Pupils’ Mathematics Anxiety as Correlate of Their Academic Achievement in Mathematics in Public Primary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria

This research work was carried out to find out if Pupils’ Mathematics Anxiety relate with their Academic Achievement in Mathematics. The study was necessitated to improve on the Mathematics Achievement Scores of Public Primary School Pupils. 3 purposes of study were formulated, 3 research questions guided the study and 3 hypotheses were tested. Correlational research design was adopted for the study. The study had a population of 30,705 (15,256males and 15,449females) primary 5 pupils in the 943 public primary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. The sample size of 1535 (763males and 772females) pupils was drawn using a combination of multi-stage and stratified random sampling techniques. The instruments used for data collection were pupils’ mathematics anxiety questionnaire (PMAQ) and pupils’ annual mathematics achievement scores (PAMAS). The PMAQ was validated by 3 experts in the faculty of education Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha which gave reliability index of 0.82. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to answer the research questions and used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result obtained revealed an inverse significant relationship between pupils’ mathematics anxiety and their academic achievement in mathematics. Both male and female pupils’ mathematics anxiety significantly relate to their academic achievement in mathematics. It was recommended among others that primary school teachers should use mixed ability grouping method, relate mathematics abstract concepts to real life, and use manipulative – concrete materials during instructions to reduce pupils’ mathematics anxiety.