The influence of receptivity to instructional feedback and anxiety in learning mathematics among senior two secondary school students in Namutumba district, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between receptivity to instructional feedback and anxiety in learning mathematics among S.2 students in the selected secondary schools in Namutumba District. The study was grounded by control value theory of achievement emotions, and guided by the specific objectives: to establish the associations between receptiveness to instructional feedback and anxiety towards learning mathematics; to examine the differences in the levels of mathematics anxiety with respect to students’ demographic characteristics, and to establish the extent to which receptiveness to instructional feedback predict anxiety towards learning mathematics. The study adopted a cross-sectional design, using quantitative approach. The study population was 685 S.2 students in all the 3 selected secondary schools in Namutumba District. The study used simple random sampling to select a sample of 306 students determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant moderate positive association between students receptiveness to instructional feedback and mathematics anxiety as (r=0.560**, p<.01), there is a statistically significant difference in the levels of mathematics anxiety with respect to the students’ demographic characteristics (F=8.718, p=0.000<.05), and students’ receptiveness to instructional feedback counted for 31.1% of the variance in mathematics anxiety (Adjusted R Square=.311). The study concluded that: students’ receptiveness to instructional feedback is associated with mathematics anxiety among senior two secondary school students in Namutumba District; the levels of anxiety arise from demographic characteristics of senior two secondary school students in Namutumba district and receptiveness to instructional feedback predicts anxiety towards mathematics among senior two secondary school students in Namutumba District. The study also recommended that school administrators, policy makers, parents and other stakeholders in education to: design instructional processes that are responsive to the anxiety faced by senior two students in learning mathematics by ensuring behavioral and cognitive engagement, change both instrumental and experiential attitude of S.2 students in Namutumba District; cater for students’ individual differences in learning mathematics basing on gender, birth order and age. Lastly, school administrators to invest more resources like time in ensuring that students receive supportive instructional feedback with the aim of improving engagement and performance in learning mathematics