ASSESSING PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ MATHEMATICS COGNITIVE FAILURES - RELATED TO MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND PERFORMANCE IN UNDERGRADUATE CALCULUS

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

The study investigates mathematics cognitive failures and their relationship with mathematics anxiety, gender, and calculus performance among 450 preservice teachers from four public universities in Nigeria’s South West geopolitical zone. A quantitative approach using a descriptive survey design guides data collection. Descriptive statistics (percentages, mean, standard deviation) and inferential analyses (factor analysis, independent samples t-test, multiple regression) are employed to test the relationships. Results indicate cognitive failures form a multidimensional construct and anxiety-related dimensions significantly predict calculus performance variance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

Cognitive failures and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ)

Prior research on CFQ factor structure

Links between cognitive failures and performance outcomes

ASSESSING PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ MATHEMATICS COGNITIVE FAILURES AS RELATED TO MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND PERFORMANCE IN UNDERGRADUATE CALCULUS Adeneye O. A. Awofala, Helen N. Odogwu Abstract: The study investigated mathematics cognitive failures as related to mathematics anxiety, gender and performance in calculus among 450 preservice teachers from four public universities in the South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria using the quantitative research method within the blueprint of the descriptive survey design. Data collected were analyzed using the descriptive statistics of percentages, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics of factor analysis, independent samples t-test, and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that mathematics cognitive failure assessed by the mathematics cognitive failures questionnaire was a multi-dimensional construct (lack of concentration, motor function, memory, and distractibility) . Mathematics anxiety level differences in cognitive failures in mathematics and performance in calculus among preservice teachers were significant. Cognitive dimension of mathematics anxiety, gender, affective dimension of mathematics anxiety, lack of concentration and motor function dimensions of mathematics cognitive failures made statistically significant contributions to the variance in preservice teachers’ performance in calculus. Based on this baseline study, it was thus, recommended that future studies in Nigeria and elsewhere should investigate whether mathematics cognitive failures could be responsible for students’ errors committed when solving problems in mathematics. Key words: Mathematics cognitive failures, mathematics anxiety, performance in calculus, preservice teachers 1. Introduction The term lapse of awareness is rooted in both clinical and cognitive psychology. In the clinical psychology lapse of awareness is termed dissociation while in cognitive psychology it is called cognitive failure. These two constructs encompass overlapping mental phenomena in which cognitive failures overlap with non-pathological dissociation (Bruce, Ray & Carlson, 2007) . As first mooted by Broadbent, Cooper, FitzGerald and Parkes in 1982, cognitive failures refer to perceptual, attentional, memory, and action-related lapses of awareness. Cognitive failures refer to interference in the memory, distractibility and physical blunder (Wallace & Vodanovich, 2002) which cause failure in the performance of an action which a person is normally capable of executing (Wallace, Kass & Stanny, 2002) . Cognitive failures may refer to as errors of cognition. Reason (1990) categorized human errors into three major classes: slips, lapses, and mistakes. Slips are defined as errors of execution; lapses as errors of storage; and mistakes as errors of planning. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) developed by Broadbent et al. (1982) is an established self-report measure of individual differences in daily mental lapses with 25 questions relating to everyday errors such as the likelihood of not noticing signposts on the road or being confused right and left when giving directions. These questions are seen to reflect lapses in memory, perception, and attention. While the CFQ scores remain relatively constant over time (Broadbent et al, 1982), cognitive failures occur in occupational and nonoccupational activities (Allahyari, Rangi, Khalkhali, & Khosravi, 2014) . Occupational cognitive failures are bunches of mental lapses that occur at the working environment while non-occupational cognitive failures are clusters of failures that occur outside the working environment. The literature is replete with inconclusive findings regarding the factor structure of the CFQ (Matthews, Coyle, & Craig, 1990; Pollina, Greene, Tunick, & Puckett, 1992; Wallace, 2004) although the CFQ had been thought to assess a single construct. The developers indicated that the CFQ assessesa single, stable trait-like construct with adequa

FAQs

What are “mathematics cognitive failures” in this study?

The study treats cognitive failures as mental lapses related to perceptual, attentional, memory, and action processes. It measures them using the Mathematics Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and identifies dimensions such as lack of concentration, motor function, memory, and distractibility.

How is mathematics anxiety connected to cognitive failures and calculus performance?

The findings show significant differences in cognitive failures based on mathematics anxiety levels and performance in calculus. Specific cognitive anxiety dimensions, together with certain cognitive-failure dimensions, make statistically significant contributions to performance variance.

How many participants were involved, and what analytic methods were used?

The study includes 450 preservice teachers from four public universities in Nigeria’s South West geopolitical zone. Analysis uses descriptive statistics and inferential techniques including factor analysis, independent samples t-test, and multiple regression.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya