Factors causing Mathematics Anxiety of Senior High School Students in Calculus

Mathematics anxiety impacts to the learner tremendously especially his scholastic performance, mastery of learning competencies and skills, and even the career choice. This study investigated the different factors causing mathematics anxiety in Calculus of senior high school students. The research design employed was mixed method. Qualitative techniques were used in determining the factors that caused the anxiety of the participants and descriptive design in determining the anxiety level of the students. The study was conducted in five (5) senior high schools offering Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Strand in a province in the Southern Luzon, Philippines. Sixty- nine(69) participants took the Mathematic Anxiety Inventory (MAI) developed by Plake and Parker. The results revealed that almost all of the participants have either high or moderate mathematics anxiety level. The paper concludes that the abstract mathematical concepts of Calculus, the teaching style and attitude of the teacher, and the poor comprehension and analytical skills of the students were the major factors that caused the mathematics anxiety of the participants.