MATHEMATICAL GAMES IN REDUCING ANXIETY AND INCREASING MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS: BASIS FOR A COURSE PLAN

Mathematics, a fundamental subject essential for logical reasoning and problem-solving across various fields, remains challenging for many students due to its abstract nature and the prevalence of mathematics anxiety, which often hinders their understanding and engagement. This paper aimed to determine the effectiveness of using mathematical games in reducing anxiety and increasing students' mathematics performance. Using a pretest and posttest design, the study was conducted among forty Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students through purposive random sampling. The students were divided into two groups, specifically the control group and experimental group. The control group was taught using conventional teaching strategy, while the experimental group was taught using various mathematical games. A pretest was administered before the intervention to assess the initial level of anxiety and performance in mathematics, which lasted six weeks with sessions of three hours each and followed by a posttest. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between the mathematics anxiety and performance of the control group and experimental group. This implies that the experimental group had a lower mathematics anxiety level and higher performance in mathematics compared to the control group after the intervention. Thus, incorporating mathematical games could effectively reduce mathematics anxiety and improve students’ performance. The results of this study were used as the basis for a course plan in mathematics education.