Transcript Mathematics Anxiety: Fact or Fiction?

Cassandra Lee
As a pre-service teacher I have come to
realise that I am not confident in my
mathematic abilities. I am concerned that
my lack of confidence will have a
negative affect on my future students.
Is this mathematics anxiety
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Teachers who have mathematics
anxiety need to confront and control
their negative feelings, fears, and
insecurities, to avoid unintentionally
passing on these negative attributes to
their students.
Whyte & Anthony, 2012; Wood, 1988; Gresham, 2007
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Self-efficacy is one’s own belief in their
capacity to achieve the desired result.
As one ages math anxiety tends to
increase and conversely math selfefficacy becomes diminished.
Lee, 2009; Jameson & Fusco, 2014
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“A crucial component of the learning
environment is the emotional and
affective feelings that students bring
into the classroom regarding a specific
subject area.”
Taylor & Fraser, 2013, p. 299
Fear and anxiety about doing math,
regardless of capability, can impede
mathematical achievement.
Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine, 2010
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Mathematics anxiety has been
described as an, “I can’t syndrome, a
feeling of uncertainty, of not being
able to do well in mathematics or with
numbers.”
Gresham, 2007, p.182
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“Mathematics anxiety is a complex and
elusive quantity that is difficult to define
and even more difficult to measure. It is
unclear whether it is possible to separate
the ideas of general anxiety, mathematics
anxiety and test anxiety in a meaningful
way.”
Wood, 1988, p.12
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The Abbreviated
Math Anxiety Scale
(AMAS)
Hopko, et al., 2003
Over the last 40 years the majority of
research has concluded that
Mathematics Anxiety is a factual,
subject specific anxiety that can have
lasting life-long consequences.
Hembree, 1990; Ashcraft & Kirk, 2001
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“Mathematics anxiety involves feelings
of tension and anxiety that interfere
with the manipulation of numbers and
the solving of mathematical problems
in a wide variety of ordinary life and
academic situations.”
Richardson & Suinn, 1972, p.551
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Tobias and Weissbrod (1980) defined
math anxiety as “the panic,
helplessness, paralysis, and mental
disorganisation that arises among
some people when they are required
to solve a mathematical problem.”
Witt, 2012, p.265
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Feeling queasy
Sweaty
Increased heart rate
Feeling lightheaded
Tension
Shaky
Negative self-affirmations
Feelings of panic, fear, worry,
apprehension, and/or helplessness
 Feelings of failure
 Disorganised thoughts and failure to recall
information
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Maloney & Beilock, 2012
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Negative classroom milieus
Negative teacher experience
Negative parental or peer influences
Low self-esteem
Low confidence
Low intelligence
Low cognitive ability
Aarnos & Perkkila, 2012
“…ensure that all students have
opportunities to develop mathematical
proficiency that includes a positive
mathematical disposition. As maths
anxiety is a learned condition, one
hopes it can be unlearned.”
Whyte & Anthony, 2012
Students studying Education have the
highest level of mathematics anxiety
than students undertaking any other
degree.
Bekdemir, 2010; Swars, et al., 2006
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If pre-service teachers have math
anxiety, the potential to become
teachers with a lack of confidence in
their math capabilities is high. Which
may lead to a negative attitude toward
math that can be transferred to their
students. Creating a perpetual cycle of
mathematics anxiety.
Bekdemir, 2010
“Addressing anxiety and self-esteem
of children, and improving their
confidence and related attitudes to
math are crucial.”
Finlayson, 2014, p.102
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“Many researchers agree that a key
element in mathematics anxiety is the
teacher in the classroom.”
Taylor & Fraser, 2013, p.301
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Develop strong skills and a positive attitude
Relate math to real life
Encourage critical thinking
Encourage active learning
Accommodate students’ varied learning styles
Place less emphasis on correct answers and computational speed
Organise students into cooperative learning groups
Provide support and encouragement
Avoid putting students in embarrassing situations
Never use math as a punishment
Use malipulatives
Use technology
Dispel misconceptions
Use a variety of assessments
Prepare students for high-stakes testing sessions
Blazer, 2011, pp. 2-4
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Mathematics Anxiety is an important
issue for teachers to consider when
teaching math.
Teachers need to consider their own
attitude toward mathematics and how
they can instil positive dispositions
toward math in their students.
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Aarnos, E., & Perkkila, P. (2012). Early signs of mathematics anxiety? Procedia Social
and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 1495-1499.
Ashcraft, M., & Kirk, E. (2001). The relationships among working memory, math
anxiety, and performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 130(2), 224-237.
Beilock, S., Gunderson, E., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. (2010). Female teachers’ math
anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. PNAS, 107(5), 1860-1863.
Bekdemir, M. (2010). The pre-service teachers’ mathematics anxiety related to depth
of negative experiences in mathematics classroom while they were students.
Education Studies in Mathematics, 75(3), 311-328.
Blazer, C. (2011). Strategies for reducing math anxiety. Retrieved from Information
Capsule: Research Services website: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EDF536509.pdf
Finlayson, M. (2014). Addressing math anxiety in the classroom. Improving Schools,
17(1), 99-115.
Gresham, G. (2007). A study of mathematics anxiety in pre-service teachers. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 35(2), 181-188.
Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for
Research in Mathematics Education, 21(1), 33-46.
Hopko, D., Mahadevan, R., Bare, R., & Hunt, M. (2003). The abbreviated math anxiety
scale (AMAS): Construction, validity, and reliability. Assessment, 10(2), 178-182.
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Jameson, M., & Fusco, B. (2014). Math anxiety, math-self-concept, and math selfefficacy in adult learners compared to traditional undergraduate students. Adult
Education Quarterly, 1-17.
Lee, J. (2009). Universals and specifics of math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and
math anxiety across 41 PISA 2003 participating countries. Learning and Individual
Differences, 19(3), 355-365.
Maloney, E., & Beilock, S. (2012). Math anxiety: Who has it, why it develops, and how
to guard against it. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(8), 404-406.
Richardson, F., & Suinn, R. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric
data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19(6), 551-554.
Swars, S., Daane, C., & Giesen, J. (2006). Mathematics anxiety and mathematics
teacher efficacy: What is the relationship in elementary preservice teachers? School
Science and Mathematics, 106(7), 306-315.
Taylor, B., & Fraser, B. (2013). Relationships between learning environment and
mathematics anxiety. Learning Environment Research, 16(2), 297-313.
Whyte, J., & Anthony, G. (2012). Maths anxiety: The fear factor in the mathematics
classroom. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 9(1), 6-15.
Witt, M. (2012). The impact of mathematics anxiety on primary school children’s
working memory. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 8(2), 263-274.
Wood, E. (1988). Math anxiety and elementary teachers: What does research tell us?
For the Learning of Mathematics, 8(1), 8-13.