Mathematics cognitive failure and mathematics anxiety: Any correlation in Nigerian senior high school sample?

This study through a positivism philosophy within a quantitative approach of a descriptive survey of a correlational type investigated the relationship between mathematics cognitive failure and mathematics anxiety among 1129 senior high school students in Nigeria. Three hypotheses were postulated and tested at 1% level of significance using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Two valid and reliable instruments which included mathematics cognitive failure questionnaire (Cronbach α=0.96) and mathematics anxiety scale (Cronbach α=0.95) were used for data collection. Results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between mathematics cognitive failure and mathematics anxiety among senior high school students over a five year period (2020-2024). Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship between mathematics cognitive failure and mathematics anxiety of senior high school students based on field of study (Science and Non-Science). There was a statistically significant predictive influence of mathematics cognitive failure on senior high school students’ mathematics anxiety across the five year period. Based on these results, it was recommended that future studies should consider the potential mediators of parental involvement and teacher support in the relationship between mathematics cognitive failure and mathematics anxiety. Future studies should explore neural mechanisms underlying mathematics cognitive failure.