EFFECT OF SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION TECHNIQUE ON TEST ANXIETY IN MATHEMATICS AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KACHIA EDUCATION ZONE, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the effect of systematic desensitisation on test anxiety in mathematics among junior secondary school students in Kachia education zone, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A quasi experimental design of pre-test, post-test design was employed for this study. The population consisted of 814 junior secondary school students. A purposive sampling technique was used to arrive at a sample size of ten (10) students with severe and extreme level of test anxiety in mathematics as identified using the anxiety inventory from the selected schools in the education zone. Burns Anxiety Inventory (BAI) developed by Burns (1999) was the instrument adapted for collection of data for this study. The instrument had a reliability coefficient of 0.78. The participants were exposed to six weeks treatment (intervention) of systematic desensitization. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance using paired sample t-test. The findings revealed that systematic desensitization had significant effect in reducing physical, cognitive and psychological dimensions of test anxiety in mathematics among junior secondary school students. It was recommended that counsellors, psychologists and teachers should be encouraged to use systematic desensitization technique in helping students who are suffering from test anxiety in mathematics to cope better for optimal performance in school. In addition, seminars, workshops, symposia and campaign programmes should be organised for parents, head of schools and potential scholars to properly educate them on the dangers and implications of test anxiety in mathematics on performance.