Emotional Intelligence, Math Anxiety and Math Performance in Malaysia

This study aims to investigate how Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) and mathematics anxiety could impact on math performance in a public university in Malaysia. A quantitative study with a specific cohort of Cognitive Science students comprising the 2nd and 3rd year students were carried out. More than 90% of the samples in the cohort were sampled. The questionnaire contained a component on demographic component, and sections on math anxiety (MARS-SV) and Trait emotional intelligence questionnaires (TEIQue). The performance of the students in this study was measured by the mean score of math subjects. The result of the study showed that math performance was adversely related to math anxiety. However, Trait EI did not appear to influence math performance and neither did it have an impact on math anxiety. This finding is important as it suggests that more works need to be done to determine the leading predictor of math anxiety in the Malaysian context for subsequent effective intervention.

Emotional Intelligence, Math Anxiety

1. Alexander, L., & Martray, C. R. (1989). The development of an abbreviated version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 22(3), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.1989.12022923 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Andrei, F., Siegling, A.B., Aloe, A.M., Baldaro, B. & Petrides, K.V. (2016). The incremental validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue): A systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Personality Assessment, 98 (3), 261-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2015.1084630 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Agnoli, S., Mancini, G., Pozzoli, T., Baldaro, B., Russo, P. M., & Surcinelli, P. (2012). The interaction between emotional intelligence and cognitive ability in predicting scholastic performance in school-aged children [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(5), 660–665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.05.0204. Ashcraft, M. H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Curr. Direct. Psychol. Sci. 11, 181–185. https://doi: 10.1111/1467-8721.00196 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Ashcraft, M. H., & Faust, M. W. (1994). Mathematics anxiety and mental arithmetic performance: An exploratory investigation. Cognition & Emotion, 8, 97-125. https://doi:10.1080/02699939408408931 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Ashcraft, M. H., & Kirk, E. P. (2001). The relationships among wor- king memory, math anxiety, and performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 224-237. https://doi:10.1037/0096-3445.130.2.224 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Ashcraft, M. H., & Moore, A. M. (2009). Mathematics anxiety and the affective drop in performance. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 27, 197-205. https://doi:10.1177/0734282908330580 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Beilock, S. L., & Maloney, E. A. (2015). Math anxiety: A factor in math achievement not to be ignored. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732215601438 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Bessant, K.C. (1995). Factors associated with types of mathematics anxiety in college students. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 26(4), 327-345. https://doi: 10.2307/749478 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Betz, N. E. (1978). Prevalence, distribution, and correlates of math anxiety in college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 25, 441-448. https://doi:10.1037/0022-0167.25.5.441 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Brouzos, A., Misailidi, P., & Hadjimattheou, A. (2014). Associations between emotional intelligence, socio-emotional adjustment, and academic achievement in childhood: The influence of age. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 29, 83–99. https://doi: 10.1177/0829573514521976 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Carey, E., Devine, A., Hill, F., Dowker, A., McLellan, R., Szucs, D. (2019). A Report of Center for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge. Understanding mathematics anxiety: Investigating the experiences of UK primary and secondary school students. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Che Ani, R. (2013). Kecerdasan emosi dalam kalangan pelajar diploma pendidikan lepasan ijazah (DPLI). Unpublished master's thesis, Fakulti Pendidikan Teknikal dan Vokasional, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Chiu, L. H., & Henry, L. L. (1990). Development and validation of the mathematics anxiety scale for children. Measurement and evaluation in counseling and development, 23, 121-127. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Costa, A., & Faria, L. (2015). The impact of emotional intelligence on academic achievement: A longitudinal study in Portuguese secondary school. Learning and Individual Differences, 37, 38–47. https://doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2014.11.011 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Di Fabio, A., & Palazzeschi, L. (2009). An in-depth look at scholastic success: Fluid intelligence, personality traits or emotional intelligence? Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 581– 585. https://doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.12.012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Dowker, A., Sarkar, A., & Looi, C. Y. (2016). Mathematics anxiety: What have we learned in 60 years? Frontiers in Psychology, 7 (508). https://doi:org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00508. