Investigation of the Relationship Between Class Teachers’ Levels of Mathematical Thinking and Mathematics Teaching Anxiety in Terms of Different Variables

Source abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between class teachers’ level of mathematical thinking and level of anxiety about mathematics teaching in terms of different variables. To this end, the correlational and causal comparative method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study group of the current research is comprised of 509 class teachers working in state primary schools in the city of İstanbul in the 2019-2020 school year. As the data collection tools, the “Class Teachers’ Mathematical Thinking Scale” and the “Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale” were used. In the analysis of the data obtained from the scales, descriptive and parametric analyses (t-test and ANOVA) and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation were used. A low and negative correlation was found between the class teachers’ levels of mathematical thinking and mathematics teaching anxiety. Moreover, the class teachers’ levels of mathematical thinking and mathematics teaching anxiety were found to be varying significantly depending on gender. In addition, the class teachers’ levels of mathematical thinking and mathematics teaching anxiety were also found to be varying depending on the type of high school graduated and the length of service in the profession.