Abstract
Socio-economic status (SES) and mathematical performance seem to be risk factors of mathematics anxiety (MA) in both children and adults. However, there is little evidence about how exactly these three constructs are related, especially during early stages of mathematical learning. In the present study, we assessed longitudinal performance in symbolic and non-symbolic basic numerical skills in pre-school and second grade students, as well as MA in second grade students. Participants were 451 children (average pre-school age = 5 years, 6 months) from 12 schools in Chile, which differed in school vulnerability index (SVI), an indicator of SES. We tested an explanatory model of MA that included SES and longitudinal performance in basic numerical skills as predictors. The results showed a direct effect of SES on MA and a mediating effect of performance in symbolic and non-symbolic comparison tasks in pre-school. However, in second grade, only performance in symbolic comparison significantly mediated the SES-MA relationship. These findings suggest that performance in non-symbolic comparison plays an important role in explaining MA at initial stages, but that its influence is no longer significant by the time children reach formal instruction in second grade. By contrast, as children’s formal educational experience in mathematics increases, MA becomes linked primarily to symbolic numerical tasks. In sum, SES affects MA and this is due in part to the effect of SES on the development of numerical learning in pre-school, which in turn has an impact on subsequent, more complex learning, ultimately leading to differences in MA. We discuss the implications of these findings for preventing and acting upon the emergence of MA.
Highlights
Mathematics anxiety (MA) is an unpleasant emotional response to numerical and arithmetic tasks that interferes with mathematical performance (Richardson and Suinn, 1972; Ashcraft and Faust, 1994; Dowker et al, 2016)
We study the longitudinal effect of basic numerical skills based on evidence that the effect of socio-economic status (SES) and MA on mathematical performance differs over time (Jordan et al, 2010; Sorvo et al, 2019)
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between SES, longitudinal performance in basic numerical skills, and MA in children at two time points
Summary
Mathematics anxiety (MA) is an unpleasant emotional response to numerical and arithmetic tasks that interferes with mathematical performance (Richardson and Suinn, 1972; Ashcraft and Faust, 1994; Dowker et al, 2016). Under time pressure in evaluation contexts, they trade off speed for accuracy (Ashcraft and Faust, 1994) Both theories are supported by convincing evidence gathered over time; recently it has been suggested that the relationship between MA and math performance is likely to be bidirectional. Data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) indicate that, on average, countries with low SES show high MA rates, whereas economically developed countries report low MA levels (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2013; Stoet et al, 2016; Foley et al, 2017) It has been suggested, that the link between SES and MA is more complex, since SES has been shown to affect mathematical performance (Mazzocco et al, 2011), and MA and mathematical performance are strongly related. Students from these countries show the highest MA levels and very low mathematical achievement
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