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Ebinagbome, M. E., & Nizam, I. (2016). The impact of emotional intelligence on performance : A study on Malaysian teritary instituion. International Journal of Accounting & Business Management, 4, 3–19. https://doi: org/10.24924/ijabm/2016.04/v4.iss1/10.18 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Eden, C., Heine, A., & Jacobs, A.M. (2013) Mathematics anxiety and its development in the course of formal schooling – A review. Psychology. 4(6A2), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.46A2005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Erturan, S., & Jansen, B. (2015) An investigation of boys’ and girls’ emotional experience of math, their math performance, and the relation between these variables. European Journal of Psychology of Education. 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-015-0248-7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Espinosa, A. (2016). Trait emotional intelligence, self-confidence and valuation of mathematics: Mediation and moderated mediation analysis of summer versus regular semester students. International Journal of Teaching and Education. 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.20472/TE.2016.4.2.002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Fennema, E., & Sherman, J. A. (1976). Fennema-Sherman mathematics attitudes scales: Instruments designed to measure attitudes toward the learning of mathematics by females and males. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 7, 324-326. https://doi:10.2307/748467. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Fernandez, R., Salamonson, Y., & Griffiths, R. (2012). Emotional intelligence as a predictor of academic performance in first-year accelerated graduate entry nursing students. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 21 (23-24), 3485-3492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2012.04199.x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Festus, A. B., & Seraphina, K.M. (2015). Effects of emotional intelligence skills acquisition on students’achievement in senior secondary school geometry in Keffi Education Zone, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning. 3 (4) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Fetescu, A. (2017). Identifying the predictors of academic achievement The relationship between IQ, EQ, Motivation, Stress and Grades. Unpublished undergraduate thesis. School of Business, National College of Ireland. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Fulkerson, K.F., Galassi, J. P., & Galassi M. D. (1984). Relation between cognitions and performance in math anxious students: a failure of cognitive theory? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31(3), 376-382. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.31.3.376. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Galla, B. M., & Wood, J. J. (2012). Emotional self-efficacy moderates anxiety-related impairments in math performance in elementary school-age youth. Personality and Individual Differences. 52 (2), 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.09.012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Gough, M. F. (1954). Mathemaphobia: causes and treatments. Clearing House, 28, 290-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.1954.11476830 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Gunderson, E.A., Park, D., Maloney, E.A., Beilock, S. L., & Levine, S.C. (2018). Reciprocal relations among motivational frameworks, math anxiety, and math achievement in early elementary school. Journal of Cognition and Development, 19:1, 21-46. https://doi: 10.1080/15248372.2017.1421538. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21, 33-46. https://doi:10.2307/749455 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Hen, M., & Goroshit, M. (2014). Academic procrastination, emotional intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and GPA: A comparison between students with and without learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 47(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219412439325 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Kamran, W. & Fatima, I. (2013). Emotional intelligence, anxiety and procrastination in intermediate science students. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 11 (2), 3 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30, 520-540. https://doi:10.2307/749772. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Maloney, E. A., and Beilock, S. L. (2012). Math anxiety: who has it, why it develops, and how to guard against it. Trends Cogn. Sci. 16, 404–406. https://doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.06.008. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. María José Justicia Galiano, M.J., Pelegrina, S., Lechuga, M.T., & Palma, N.G., (2016) Math anxiety and its relationship to inhibitory abilities and perceived emotional intelligence. Anales de Psicología, 32(1):125-131. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.32.1.194891. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Mavroveli, S., Petrides, K. V., Shove, C., & Whitehead, A. (2008). Investigation of the construct of trait emotional intelligence in children. