Effect of Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Mathematices Phobia among Secondary School Students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The rate of decline in academic performance of students in Mathematices which is a core subject in Nigeria school curriculum, relevant in technological, economic and educational development of the nation prompted this study. This research aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy which is a psychological therapy on students’ Mathematices phobia bearing in mind that phobia has an influence on students’ academic performance in the subject. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a sample size of 110 SS2 students from public secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo state, Nigeria. Three research questions were raised and three hypotheses formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The instrument for data collection were researcher-made titled Mathematices Phobia Scale (MPS) which was validated by specialist in Educational Psychology and Measurement and Evaluation. Its reliability was ascertained through test-retest method and calculated using Pearson product moment correlation which yielded an index of 0.81. The research questions were answered with mean and standard deviation while unpaired and paired t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The result of the study showed a significant mean difference between pretest and posttest of students’ Mathematices phobia. The findings also indicated a significant gender difference in the effectiveness of CBT in the posttest. The study recommended among others that teachers should endeavor to pay close attention to the students in order to discover students with Mathematices phobia.