Effects of Gender, Test Anxiety and Test Items Scrambling on Students’ Performance in Mathematics: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

The relative contributions of gender, test anxiety and test items scrambling on performance in Mathematics has been widely assessed, although there is an inconclusive argument regarding the magnitude of such effects. This study was designed to contribute to this debate, while also being the first study to evaluate the interactive effects of the three dimensions of test anxiety (worry, emotion and total) on performance in Mathematics. A systematic random sample of 1,358 SS3 students participated in a quasi-experiment. Data were obtained using the Test Anxiety Scale (TAI) (Spielberger, 1980) and a Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) developed by Etuk (2019). Findings indicated that there was no significant gender difference on performance; tests anxiety and items scrambling had significant effects on performance in Mathematics respectively; low students' performance in Mathematics was associated with high test anxiety and test items arrangement from complex to simple; there was a significant interaction of test anxiety worry, emotion and total on performance in Mathematics. It was concluded that gender does not play a significant role in the performance of students in mathematics. Test anxiety in terms of worry, emotion and total affect the performance of students in Mathematics. Based on the conclusions, relevant implications are discussed.Contribution/Originality: This is the first Nigerian study to investigate the effect of test anxiety in terms of emotional, worry and total dimensions on performance in mathematics. Globally, this study is also the first to examine the interactive effect of TA-W, TA-E and TA-T on students' performance in Mathematics. INTRODUCTIONMathematics is a subject that is offered virtually at all levels of education and considered as the bedrock for all scientific and technological development of any nation (Etuk, 2019). Mathematics foster creative thinking and improves individuals' numeric and analytic skills. An individual can get on without having the ability to read and write, but would struggle with basic skills of counting, arithmetic and numeration (Anaduaka & Okafor, 2013).Irrespective of how rudimentary it might be, every man needs mathematics to survive. Mathematics equips an individual with knowledge and skills to handle daily life challenges with rationality, solve wide-range of difficult tasks and organize difficult problems into logical and simple forms (Etuk, 2019). The multifaceted use of mathematics in business, industries, homes, schools, offices and other innumerate dimensions make it an important subject for students to learn.Despite the crucial role that the Mathematics play in the life of man, the performance of secondary school students in the subject has been reported to be discouraging (Adah & Anari, 2019;Ogunkola, 2016). Reports from different zones in Nigeria tend to create an impression that students' performance in the subject is appalling. For

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