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 17(8), 516–526. https://doi:org/10.1007/s00787-008-0696-6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Mavroveli, S., Petrides, K. V., Sangareau, Y., & Furnham, A. (2009). Exploring the relationships between trait emotional intelligence and objective socio-emotional outcomes in childhood. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(2), 259–272. https://doi:org/10.1348/000709908X368848. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Mavroveli, S., & Sánchez-Ruiz, M. J. (2011). Trait emotional intelligence influences on academic achievement and school behaviour. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(1), 112–134. https://doi:org/10.1348/2044-8279.002009 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. McLeod, D. B. (1992). Research on affect in mathematics education: A reconceptualization. In D. A.Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning. New York: Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. McLeod, D. B. (1994). Research on affect in mathematics learning in the JRME: 1970 to the present. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 25, 63. https://doi.org/10.2307/749576. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Miller, H., and Bichsel, J. (2004). Anxiety, working memory, gender, and math performance. Pers. Individ. Dif. 37, 591–606. https://doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2003.09.029 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Mohd Nor, N. A. K., Ismail, Z., & Mohammad Yusof, Y. (2016). The relationship between emotional intelligence and mathematical competency among secondary school students. Journal on Mathematics Education, 7(2), 91–100. https://doi: org/10.22342/jme.7.2.3534.91-100 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Mohzan, M. A. M., Hassan, N., & Halil, N. A. (2013). The influence of emotional intelligence on academic achievement. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90, 303–312. https://doi:org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.095 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Namkung, J.M., Peng Peng, Xin Lin. (2019). The relation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance among school-aged students: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 89(3): 459-496. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319843494. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. O'Connor, P., Nguyen, J., Anglim, J. (2017). Effectively Coping With Task Stress: A Study of the Validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF). J Pers Assess. 99 (3), 304-314. https://doi: 10.1080/00223891.2016.1226175. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Parker, J. D. A., Creque, Snr. R. E., Barnhart, D. L., Harris, J. I., Majeski, S. A., Wood, L. M., et al. (2004a). Academic achievement in high school: Does emotional intelligence matter? Personality and Individual Differences, 37(7), 1321–1330. https://doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.01.002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Parker, J. D. A., Summerfeldt, L. J., Hogan, M. J., & Majeski, S. A. (2004b). Emotional intelligence and academic success: Examining the transition from high school to university. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 163–172. https://doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00076-X [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Newsome, S., Day, A. L., & Catano, V. M. (2000). Assessing the predictive validity of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 29, 1005–1016. https://doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(99) 00250-0 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. O'Connor PJ, Hill A, Kaya M, Martin B. (2019). The measurement of emotional intelligence: A critical review of the literature and recommendations for researchers and practitioners. Front Psychol.,10,1116. https://doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01116 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Perera, H. N., & DiGiacomo, M. (2015). The role of trait emotional intelligence in academic performance during the university transition: An integrative model of mediation via social support, coping, and adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 83, 208–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.04.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Perera, H.N. (2016) The role of trait emotional intelligence in academic performance: Theoretical overview and empirical update. The Journal of Psychology, 150(2), 229-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2015.1079161 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2001). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation in two studies of emotional recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17, 39–57 https://doi.org/10.1002/per.466. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Petrides, K. V., Frederickson, N., & Furnham, A. (2004). The role of trait emotional intelligence in academic performance and deviant behavior at school. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(2), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00084-9. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. Petrides, K. V. (2009). Psychometric properties of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. In C. Stough, D. H. Saklofske, and J. D. Parker, Advances in the assessment of emotional intelligence. New York: Springer. https://doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-88370-0_5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

