts.” Wilson et al. (1993) and Schoenfeld (1985) calls this ‘meta cognition’ in his theory.

A good description of both Polya’s and Schoenfeld’s theories is given by McCormick and

Presley (1997). McCormick and Presley recognize the usefulness of Polya’s approach but warm in a

similar manner to Wilson et al (1993) that the most powerful problem solving in any domain is

completed by individuals with a great deal of domain knowledge.

Thus domain knowledge- the basic facts and skills which constitute Bloom’s lower order

cognitive skills- is required to undertake any form of problem solving which may be seen to

encompass all six of Bloom’s levels. This is an important point that seems to be overlooked by many

enthusiasts of problem- based learning but recognized by Schoenfeld (1985).

Information Processing: Miller. Another learning theory that Schoenfeld draws upon is that

developed by Miller in 1956. Miller created it “information processing theory” (1996). He believed

that learning takes places in small chunks and that human processes information in a similar manner

to computers. He argued that short- term memory could ‘process’ at most seven ‘chunks’ of

information. This is an interesting theory and fits in well with computer- based assessment where

lengthy questions are not common. Extended questions tend to be divided into parts which not only

help with automatic marking but which, if Miller is to be believed, assist the students with the

fundamental learning of a topic.

26 | P a g e
 Condition of Learning: Gagne. The psychologist Gagne in 1965 (Rew, 1997) thought of

problem- solving as a type of learning which involves thinking. It seems rather extreme to suggest this

definition which infers that other skills do not involve ‘thinking’. Gagne’s ideas however also forms a

sound base for learning. He believes in assessment, feedback and positive reinforcement- a structure

that most computer assessment applications would adopt. He puts forward the following structure for

teaching (Conditions of Learning, 1996) consisting of nine separate events:

1. Gain attention;

2. Inform Learners of the objective;

3. Recall prior the learning;

4. Present the stimulus;

5. Provide guidance;

6. Elicit performance;

7. Provide feedback;

8. Assess performance; and

9. Enhance Retention.

These criteria form a good strategy on which to base any assessment. In keeping with Bloom’s

cognitive levels, Gagne also believed that skills to be learned one at a time and that lower level skills

must be mastered before higher level skills can be considered. Computer aided assessment can

achieve this through the availability of a set carefully constructed tests which allow help steps, reveal

buttons and random parameters at a level appropriate to the learning level of the students.

27 | P a g e
28 | P a g e
 Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study is quantitative research. Quantitative research according to Creswell, J.W.(2013), a

method emphasizing objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis

of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical

data using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and

generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon. The final written report

has a set structure consisting of introduction, literature and theory, methods, results, and discussion.

Quantitative research will be used in this study in order to verify which of such hypotheses is

true.

Research Methods Used

This study will make use of the descriptive method of research. Descriptive research

according to Reganit, et al. (2005), involves the description, recording, analysis and interpretation of

conditions that now exist. It often involves some types of comparison or contrast and may attempt to

discover a cause-effect relationship that exists between non-manipulative variables. Further,

according to Custodiosa(1997) as cited by Naguit (2012), this type of research includes all studies

purposely conducted to present facts concerning the nature and status of anything – a group of

persons, a system of thought, or any other kind of phenomenon which one may study.

Corollary to this, Pagaduan (2001) stated that descriptive research involves collection of data

to test hypotheses or to answer questions concerning the current status of the subjects of the study.
29 | P a g e
 Descriptive research will be utilized in this study to determine the Mathematics anxiety and

levels of cognitive skills of sophomores of Laboratory School atNueva Vizcaya State University –

Bambang Campus. It will also attempt to determine whether there exist significant relationships

between the respondents’ Mathematics anxiety and levels of cognitive skills. It will also determine

other factors that may significantly affect the independent and dependent variables.

Respondents and Sampling Procedure

The respondents of this study will be eighty four (84) Grade 11 students who are enrolled in

the two sections at PLT College, Inc. during the school year 2017-2018. Table 1 presents the

frequency and percentage distribution of the respondents when grouped according to section.

Table 1

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents by Section

Section Population Percentage

Grade 11-A HUMSS 43 51.19
Grade 11-B HUMSS 41 48.81
Total 84 100.00

It could be seen from the table that the sample size of 84 represents 100 percent of the total

population of sophomores enrolled for the school year 2019-2020. This size is within the acceptable

size for descriptive research.

Research Instruments

The following research instruments will serve as the basic tools to be utilized in this study to

collect the needed data:

30 | P a g e
 Personal Data Sheet (PDS). This instrument will be used for gathering the data needed to

establish the respondents’ profile consisting of age, gender, mother’s occupation, father’s occupation,

adequacy of reading materials, and availability of ICT facilities at home. The variables will be coded

and classified as follows:

Mathematics Anxiety Questionnaire.This is a 15-item questionnaire adopted from this

website(www.unm.edu/-khaled/Math%2520Anxiety.htm) that will be used to describe the agreement

or disagreement on the items and to determine the level of Mathematics anxiety of the students.The

format reflects Likert columns with each column consisting of the following four descriptors:

Rating Qualitative Descriptions

4 Strongly Agree
3 Agree
2 Disagree
1 Strongly Disagree

In order to determine the weight for each descriptor, the following scoring range will be used:

Descriptor Positive Items Negative Items

Strongly Agree 4 1
Agree 3 2
Disagree 2 3
Strongly 1 4
Disagree
To determine the anxiety level of the respondents, the following range will be utilized:

Range Level of Anxiety

31 | P a g e
 3.25 – 4.00 Very High
2.50 – 3.24 High
1.75 – 2.49 Low
1.00 – 1.74 Very Low

Achievement Test in Mathematics.A 60-item validated researchers-made test will be utilized

to determine the level of the cognitive skills in Mathematics of the Grade 11 students of PLT College

Inc., Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. The achievement test consisted of topics covering five chapters in

general Mathematics, namely: algebraic expressions; algebraic expressions; rational expressions;

linear functions; systems of linear equations; and quadratic functions and equations.

In order to ensure the content validity of the achievement test, a table of specifications will be

constructed to guide the researcher in the construction of the test items that will be included in the

said achievement test. Twelve (12) items will be allotted per chapter in General Mathematics with

two (2) items per cognitive skill based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy of behavioral objectives,

namely: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Comments and

suggestions will be incorporated in the final form of the achievement test.

To interpret the scores obtained by the respondents in the achievement test, the following

scales will be used:

Rating Scale Qualitative

10 Items 60 Items Description

9 - 10 49 – 60 Excellent
7–8 37 – 48 Very Good
5–6 23 – 36 Good

32 | P a g e
3–4 13 – 24 Poor
0–2 0 – 12 Very Poor

33 | P a g e