The Effect of Edcafe Usage on Students' Mathematics Anxiety in PBL-STEM-Based Statistics Learning
DOI:
10.29303/jm.v8i2.12492Published:
2026-06-30Downloads
Abstract
Mathematical anxiety constitutes an affective barrier capable of undermining students' numeracy competence and overall mathematics achievement. This study was designed to examine the effect of utilizing the Edcafe platform on the level of mathematical anxiety among senior high school students within a statistics learning framework that integrates Problem-Based Learning with STEM (PBL-STEM). A quantitative method with a one-group pretest-posttest design was employed, involving 31 senior high school students as participants who completed the entire Edcafe PBL-STEM learning process. Mathematical anxiety was measured through a questionnaire encompassing cognitive, affective, and physiological dimensions, administered at two time points before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Findings revealed a significant decrease in the mean mathematical anxiety score from 56.65 at pretest to 51.10 at posttest (p < 0.05), accompanied by a distributional shift toward lower anxiety categories. These results indicate that the AI features embedded in Edcafe comprising automatic feedback, an adaptive learning chatbot, and contextual PBL-STEM scenarios are capable of constructing a more psychologically conducive learning ecosystem, thereby meaningfully reducing students' mathematical anxiety.
Keywords:
Edcafe Mathematical Anxiety PBL-STEM Artificial Intelligence StatisticsReferences
AlAli, R., & Yousef, W. (2024). Enhancing student motivation and achievement in science classrooms through STEM education. STEM Education, 4(3), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.3934/steme.2024012
Atoyebi, O. M., & Atoyebi, S. B. (2022). Do technology-based approaches reduce mathematics anxiety? A systematic literature review. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 6(10), 502–509. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2022.61027
Barroso, C., Ganley, C. ., McGraw, A. ., Geer, E. ., Hart, S. ., & Daucourt, M. . (2021). A Meta-Analysis of the Relation Between Math Anxiety and Math Achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 147(2), 134–168. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0021468
Caviola, S., Toffalini, E., Giofrè, D., Ruiz, J. M., Szűcs, D., & Mammarella, I. C. (2022). Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants. In Educational Psychology Review (Vol. 34, Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09618-5
Chen, F., Chen, J., & Xu, Y. (2025). The More Anxious, the More Dependent? The Impact of Math Anxiety on AI-Assisted Problem-Solving. Psychology in the Schools, 62(8), 2685–2701. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23500
Chowdhury, P. (2025). Reducing Math Anxiety and Strengthening STEM Pathways: A Conceptual-Pedagogical Approach. Unnes Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(2), 144–155. https://doi.org/10.15294/ujme.v14i2.23263
Etcuban, J. O. (2025). The use of ChatGPT in addressing Algebra anxiety and promoting confidence. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education , 20(2). https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/16008
Furner, J. M., & Duffy, M. Lou. (2022). Addressing Math Anxiety in a STEM World: Preventative, Supportive, and Corrective Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom. European Journal of STEM Education, 7(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/12645
Jameson, M. M., & Fusco, B. R. (2014). Math Anxiety, Math Self-Concept, and Math Self-Efficacy in Adult Learners Compared to Traditional Undergraduate Students. Adult Education Quarterly, 64(4), 306–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713614541461
Macun, Y., & Işık, C. (2022). Effect of Problem-Based STEM Activities on 7th Grade Students’ Mathematics Achievements, Attitudes, Anxiety, Self-Efficacy and Views. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 9(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.1008456
Safitri, F., Khaulah, S., & Nuri, B. (2025). Development of PBL-STEM-Based Edcafe Application Learning Design in an Effort to Improve Students ’ Numeracy Skills and Overcome Mathematical Anxiety. 11(11), 1230–1239. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v11i11.13006
Tytler, R., Anderson, J., & Williams, G. (2023). Exploring a framework for integrated STEM: challenges and benefits for promoting engagement in learning mathematics. ZDM - Mathematics Education, 55(7), 1299–1313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01519-x
Vistorte, A. O. R., Deroncele-Acosta, A., Ayala, J. L. M., Barrasa, A., López-Granero, C., & Martí-González, M. (2024). Integrating artificial intelligence to assess emotions in learning environments: a systematic literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 15(June). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1387089
Wang, S., Wang, F., Zhu, Z., Wang, J., Tran, T., & Du, Z. (2024). Artificial intelligence in education: A systematic literature review. Expert Systems with Applications, 252, 124167. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2024.124167
Wang, X., & Wei, Y. (2025). The Influence of Gen-AI Assisted Learning on Primary School Students’ Math Anxiety: An Intervention Study. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 39(4), e70088. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.70088
Yuhana, Y., & Fajari, L. E. W. (2025). Cross-disciplinary effects of problem-based learning on problem-solving skills in mathematics and beyond: A comprehensive meta-analysis and bibliometric. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(11). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17345
Zuo, J. (2025). Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Review of Recent Developments and Emerging Trends. Scientific Journal of Intelligent Systems Research, 7(10), 71–77. https://doi.org/10.54691/anywv286
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Friantiani Safitri, Bulan Nuri, Siti Khulah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




