The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects utilizing the "Mind Change" program on high school students on mathematics anxiety. This study aims to achieve the following two research objectives:
1. What types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by
...
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects utilizing the "Mind Change" program on high school students on mathematics anxiety. This study aims to achieve the following two research objectives:
1. What types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students in the "Mind Change" program?
a. During the cognitive treatment procedures, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students when they were asked to think about their problems and challenges, write journals about their thinking processes, change their intermediate and core beliefs?
b. During the behavioral treatment procedures, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students when they created their own action plans and executed behavioral experiments?
c. When the behavior treatment procedures (including peer-tutoring, the divided-page method) continued, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students?
2. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on students' mathematics anxiety?
a. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the mathematics curriculum factor?
b. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the teacher factor?
c. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the mathematics achievement factor?
d. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on students' attitude toward math?
e. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the negative thinking and cognitive factor?
In attempting to answer those questions above, this case study was carried out with one high-performing student and three average or below average performers in mathematics by collecting and analyzing datas including cognitive behavioral treatment journals written by students, results of mathematics anxiety factors evaluated with the revised anxiety assessment tool developed by Heo Hye-ja(1996), transcribed scripts of peer-tutoring videos, divided-page journals, transcribed face-to-face interviews with students.
In this study, we can obtain the following four deductions as conclusions:
First, the entire cognitive behavioral treatment procedures conducted in the first phase (intensive treatment phase) of the program was found to have lessened or eliminated the mathematics anxiety in students. During the cognitive behavioral treatment procedures, writing down the thinking processes in a journal allowed all participating students to experience a lower level of negative emotions compared to the level before the treatment. In the process of changing the intermediate beliefs, students were able to switch from negative beliefs to more functional, flexible, and realistic beliefs. In the process of changing the core beliefs, students found a new positive beliefs about themselves, showing more than 70% support for the beliefs. By executing behavioral experiments, students verified the contents of their choice and felt fairly positive about the results. As part of creating their own action plans, students wrote down their thinking process in a journal to fix problems that they had and their endeavor promoted positive thinking and willingness to take on a challenge. These series of procedures revealed that cognitive behavioral treatments had positive effects on reducing or eliminating mathematics anxiety.
Second, peer-tutoring carried out in the second phase (intensive exposure phase) of the program was effective in reducing the anxiety among students. Especially, Su-chul who experienced nervousness, tension, anxiety due to excessive competition and rivalry during exam periods stated that peer-tutoring helped him to become more compassionate, cooperative, and understanding. Peer-tutoring also had positive impacts on low achievers like Ha-young, Hye-in, and Su-jin who were able to share their thoughts, understand and encourage each other's learning. They had a chance to ask questions to their fellow leaders and suggest new methods to solve math problems, which they regarded as a genuine learning experience.
Third, divided-page method implemented in the second phase (intensive exposure phase) of the program was considered to be effective in reducing math anxiety among students. High-performing students like Su-chul and Sung-yun(the observer) said that their anxiety related to solving creative math problems disappeared when they used divided-page notes. They were also able to wrestle with the unsolved challenging problems for more than three days by writing down their thoughts, feelings, and emotions on the notes. They were amazed when the answer suddenly flickered through their minds, which gave them a rewarding experience and a sense of achievement. Students like Ha-young, Hye-in, and Su-jin who had below average performance also used the same journals but they experienced difficulties and showed tendencies to avoid challenges at first. However, they have grown to solving problems by themselves and finally succeeded in solving math problems in practice tests and regular exams, as otherwise, they would have given up easily. Low achievers who are not experienced in solving math questions tend to think of writing divided-page notes as a boring and dull task. That is why they are more inclined to give up or avoid solving math problems if they think the problems are difficult compared to high-performing students. More attention, encouragement, and feedbacks should be given to these students so that they do not quit while writing their divided-page notes.
Fourth, in the process of implementing the "Mind Change" program, students' anxiety was assessed using Heo Hye-ja's mathematics anxiety factor assessment tool. The assessment results revealed that students' anxiety was reduced from the mean of four areas in pre-, interim-, and post-assessments, except one area regarding students' attitude toward math. In terms of the attitude toward mathematics─students' attitude toward the usefulness of mathematics and their motivation toward mathematics, the level of anxiety was increased in the post-assessment compared to the level measured in the interim-assessment. The increased math anxiety is due to the termination of peer-tutoring as students became high school seniors and began to prepare for the college entrance exam, which exacerbated mathematics anxiety in average or below average performing students. In other four areas, high levels of anxiety were reflected in some questionnaires of the pre-assessment but later assessments of students displayed more positive, challenging, and confident attitude as the face-to-face interview proceeded. This revealed that the program had positive influence over treating mathematics anxiety.
As for the treatment of mathematics anxiety, a math teacher is more suitable than a therapist since math anxiety is a situation-related disorder that occurs in a particular situation involving mathematical learning unlike other anxiety disorders. Mathematics teachers are highly qualified teachers who received formal education on mathematical knowledge and teaching, enabling them to observe and help students who have psychological difficulties associated with learning mathematics while they teach and mingle with students in a classroom environment. However, treating math anxiety should not solely depend on the subjective experience of a math teacher but should be carried out with a professional and systematic approach and techniques such as the "Mind Change" program. The implementation of the program along with counseling will allow more students to overcome their math anxiety, regain their confidence, and demonstrate their mathematics competency.
