MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AND MATHEMATICS BELIEFS AS CORRELATES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ NUMERACY SKILLS
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Date
2019
Authors
Sopekan, Oludola S.
Awofala, A. O. A.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate mathematics anxiety and mathematics
beliefs as correlates of early childhood pre-service teachers’ numeracy skills in Nigeria. A crosssectional survey research design within quantitative methodology was adopted for the study
involving 320 early childhood pre-service teachers from the University of Lagos. Three valid and
reliable instruments were used for data collection and the collected data were analysed using mean,
standard deviation, Pearson moment correlation and multiple regression analysis at 5% level of
significance. Results showed that the majority of the early childhood pre-service teachers had high
mathematics anxiety and high mathematical beliefs. While mathematical beliefs had significant
positive correlations with early childhood pre-service teachers’ numeracy skills, mathematics
anxiety had a negative correlation with numeracy skills. Mathematical beliefs were a good
predictor of early childhood pre-service teachers’ numeracy skills. Based on these findings it was
concluded that early childhood teacher education programme should include strategies to eliminate
mathematics anxiety and foster constructivist mathematical beliefs capable of promoting early
childhood pre-service teachers’ numeracy skills.
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Keywords
Mathematics anxiety, mathematical beliefs, early childhood pre-service teachers, numeracy skills.