Gender Differences in Mathematical Anxiety Among Senior Secondary Students in Rivers State

This study investigates gender differences in mathematical anxiety among senior secondary school students in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. Despite improvements in science and technology education nationally, mathematical anxiety continues to disproportionately affect female students, limiting their participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The study employs a cross-sectional survey design, involving 290 SS2 students from eight secondary schools in Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Adolescents was adapted and validated for the Nigerian secondary school context. Data were analysed using independent samples t-tests and analysis of covariance. Results confirm that female students report significantly higher mathematical anxiety than male students, even after controlling for prior mathematics achievement. Classroom environment, specifically negative teacher feedback and competitive evaluation practices, emerged as significant predictors of anxiety among female respondents. Male students were more likely to attribute mathematical difficulty to lack of effort rather than innate inability. These findings extend the literature on stereotype threat and its manifestation in Nigerian secondary school mathematics classrooms. The Rivers State Secondary Education Management Board is advised to implement gender-responsive mathematics pedagogy, equipping teachers with strategies to reduce anxiety-inducing classroom dynamics. Counsellors should conduct targeted group sessions on mathematical confidence-building for female students transitioning into the senior secondary level. Keywords: mathematical anxiety, gender differences, senior secondary, Rivers State, STEM education.