By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES was among countries with the highest levels of mathematics anxiety among 15-year-old students, according to an international learning assessment by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which flagged growing negative feelings towards the subject from 2012 to 2022.

Experts said the growing mathematics anxiety among Filipino students threatens the country’s manufacturing ambitions, which will rely heavily on engineers.

Results of the fifth edition of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) also showed the Philippines was among 10 economies with the lowest levels of self-efficacy among students aged 15 years old. 

In a report released on Wednesday, OECD said most education systems that had the lowest levels of self-efficacy also show the highest levels of mathematics anxiety.

These countries include three Southeast Asian countries — Cambodia, the Philippines and Malaysia, and seven Latin American countries — Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico.

On average, 65% of students among OECD countries worry about getting poor marks in mathematics, 55% feel anxious about failing in mathematics, and 40% of students reported feeling nervous, helpless or anxious while solving mathematics problems or doing homework. 

“These shares were even higher in Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, El Salvador, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand,” OECD said, as it noted a sharp rise in mathematics anxiety from 2012 to 2022 in most PISA-participating countries and economies.

In an earlier edition of PISA, 16% of Filipino students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics, significantly lower than the 69% average across OECD countries.

Almost no Filipino students were top performers in mathematics, meaning that they attained Level 5 or 6 in the PISA mathematics test.

In the latest report, OECD said low math performers or those who perform below Level 2 showed higher levels of mathematics anxiety than skilled students or those who perform at Level 3 or above.

“This suggests that while anxiety is an obstacle to lifelong learning for all learners, it is even more so for those who also struggle with basic skills,” it said.

“Skilled students who have a solid foundation and strong mathematical skills will be able to build on those and be less likely to experience high levels of anxiety about mathematics,” it added.

In the assessment, 39.4% of Filipino participants said they ask questions when they do not understand the math material being taught, lower than the 46.8% global average.

The number of Filipino students who try to connect new material to what they have learned in previous mathematics lessons hit 39.4%, which was also below the global average of 45.6%.

In the assessment, 50.7% of Filipino participants said they ask questions more than half of the time when they do not understand the mathematics material.

About 80% of Filipino students said they wanted to do well in mathematics, slightly lower than the 89.3% global average.

The results also showed that 38.8% of Filipino students said they “do not agree that some people are just not good at mathematics, no matter how hard they study,” higher than the 34.5% average.

“There is no clear association between mathematics performance and knowing what job students want to do in the future,” OECD said. “However, a difference emerges in terms of the type of job students want to do based on their performance.”

It said more skilled performers than low performers expect to do highly paid jobs, noting that the Philippines presented the “widest gap” with 79% of its skilled performers and 32% of its low performers wanting to become managers or professionals.

On average, 48% of skilled performers and 25% of low performers among OECD countries wanted to become a manager or professional.

“Mathematics is crucial for manufacturing since this sector is conducive to scale economies that can be achieved through learning by doing and problem solving, skills that are honed in mathematics,” said Leonardo A. Lanzona, an economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University. 

“I think the anxiety stems from a lack of preparation and an inability to relate the mathematical problems to their daily life, making mathematics a purely conceptual subject,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

The OECD said the link between anxiety and mathematics can be detrimental to lifelong learning, adding that students who develop negative feelings towards mathematics may be less likely to opt for further education that includes the subject.

“They may avoid reskilling opportunities that involve mathematics as well,” it said.

The OECD said reducing students’ mathematics anxiety is a key policy challenge in improving students’ readiness for life-long learning.

“All major economic sectors will be adversely affected by these results in the long term,” said Emy Ruth S. Gianan, who teaches economics at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

In particular, growing mathematics anxiety among students threatens prospects for sectors that demand more technology-driven innovations including agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors, she noted.

The OECD said compared to 2012, students in most PISA-participating countries and economies reported higher levels of mathematics anxiety.

More students also reported feeling helpless doing mathematics problems or homework on average across OECD countries than in 2012.

“On the contrary, there was only a slight increase in students worrying about their marks and no change in the share of students worrying that it would be difficult for them in mathematics classes,” OECD said. “This result is worrying.”

Students are developing increasingly negative attitudes about learning mathematics. This may impact not only their performance but their readiness for lifelong learning. This finding also suggests that young people’s well-being has deteriorated, and policies are needed to support students’ mental health.

Among countries, South Korea showed the biggest improvement, showing an 11-percentage-point drop in shares of students reporting that they felt nervous doing mathematics problems. It was followed by Singapore and Thailand.

In the assessment, 78.3% of 15-year-old students said they “love learning new things in school,” above the global average of 50.1%.

About 70% of students said they wanted schoolwork that is challenging, higher than the 46.9% global average.

The OECD said governments and schools should craft “tailored support” early on to build confidence among students and enable them to develop resilience and adaptability, “which are crucial for academic success and personal well-being.”

It also called for strong teacher-student relationships, which contribute to reducing student anxiety and improving academic outcomes.

“Education systems should focus on equipping students with critical digital literacy skills to help them discern the quality of information and promote responsible online behavior,” it added.