55. Petrides, K. V. (2011). Ability and Trait Emotional Intelligence. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Individual Differences, 656–678. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444343120.ch25 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

56. Plake, B. S., & Parker, C. S. (1982). The development and validation of a revised version of the mathematics anxiety rating scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 42, 551-557. https://doi:10.1177/001316448204200218 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

57. Pourmoslemi, A., Erfani, N., & Firoozfar, I. (2013). Mathematics anxiety, mathematics performance and gender differences among undergraduate students. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3(7), 2250–3153. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

58. Puteh, M. and Khalin, S. Z. (2016) Mathematics anxiety and its relationship with the achievement of secondary students in Malaysia. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 6(2), 119-122. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJSSH.2016.V6.630 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

59. Ramesh, S., Samuel Thvaraj, H., & Ramkumar, D. (2014). Impact of emotional intelligence on academic achievements of college students - A review. International Journal of Business Management & Research, 6(2), 25–30. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

60. Reynolds, J. M. (2003). The role of mathematics anxiety in mathematical motivation: a path analysis of the cane model. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. The College of Education at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

61. Richardson, F. C., & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19, 551-554. https://doi:10.1037/h0033456 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

62. Rodarte-Luna, B., & Sherry, A. (2008). Sex differences in the relation between statistics anxiety and cognitive/learning strategies. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33(2), 327–344. https://doi: org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.03.002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

63. Rodeiro, C. L. V., Bell, J. F., & Emery, J. L. (2011). Emotional intelligence and academic attainment of British secondary school children: A cross-sectional survey. Educational Studies, 38(5):1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2011.643115. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

64. Rodeiro, C. L.V., Emery, J. L., & Bell, J. F. (2012). Emotional intelligence and academic attainment of British secondary school children: A cross-sectional survey. Educational Studies, 38, 521–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2011.643115. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

65. Rotella, R. J. & Learner J. D., (1993). Responding to Competitive Pleasure, in R.N. Singer, M. Murphey ve L. Tennant (eds.), Handbook on Research in Sport Psychology, New York, 528-541. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

66. Sanchez-Ruiz, M. J., Mavroveli, S., & Poullis, J. (2013). Trait emotional intelligence and its links to university performance: An examination. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(5), 658–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.11.013 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

67. Sanchez-Ruiz, M.J., El Khoury, J., Saade, G., & Salkhanian, M. (2016) Non-cognitive variables and academic achievement: The role of general and academic self-efficacy and Trait Emotional Intelligence. In M. S. Khine & S. Areepattamannil (Eds.), Non-cognitive Skills and Factors in Educational Attainment (pp. 65–85). Sense, Rotterdam. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

68. Siegling, A. B., Vesely, A. K., Saklofske, D. H., Frederickson, N., & Petrides, K. V. (2015). Incremental validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF). European Journal of Psychological Assessment. https://doi: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000267. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

69. Suinn, R. & Edwards, R. (1982). The measurement of mathematics anxiety: The mathematics anxiety rating scale for adolescents—MARS. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 38 (3), 576-580. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(198207)38:3<576::AID-JCLP2270380317>3.0.CO;2-V. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

70. Suinn, M., & Winston, H. (2003). The mathematics anxiety rating scale, a brief version: psychometric data. Psychol. Rep. 92, 167–173. https://doi: 10.2466/pr0.2003.92.1.167 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

71. Suinn, R. M., Taylor, S., & Edwards, R. W. (1988). Suinn Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Elementary School Students (MARS-E): Psychometric and normative data. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 48(4), 979–986. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164488484013 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

72. Salovey, P. & Mayer, J.D. (1990) Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality. 9 (3), 185-211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK- [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

73. Sharifah Norhuda Syed Wahid, Yusharina Yusof, & Mohd Rizal Razak (2014 ) Math anxiety among students in higher education level. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 123, 232 – 237. https://doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1419 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

74. Sidek, S. (2013). Hubungan kecerdasan emosi dengan pencapaian akademik dalam kalangan pelajar-pelajar kolej vokasional kementerian pelajaran Malaysis (KVKPM). Tesis Ijazah Sarjana Pendidikan Teknik Dan Vokasional. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

75. Talib, N. H. F., Mohd Shafie, B. H., Ahmad, J., & Tamuri, A. H. (2011). Kecerdasan Emosi dan Sikap Pembelajaran terhadap Pencapaian Kursus Tamadun Islam , Satu Kajian dalam Kalangan Pelajar Semester 5 Jabatan. In International Conference and Exhibition on Research in Islamic and Arabic Langguage Education (p. 18). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

76. Tobias, S. (1993). Overcoming math anxiety. New York: W.W: Norton Company [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

77. Zakaria, E., and Nordin, N. (2008). The effects of mathematics anxiety on matriculation students as related to motivation and achievement. Eur. J. Math. Sci. Technol. Edu. 4, 27–30. https://doi: 10.12973/ejmste/75303 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

78. Zakaria, E., Zain, N. M., Ahmad, N. A., and Erlina, A. (2012). Mathematics anxiety and achievement among secondary school students. Am. J. Appl. Sci., 9, 1828–1832. https://doi: 10.3844/ajassp.2012.1828.1832. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

79. Zhang, J., Zhao, N., & Kong, Q. P. (2019). The relationship between math anxiety and math performance: A meta-analytic investigation. Front. Psychol. 10, 1613. https:// doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01613. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]