Assessing High School Students’ Anxiety Levels, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Attitudes, and Performance towards Arithmetic and Algebra

Abstract

Math consists of many components such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, where each component holds its importance in the field of math. Students of Grades 11 and 12 are at an important stage in their career, where the attitude and performance in math determines their future choices. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand perceptions of students of Grades 11 and 12 studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in Mumbai, in terms of their anxiety levels, self-efficacy beliefs, and attitudes towards the individual components of arithmetic and algebra. A quantitative correlational method was adopted to understand the perceptions. Linear regressions, two-sample t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. The data was analyzed on the basis of gender, grade level, branch of math chosen, as well as level of performance. The results revealed that although, arithmetic and algebra were components that students were familiar with for a relatively long time period, certain differences in the perceptions of students were evident towards the individual components.