Residential Noise, Cognitive Load, and Mathematics Anxiety in Middle School Mathematics Learning

Hanaya Alma Aisyah, Fani Fitriani, Rina Oktaviyanthi

Abstract

Environmental conditions may be associated with students’ cognitive and affective experiences in mathematics learning. This study examined the relationship between perceived residential environmental noise, cognitive load (CL), and mathematics anxiety (MA) among middle school students. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed with 109 students in Grades VII–IX at a public Islamic junior secondary school in Kota Serang, Indonesia. Data were collected using an eight-item CL scale, an eight-item MA scale, and a five-category measure of perceived residential environmental noise ranging from very quiet to very noisy. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman’s correlation, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Welch’s t-tests, effect sizes, partial correlation, and spatial visualization were used. The CL and MA scales demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .827 and .821, respectively). Significant differences in CL and MA were found across residential noise categories (p < .001). Perceived noise was positively associated with CL (ρ = .511, p < .001) and MA (ρ = .604, p < .001). CL and MA were also strongly associated (r = .760, p < .001), and the relationship remained substantial after controlling for perceived noise (rpartial = .674, p < .001). Students reporting higher-noise environments showed higher CL and MA than those reporting lower-noise environments, with Hedges’ g of 1.28 and 1.51, respectively. These findings indicate that perceived residential environmental context is a relevant contextual variable in understanding students’ cognitive and affective experiences in mathematics learning. The findings represent associations rather than causal effects of environmental noise

Keywords

Cognitive Load; Environmental Noise; Mathematics Anxiety; Mathematics Learning; Middle School Students

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/paedagogia.v29i3.127567

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