LEVEL OF MATH ANXIETY AMONG THE STUDENTS OF THE 5TH – 9TH YEAR OF STUDY IN SLOVAKIA

Abstract

Mathematics accompanies us throughout our lives. Difficulties in acquiring mathematical ideas can appear even without the presence of a math learning disability – developmental dyscalculia. Our lack of success can result from various external or endogenous causes. People who have a higher level of math anxiety often have difficulties in everyday life, wherever mathematics occurs in some way. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to this issue and look for possible solutions and qualitatively discuss questions related to math anxiety. Why and what level of anxiety do individual mathematical tasks cause in some people? Is it not only the fear and anxiety of failure in mathematics but also of failure in everyday life in solving everyday problems, such as counting up purchases, planning financial transactions, interest, discounts, etc.? These difficulties cause fear, stress and anxiety in individuals, and the impairment of mathematical skills is transferred into adulthood. Chinn (2020) reports that up to 22% of adults in the UK have difficulties with the mathematics that limit them in everyday life. The paper is aimed at finding out the level of math anxiety in a selected population of students and analyzing the questionnaire "How I feel about math" Chinn (2020) translated into Slovak. The research group consisted of 11-16-year-old Slovak students. The aim of the paper is to point out the importance of investigating mathematics anxiety in the diagnosis of a mathematical learning disability. At the same time, to draw attention to the fact that students with special educational needs experience a higher level of math anxiety than their peers. The authors point out that there are no significant gender differences in the experience of math anxiety in the Slovak sample of students and confirm, as stated by Chinn, that 4-6% of neuro-typical (normal) children experience a high level of math anxiety.