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects utilizing the "Mind Change" program on high school students on mathematics anxiety. This study aims to achieve the following two research objectives:
1. What types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students in the "Mind Change" program?
a. During the cognitive treatment procedures, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students when they were asked to think about their problems and challenges, write journals about their thinking processes, change their intermediate and core beliefs?
b. During the behavioral treatment procedures, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students when they created their own action plans and executed behavioral experiments?
c. When the behavior treatment procedures (including peer-tutoring, the divided-page method) continued, what types of cognitive and affective responses and changes were exhibited by the students?
2. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on students' mathematics anxiety?
a. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the mathematics curriculum factor?
b. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the teacher factor?
c. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the mathematics achievement factor?
d. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on students' attitude toward math?
e. What kind of effects did the program make to happen on the negative thinking and cognitive factor?
In attempting to answer those questions above, this case study was carried out with one high-performing student and three average or below average performers in mathematics by collecting and analyzing datas including cognitive behavioral treatment journals written by students, results of mathematics anxiety factors evaluated with the revised anxiety assessment tool developed by Heo Hye-ja(1996), transcribed scripts of peer-tutoring videos, divided-page journals, transcribed face-to-face interviews with students.
In this study, we can obtain the following four deductions as conclusions:
First, the entire cognitive behavioral treatment procedures conducted in the first phase (intensive treatment phase) of the program was found to have lessened or eliminated the mathematics anxiety in students. During the cognitive behavioral treatment procedures, writing down the thinking processes in a journal allowed all participating students to experience a lower level of negative emotions compared to the level before the treatment. In the process of changing the intermediate beliefs, students were able to switch from negative beliefs to more functional, flexible, and realistic beliefs. In the process of changing the core beliefs, students found a new positive beliefs about themselves, showing more than 70% support for the beliefs. By executing behavioral experiments, students verified the contents of their choice and felt fairly positive about the results. As part of creating their own action plans, students wrote down their thinking process in a journal to fix problems that they had and their endeavor promoted positive thinking and willingness to take on a challenge. These series of procedures revealed that cognitive behavioral treatments had positive effects on reducing or eliminating mathematics anxiety.
Second, peer-tutoring carried out in the second phase (intensive exposure phase) of the program was effective in reducing the anxiety among students. Especially, Su-chul who experienced nervousness, tension, anxiety due to excessive competition and rivalry during exam periods stated that peer-tutoring helped him to become more compassionate, cooperative, and understanding. Peer-tutoring also had positive impacts on low achievers like Ha-young, Hye-in, and Su-jin who were able to share their thoughts, understand and encourage each other's learning. They had a chance to ask questions to their fellow leaders and suggest new methods to solve math problems, which they regarded as a genuine learning experience.
Third, divided-page method implemented in the second phase (intensive exposure phase) of the program was considered to be effective in reducing math anxiety among students. High-performing students like Su-chul and Sung-yun(the observer) said that their anxiety related to solving creative math problems disappeared when they used divided-page notes. They were also able to wrestle with the unsolved challenging problems for more than three days by writing down their thoughts, feelings, and emotions on the notes. They were amazed when the answer suddenly flickered through their minds, which gave them a rewarding experience and a sense of achievement. Students like Ha-young, Hye-in, and Su-jin who had below average performance also used the same journals but they experienced difficulties and showed tendencies to avoid challenges at first. However, they have grown to solving problems by themselves and finally succeeded in solving math problems in practice tests and regular exams, as otherwise, they would have given up easily. Low achievers who are not experienced in solving math questions tend to think of writing divided-page notes as a boring and dull task. That is why they are more inclined to give up or avoid solving math problems if they think the problems are difficult compared to high-performing students. More attention, encouragement, and feedbacks should be given to these students so that they do not quit while writing their divided-page notes.
Fourth, in the process of implementing the "Mind Change" program, students' anxiety was assessed using Heo Hye-ja's mathematics anxiety factor assessment tool. The assessment results revealed that students' anxiety was reduced from the mean of four areas in pre-, interim-, and post-assessments, except one area regarding students' attitude toward math. In terms of the attitude toward mathematics─students' attitude toward the usefulness of mathematics and their motivation toward mathematics, the level of anxiety was increased in the post-assessment compared to the level measured in the interim-assessment. The increased math anxiety is due to the termination of peer-tutoring as students became high school seniors and began to prepare for the college entrance exam, which exacerbated mathematics anxiety in average or below average performing students. In other four areas, high levels of anxiety were reflected in some questionnaires of the pre-assessment but later assessments of students displayed more positive, challenging, and confident attitude as the face-to-face interview proceeded. This revealed that the program had positive influence over treating mathematics anxiety.
As for the treatment of mathematics anxiety, a math teacher is more suitable than a therapist since math anxiety is a situation-related disorder that occurs in a particular situation involving mathematical learning unlike other anxiety disorders. Mathematics teachers are highly qualified teachers who received formal education on mathematical knowledge and teaching, enabling them to observe and help students who have psychological difficulties associated with learning mathematics while they teach and mingle with students in a classroom environment. However, treating math anxiety should not solely depend on the subjective experience of a math teacher but should be carried out with a professional and systematic approach and techniques such as the "Mind Change" program. The implementation of the program along with counseling will allow more students to overcome their math anxiety, regain their confidence, and demonstrate their mathematics competency.
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