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Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety

Isaac Bengre Taley 1 * ,
Augustina Azumbila 2
1 Mampong Technical College of Education, GHANA2 Afia Donyina Girls’ Model Junior High School, Atebubu, GHANA* Corresponding Author
Educational Point, 1(1), 2024, e102
Publication date: Jul 24, 2024
Research Article
Open Access Open Access
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ABSTRACT

Anxiety about learning mathematics and accompanying low grades in mathematics has caused many students to the extent that they wish never to learn mathematics again. This level of apathy epitomised by students’ demotivated participation and low performance in learning mathematics reflects the general level of learning despondency among adolescent students. Although the literature suggests that the tide of learning despondency can be assuaged if students’ achievement motivation is heightened, studies exploring the mathematics achievement motivation of high school students in Ghana are scarce. To address this gap in the literature, this study, conducted within a positivist paradigm, focused on examining the relationship between perceived mathematics learning, achievement motivation, and mathematics anxiety while controlling for learning styles and gender of 322 high school students. The results showed that the motivation to strive and the motivation to participate were respectively the most substantial and minor drivers of students’ mathematics achievement motivation. Based on the correlation and regression analysis, achievement motivation positively predicted mathematics learning whiles both achievement motivation and mathematics learning were negatively related to mathematics anxiety. The study’s results further showed that mathematics anxiety dampened the extent to which achievement motivation positively influenced mathematics learning in the regression analysis.

KEYWORDS

achievement motivation mathematics anxiety learning despondency learning mathematics

CITATION (APA)

Taley, I. B., & Azumbila, A. (2024). Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety. Educational Point, 1(1), e102.
Harvard
Taley, I. B., and Azumbila, A. (2024). Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety. Educational Point, 1(1), e102.
Vancouver
Taley IB, Azumbila A. Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety. Educational Point. 2024;1(1):e102.
AMA
Taley IB, Azumbila A. Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety. Educational Point. 2024;1(1), e102.
Chicago
Taley, Isaac Bengre, and Augustina Azumbila. "Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety". Educational Point 2024 1 no. 1 (2024): e102.
MLA
Taley, Isaac Bengre et al. "Despondency in learning mathematics: Relating achievement motivation to learning amid soaring anxiety". Educational Point, vol. 1, no. 1, 2024, e102.

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