Mathematics anxiety in pre-service junior/intermediate (J/I) students

Abstract

The present study examines the feelings of pre-service teachers at the J/I level's towards mathematics and the teaching thereof. Two instruments were used to examine the samples' feelings towards mathematics. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (Suinn, 1972), a 98 item likert format questionnaire accompanied by 8 open-ended questions were used to firstly evaluate participants' mathematics anxiety, and, secondly, to expand on their comfort levels with regards to mathematics and to the teaching of mathematics. A total of 149 J/I pre-service teachers in their professional year were sampled 6om an Ontario university. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) revealed a low mean MARS score for all participants. Participants acknowledged the J/I mathematics instruction course a source for reducing their anxiety towards mathematics.