Teacher trainees’ attitude towards learning mathematics and anxiety levels for teaching mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate teacher trainees’ attitude towards learning mathematics and their anxiety levels for teaching mathematics as trainees in the internship of the out-segment programme. The study involved 160 third year teacher trainees comprising 55 trainees from Upper East Region, 50 from Upper West Region and 55 from Central Region of Ghana using purposive sampling technique. Teacher trainees showed positive attitude towards all the six variables measured. The independent t-test showed no significant difference between males and females trainees’ attitude towards learning mathematics except in college A. The one way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test for significant difference on trainees scores at 0.05 alpha level showed no significant differences in attitude towards learning mathematics among trainees in the three colleges (with F < 3.00 p > 0.05). Slightly more than one tenth showed no anxiety teaching mathematics; twice as many indicated high anxiety level teaching mathematics. 32% of the trainees showed slight anxiety level teaching mathematics. No significant difference was found between males and females anxiety level teaching mathematics. The result of the ANOVA shows no significant differences in anxiety teaching mathematics among trainees in the three colleges. There was low but significant negative correlation between trainees’ attitude towards learning mathematics and their anxiety level for teaching mathematics. Implications of the findings were discussed and recommendations made.