Test anxiety in mathematics among early undergraduate students in a British university in Malaysia

Abstract

The level of test anxiety in mathematics subjects among early undergraduate students at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus is studied in this paper. The sample consists of 206 students taking several mathematics modules who completed the questionnaires on test anxiety just before they entered the venue for midterm exams. The sample data include the differences in the context of academic levels, gender groups and nationality backgrounds. The level of test anxiety in mathematics is measured using seven Likert questionnaire statements adapted from the Test Anxiety Inventory describing one's emotional feeling before the exam start. In general, the result shows that the students who had a lower score expectation were more anxious than those who had a higher score expectation, but that they obtained a better score than the expected score. In the context of academic levels, gender groups and nationality backgrounds, there were no significant correlations between the level of test anxiety and the students' academic performance. The effect size of the correlation values ranged from extremely small to moderate.

Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Motivation among Students in the Faculty of Science of a Public University in Malaysia

“…Due to their higher self-concept, the male students performed well in mathematics even though they did not give full attention when studying mathematics in class. However, this current study is inconsistent with the study by Karjanto and Yong (2013), which reported the levels of mathematics anxiety did not differ by sex or language background of the early undergraduate students.…”

The Influence of Mathematics Anxiety in Middle and High School Students Math Achievement

“…The levels of mathematics anxiety did not differ by sex or language background. Karjanto and Yong (2013) studied the level of test anxiety in mathematics subjects among early undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus in 2013. The sample was 206 students completed questionnaires on test anxiety exactly before they write their midterm examinations.…”

Effect of Problem-Based STEM Activities on 7th Grade Students' Mathematics Achievements, Attitudes, Anxiety, Self-Efficacy and Views

“…In studies that investigate math anxiety by gender, it is observed that both students' math anxiety is higher than female students' and female students' math anxiety levels are higher than that of male students. Also, students' anxieties about mathematics are related to the students' expectations scores (Karjanto & Yong, 2013). This supports the view of Aiken (1974) in elementary and middle school years that male students had some more positive feelings about mathematics than female students, but there was no definite conclusion about whether there were gender differences in math anxiety among young students.…”