TEACHER'S MATHEMATICAL ANXIETY: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE MATH ANXIETY SCALE FOR TEACHERS - MAST FOR THE BRAZILIAN CONTEXT (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The phenomenon “Math Anxiety” (MA) is characterized by a set of unpleasant reactions, whether physiological, cognitive or behavioral, in situations that require the use and application of mathematical knowledge. This feeling of MA tension is not exclusive to students, it can also occur among teachers who teach the subject. In Brazil, there are few BF studies in students, and none with teachers, in addition to the lack of measurement instruments adapted to our reality. It is intended to present the AM phenomenon, as well as to describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the American scale “Math Anxiety Scale for Teachers - MAST” to the Brazilian context. This is a cross-sectional study. The process followed the steps recommended in the literature on the adaptation of instruments in mental health. The study included 265 teachers who work in the Early Years of the Public School in the city of Pelotas/RS. Teachers answered a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of the Informed Consent Form (TCLE), socio-demographic variables and the GAD-7 scales (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and the experimental version of the MAST-BR. Once collection was complete, data were transferred from the Excel spreadsheet, generated in Google Forms, to the statistical package Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The Lavaan package, from the R program, was used for the confirmatory analysis of the scale's dimensional model. The theoretical analysis of the items showed a satisfactory Content Validity Coefficient (total CVC = 0.94). Cronbach's alpha greater than 0.90. The instrument is robust enough to assess MA in teachers.