Effect of Systematic Desensitization on Anxiety and Achievement of Nigerian Secondary School Students in Mathematics.

This study investigates the impact of systematic desensitization (SD) on mathematics anxiety and achievement among Nigerian secondary school students. Employing a quasi-experimental design with a pretest and post-test nonequivalent control group design, we selected 120 students (58 boys, 62 girls) from a pool of 3390 senior class one students using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Assessment tools included the Mathematics Achievement Test and Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The six-week intervention demonstrated significant results with moderate effect sizes, revealing that SD significantly reduced mathematics anxiety (F[1,115] = 86.66, p <.001) and enhanced academic achievement (F[1,115] = 92.458, p <.001). Gender showed no substantial influence on mathematics anxiety (F[1,115] =.365, p =.547) or achievement under SD treatment (F[1,115] =.006, p =.937). This study underscores the effectiveness of SD in reducing mathematics anxiety and improving mathematics performance among Nigerian students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]