Exploring The Relationship Between Parent-Child Communication, Peer Pressure And Mathematics Anxiety Among Senior Secondary School Students In Lagos Education District IV

Abstract

This study seeks out to assess the relationship between parent-child communication, peer pressure and math related anxiety among high school students in education district IV. Two specific objectives were pursued (a) explore how parent-child communication predict math-related anxiety among secondary school students, (b) to explore how peer pressure predicts math-related anxiety among secondary school students. Two-hundred and fifty secondary school students n=250(130, 52% males and 120 females, 48%) were selected through purposive sampling techniques. The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS), Peer Pressure Scale Questionnaire-revised (PPSQ-R), and the Abbreviated Maths Anxiety Scale (AMAS) alongside with a brief demographic question was administered individually to respondents. There consent was sought for in the introductory part of the questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to statistically test the hypotheses for the study. The result revealed that 77% of the variance of the model was explained by Maths Learning Anxiety, while 99. of the variances in the model was explained by Maths Evaluation Anxiety. Results revealed that open family communication positively predicted maths learning anxiety among student, results also showed that peer pressure positively predicted maths learning anxiety. the study concluded that understanding this relationship is important because it provides more insight into reasons students develop maths anxiety.