A Study on Math Anxiety and Gender Difference in Sherubtse College (Royal University of Bhutan)

Objective: The main objective of this study is to know and understand the mind of every individual regarding gender difference and math anxiety influence on boys’ and girls’ performance in mathematics because many researchers have found out that there is no clear distinction on it.Method: ۶۰ students were randomly chosen from a total of ۱۵۳۱ students in Sherubtse College to be the respondents in this study and enrolled in spring ۲۰۲۱. There were ۳۲ males and ۲۸ females among the ۶۰ respondents. The quantitative method was used for this study as the data were reliable and generalized to a larger population. In addition, the stratified random sampling was and the participants randomly from the first, the second, and the third-year base on their gender were selected. Firstly, the descriptive statistical test was conducted SPSS software to examine the significant differences between independent variable that is gender and other dependent variables such Indicators of Math Anxiety (IMA-Total) based on Parkinson's Four Factors of Emotion Theory, Math Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (MAQA-Total), and Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-Total) to observe gender differences regarding math anxiety amongst male and female students in the college.Findings: The statistical t-test determined that whether there was a significant difference in level of math anxiety between the two different groups such as male and female in general. The descriptive statistics indicates that there is no significant difference in math anxiety between male and female students however, there is a slight difference between gender and math anxiety in the college.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there is no significant difference regarding math anxiety between male and female students of the Sherubtse College. Therefore, it can be mentioned that linking mathematics as a male dominance is incorrect and it is a stereotype because no such substantial difference was found in the study to reject the null hypothesis.

Keywords:

Level of anxiety , Mathematic , academic achievement , Students , Attitude