Effect of a Computer Mediated Systems Teaching Approach on Mathematics Anxiety of Engineering Students
Abstract
The effect of a Computer Mediated Systems Teaching Approach (CMSTA) on engineering
students’ mathematics anxiety was investigated and reported in this paper. Specifically, the
study determined (a) if the mean Mathematics Anxiety Level (MAL) of the students taught
mathematics using the CMSTA will be significantly lower than that of those not taught with
the same approach and (b) whether the MALs of the students taught mathematics using the
CMSTA will significantly differ by gender? A sample of 470 students (with 267 in the
experimental and 203 in control groups) and 445 students (with 256 in the experimental and
189 in control groups) took the pretest and posttest respectively. A four stage procedure was
adopted for the experiment where treatment administration lasted for 12 weeks. Pretest and
posttest administration of the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (RMARS) on the
subjects showed that while significant difference was found between the mean MAL of the
experimental and control groups, none was found between that of the male and female
students taught mathematics using the CMSTA.