Management of Mathematics Phobia among Ninth Standard Students

This research is carried out on 60 students of IX Standard, Kendriya Vidalaya. Students were selected for the therapy on the basis of their SUD score. After taking math autobiography it was revealed that anxiety in mathematics for the students was developed due to various causes and the students were not dyslexic. Student’s average score in the recent mathematics exam was noted. Mathematics anxiety was assessed by using suri, monroe and koc’s (2012) short mathematics anxiety rating scale and their hemispheric dominance of the brain was measured by using Taggart and Torrance’s Human Information Processing Survey (1984). Students were treated with behaviour modification techniques and super brain yoga for six weeks. Interventions used are:

I. Reduction of Rate of Breathing (Ganesan, 2012).

II. Laughter Technique (Ganesan, 2008b).

III. Develpoment of Alternate Emotional Responses to the Threatening Stimulus (Ganesan, 2008a).

IV. Super Brain Yoga (Sui, 2005).

The anxiety level and performance in mathematics exam was reassessed after six weeks. Results showed that mathematics anxiety and mathematics SUDs were significantly reduced, which improved the group performance in mathematics exam. This shows that behaviour modification techniques and super brain yoga are efficient in treating mathematics anxiety.