ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF METACOGNITIVE SCAFFOLDING ON ACADEMIC ANXIETY OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Academic Anxiety is a psychological state that is characterized by cognitive, behavioral and emotional components. Under the cognitive component of academic anxiety which is the basic concern of this study, there are indices of worry, low concentration, low memory, Oversensitivity, difficulty solving problem, cognitive dysfunction and poor attributional style. No two human beings, even identical twins can respond in the same way to the same situation or stimulus, this uniqueness make individuals differ from one another. The differences among individuals may be with respect to their cognitive, behavioral, physical, psychological, sensory and many more areas of characteristics. Sometimes these differences are to such an extent that people may deviate from the status considered as normal. However, being different is not always negative but sometimes individuals are different from other individuals of the same life age due to functional loses in one or more areas in different proportions; this may lead them to impairment which may result into disability, severe academic anxiety which is a disability in itself (McCarty, 2012). Academic anxiety is a kind of anxiety which relates to impending danger from the environments of the academic institutions including teacher and certain subjects.

Evidence revealed that, there is an increase on student‘s academic anxiety that leads to poor performance and achievement especially in subjects that requires higher mental functioning. Most students in public senior secondary schools in Zaria Metropolis experiences academic anxiety considering its prevalence among school aged children and

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adolescence worldwide. Academic Anxiety had a negative effect on the information processing system, such as weakness of concentration and attention.

ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF METACOGNITIVE SCAFFOLDING ON ACADEMIC ANXIETY OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS