The Prevalence and Effects of Mathematics Phobia On Secondary School Students' Academic Performance in Economics in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State

Abstract

Mathematics phobia has become one of the major psychological barriers affecting students' learning and achievement in subjects requiring quantitative reasoning, particularly Economics. This study investigated the prevalence and effects of mathematics phobia on secondary school students' academic performance in Economics in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with a correlational approach. The population comprised 3,450 Senior Secondary School Two (SS II) students in the 25 public secondary schools in Iseyin Local Government Area, while a sample of 400 students was selected from 10 public secondary schools using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled Mathematics Phobia and Economics Performance Questionnaire (MPEPQ), which had a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.89, while students' 2024/2025 First Term Economics examination scores were obtained from school records to measure academic performance. The data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and Independent Samples t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that mathematics phobia was highly prevalent among the respondents, with 41.5% exhibiting high mathematics phobia and an overall mean score of 58.74 (SD = 12.36). The study further revealed that students' academic performance in Economics was relatively poor, with 38.0% of the respondents failing the subject and an overall mean score of 50.12 (SD = 14.67). The results also established a strong and significant negative relationship between mathematics phobia and students' academic performance in Economics (r = –0.67, p < .05). Furthermore, a significant difference was found between students with low and high mathematics phobia, as students with low mathematics phobia (M = 62.34) performed significantly better than those with high mathematics phobia (M = 41.28; t = 9.82, p < .05). The study concluded that mathematics phobia is highly prevalent among secondary school students and significantly impairs their academic performance in Economics. It was therefore recommended that Mathematics and Economics teachers adopt learner-centred instructional strategies, school counsellors implement intervention programmes to reduce mathematics anxiety, and educational authorities organize continuous professional development programmes aimed at improving the teaching of quantitative aspects of Economics.