Abstract:
The study examined the relationship among test anxiety and interest on academic achievement of students in geometry in senior secondary school in Benue State. The study adopted correlational research design. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. The population for this study comprised of 2,325 SS II mathematics students in all the public secondary schools in Benue State of Nigeria. The sample size of 324 SS2 mathematics students constituted the sample size of the study using simple random sampling technique. Three instruments were used to collect the pertinent data for the study. They are; Mathematics Test Anxiety Scale (MTAS), Mathematics Interest Scale (MIS) and Geometry Achievement Test (GAT). To determine the reliability of the instruments, the researcher administered the instruments (MTAS, MIS and GAT) to 20 SS II mathematics secondary school students in Ankpa LGA of Kogi State who were not part of the sampled schools. The responses obtained from the students from MTAS and MIS were subjected to reliability analysis using Cronbach Alpha to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. A reliability index of 0.93 and 0.91 were obtained for MTAS and MIS respectively. However, the responses obtained from the students from GAT was subjected to Kuder Richardson 20 (K-R20) formula and reliability index of 0.87 was obtained. The data collected was analyzed using regression analysis in answering all the research questions while Analysis of variance regression analysis was used to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance: The findings of the study revealed the following: there was a significant low relationship between students’ test anxiety and academic achievement in geometry in senior secondary school mathematics; there was a significant high relationship between students’ interest and academic achievement in geometry in senior secondary school mathematics; there exist also a significant low inter-relationship among students’ test anxiety, interest and academic achievement in geometry in senior secondary school mathematics. Gender significantly moderated the prediction of students’ academic achievement in geometry by their test anxiety; gender significantly moderates the prediction of students’ academic achievement in geometry by their interest. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among other things that; early intervention and proactive prevention programs that would aid the reduction of anxiety and nervousness in students be developed and implemented so as to increase students’ interest in geometry in particular and mathematics in general. Secondary school students should be encouraged and provided with their essential needs to make learning a thing of interest to them.
