Abstract

Background: Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the “manipulation of mathematical problems” in varied situations of our daily life. Beyond a certain degree, anxiety hinders performance, particularly in the case of higher mental activities and conceptual process. Studies suggest that maths anxiety affects math abilities and some aspects of memory and abacus trained experts performed significantly better on tests of calculation speed and accuracy.

Aims and Objectives: To study the effect of abacus training on maths anxiety.

Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 60 primary school students (30 abacus trained and 30 untrained) using maths anxiety rating scale- India.

Results: The mean values of maths anxiety scores among abacus-trained students were 107.06 and those without abacus training were 116.21 which are statistically significant.

Conclusion: Since maths anxiety is known to affect maths performance, there is a need to recognize the positive effects of abacus training on school mathematics learning as well as broader aspects of children’s development.

Key words: Maths Anxiety; Abacus; Maths Anxiety Rating Scale-India; Primary School Students