HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ LEVEL OF MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND USE OF SELF-REGULATORY LEARNING STRATEGIES

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

This study examines high school students’ mathematics anxiety levels and their use of self-regulatory learning strategies across multiple variables, and tests the correlation between these constructs. A sample of 330 students in grades 11 and 12 from three high schools in western Turkey completed measures including the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, the Self-Regulatory Strategies Scale, and a personal information form. Findings show higher anxiety and greater strategy use among female students, grade differences in anxiety, and no significant strategy variation by achievement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Mathematics anxiety definitions and prior studies

Self-regulatory learning and related concepts

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ LEVEL OF MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND USE OF SELF-REGULATORY LEARNING STRATEGIES Gamze AYKURTLU, Filiz Tuba DIKKARTIN ÖVEZ, Gülcan ÖZTÜRK Abstract: We aimed to examine high school students’ level of mathematics anxiety and use of self-regulatory learning strategies as a function of different variables and to examine the correlation between these variables. The sample consisted of 330 students at 11th and 12th grades from three different high schools in the west of Turkey. We used the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, Self‐Regulatory Strategies Scale, and a personal information form. We found that female students’ level of mathematics anxiety and use of self‐regulatory learning strategies were higher than male students. Moreover, we found that 11th grade students had higher mathematics anxiety than 12th grade students and that there is a significant difference in students’level of mathematics anxiety by mathematics achievement. In contrast, use of self-regulatory learning strategies did not demonstrate a significant difference by mathematics achievement scores. We found no correlation between students’ level of mathematics anxiety and use of selfregulatory learning strategies. Key words: Mathematics anxiety, self-regulatory learning strategies, high school students 1. Introduction In this age where we are intertwined with information and communication technologies, social change and development also continue without slowing down. With this rapid change, the outlook on mathematics, expectations, the way mathematics is used, and the processes of learning and teaching mathematics are also changing. The aim of Turkey’s educational system is to train students with the combined knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to achieve success (Ministry of National Education [MNE], 2018) . It also aims to educate students into individuals with problem-solving skills, who have acquired mathematical thinking and application skills, can use mathematics correctly and effectively, value mathematics, have knowledge about the historical process of mathematics, and develop a perspective for problems they face in the real-life (MNE, 2018) . While the education system expected students to act in this direction, students who experienced difficulties in mathematics and failed due to errors in their calculations start perceiving mathematics as a course that was difficult to learn and thought that they would not succeed in it. This perspective led students to have unfavorable attitudes towards mathematics and reduced their achievement in mathematics. One of the most important reasons for this is mathematics anxiety and the negative reactions that occur in students overtime cause mathematics anxiety (Alkan, 2011; Yenilmez & Özbey, 2006) . Many researchers defined mathematics anxiety (Ashcraft, 2002; Dreger & Aiken, 1957; Fennema & Sherman, 1976; Gresham, 2010; Hembree, 1990; Maloney & Beilock, 2012; Sherard, 1981) . Dreger and Aiken (1957) define mathematics anxiety as the emotional response symptoms towards arithmetic and mathematics. Richardson and Suinn (1972), on the other hand, defined it as the feeling of anxiety and tension that prevents solving mathematical problems and manipulating numbers. Although studies on mathematics anxiety were first conducted in the 1950s when the topic first drew the attention of the mathematics teachers, significant studies were conducted in the early 1970s with the emergence of suitable tools to measure mathematics anxiety (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007; Özdemir & Gür, 2011) . Most of the studies concentrated on math anxiety and its associations with different variables. When we examined the literature on mathematics anxiety in recent years, we found studies on differences in level of mathematics anxiety according to gender or grade levels (Dede & Dursun, 2008; Devine et al., 2012; Dursun & Bindak, 2011; Koçer, 2019; Kurbanoğlu & Takunyacı, 2012; Kutluca et al., 2015; Luo et al., 200

FAQs

How was mathematics anxiety and self-regulatory learning strategy use measured?

The study used the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, the Self-Regulatory Strategies Scale, and a personal information form.

What differences were found by gender and grade level?

Female students reported higher mathematics anxiety and higher use of self-regulatory learning strategies than male students. Grade 11 students showed higher mathematics anxiety than grade 12 students.

Is there a relationship between mathematics anxiety and use of self-regulatory learning strategies?

No correlation was found between students’ mathematics anxiety levels and their use of self-regulatory learning strategies.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya