Volume : 3, Issue : 2, February - 2014

Effect of Instruction in Metacognitive Skills on Mathematics Test Anxiety and Interest of Low–Achieving Students in Senior Secondary Schools

Yunusa Umaru, Onuigbo, Liziana N. , Eze, Uche, N.

Abstract :

The study investigates the effect of Instruction in Metacognitive skills on Mathematics test anxiety and interest of mathematics low achieving students. Four hypotheses guided the study and a quasi- experimental pretest-postest nonequivalent control groups design was adopted. The sample consisted of 129 SSII mathematics low-achieving students in four Senior Secondary Schools in Kogi State, Nigeria. The instruments for data collection were Mathematics Interest Inventory (MII) and Mathematics Test Anxiety Scale (MTAS). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 levels of significance. Findings show that instruction in metacognitive skill enhanced mathematics interest and reduced the test anxiety of mathematics low-achieving students more than those in the control group. There was no significant interaction effect (P<0.05) of instruction in metacognitive skills and gender on mathematics lowachieving students interest and test anxiety in mathematics.