| The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between math anxiety and academic success of developmental mathematics students at a Texas community college based on age, gender, and level of developmental mathematics program. A quantitative, casual-comparative design was used to determine relationships. A total of 185 developmental mathematics students were surveyed using the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Scale and a demographic questionnaire. Of the 185 survey packets returned, fully completed, and analyzed, 61.6% ( N = 114) of the participants were female, 44.3% (N = 82) of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 22 years old, 24.9% (N = 46) of the participants were enrolled in the fourth level of developmental mathematics (DMAT 0098), and 28.6% ( N = 53) of the participants earned a C for their final course grade. Of the 185 participants, 41.1% (N = 76) were enrolled in a low difficulty level developmental course (DMAT 0066 or DMAT 0090), and 58.9% (N = 109) were enrolled in a high difficulty level developmental mathematics course (DMAT 0097, DMAT 0098, or DMAT 0099). Of all the participants, 70.3% (N = 132) successfully completed their developmental mathematics course with a letter grade of A, B, or C, indicating academic success. A total of 57.3% (N = 106) of the participants scored a 71 or lower on the RMARS, which indicated a low level of math anxiety. A total of 42.7% (N = 79) of the participants scored a 72 or higher on the RMARS, which indicated a high level of math anxiety. A statistical difference existed between level of math anxiety based on developmental mathematics courses with low and high-level difficulty, but there was no statistical difference between level of math anxiety based on age or gender. |
