The Effect of Numicon-based Intervention on Middle School Students’ Mathematics Anxiety, Motivation, and Self-efficacy

Abstract

The literature has frequently emphasized that learning yields meaningful results in environments where instructional methods involving concrete materials are used. This research aimed to examine the effect of intervention using the Numicon concrete material in the learning area of “Numbers and Operations” on sixth-graders’ mathematics anxiety, motivation, and self-efficacy. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups was used in this research that employed methods based on a quantitative approach. The data collection tools were scales for mathematics anxiety, motivation, and self-efficacy. The data analysis was performed using non-parametric tests, specifically the Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. It was concluded that the intervention supported by the Numicon concrete material was effective in reducing mathematics anxiety and increasing mathematics self-efficacy among the experimental group students, but it was not effective in increasing their mathematics motivation.

The literature has frequently emphasized that learning yields meaningful results in environments where instructional methods involving concrete materials are used. This research aimed to examine the effect of intervention using the Numicon concrete material in the learning area of “Numbers and Operations” on sixth-graders’ mathematics anxiety, motivation, and self-efficacy. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups was used in this research that employed methods based on a quantitative approach. The data collection tools were scales for mathematics anxiety, motivation, and self-efficacy. The data analysis was performed using non-parametric tests, specifically the Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. It was concluded that the intervention supported by the Numicon concrete material was effective in reducing mathematics anxiety and increasing mathematics self-efficacy among the experimental group students, but it was not effective in increasing their mathematics motivation.