Investigation of reasons for math fears of secondary school students in terms of different variables

The aim of this study is to examine the reasons of secondary school students' fear of mathematics in terms of different variables. A sequential explanatory mixed design was used in the study. The study group of the research consists of 1783 students studying in central secondary schools in a medium-sized province in the Eastern Anatolia Region in the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, "The Reasons for Fear of Mathematics Scale" and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. Descriptive analyzes, independent groups t-test and Anova test were used in the analysis of quantitative data, and descriptive and content analyzes were used in the analysis of qualitative data. According to the results obtained from the quantitative data, students' math fear levels are low. While students' math fear levels showed a significant difference in the variable of gender and grade level, they did not show a significant difference in the variable of taking private lessons. Female students are more afraid of mathematics than male students. As the grade level progresses, the fear of mathematics increases. According to the results obtained from the qualitative data, the reasons for students' fear of mathematics are due to the structure of mathematics, the personal characteristics of the student, the family-environment and the teacher, respectively. Students feel the fear of mathematics most during lessons, exams and while solving questions. Counselors, families and specialists should support students in managing their math fears.