Exploring Mathematics Anxiety and Perceived Understanding in Chemistry of Selected Grade 9 Students

Chemistry makes extensive use of mathematics as its lingua franca, and it is necessary to explore basic chemistry concepts. However, the ability to perform fundamental mathematical skills is necessary to perform the necessary calculations, making chemistry itself very challenging. This study aims to investigate the relationship between mathematical anxiety and perceived understanding in chemistry among selected ninth grade students. To gather data, a semi-structured questionnaire with eight items was developed and given to 10 student respondents. In addition, the respondents were interviewed online on their mathematics anxiety, their understanding of chemistry, and how their math anxiety impacts their comprehension of chemistry lessons. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for further analysis. The findings from the thematic analysis of the data suggest that mathematical anxiety negatively impacts junior high school students' perceived understanding of chemistry. Moreover, the analysis reveals that various factors, such as personality factors that impede math comprehension and socio-environmental factors such as support from parents and teachers, the classroom, and the home environment, may contribute to students' mathematical anxiety.URL: https://actonlineedu.org/ijaapr-v2i1-20230303