Math Anxiety Assessment with the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale: Applicability and Usefulness: Insights from the Polish Adaptation.

Krzysztof Cipora,Klaus Willmes,Monika Szczygieł,Hans-Christoph Nuerk

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01833

Abstract

Math anxiety has an important impact on mathematical development and performance. However, although math anxiety is supposed to be a transcultural trait, assessment instruments are scarce and are validated mainly for Western cultures so far. Therefore, we aimed at examining the transcultural generality of math anxiety by a thorough investigation of the validity of math anxiety assessment in Eastern Europe. We investigated the validity and reliability of a Polish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS), known to have very good psychometric characteristics in its original, American-English version as well as in its Italian and Iranian adaptations. We also observed high reliability, both for internal consistency and test-retest stability of the AMAS in the Polish sample. The results also show very good construct, convergent and discriminant validity: The factorial structure in Polish adult participants (n = 857) was very similar to the one previously found in other samples; AMAS scores correlated moderately in expected directions with state and trait anxiety, self-assessed math achievement and skill as well temperamental traits of emotional reactivity, briskness, endurance, and perseverance. Average scores obtained by participants as well as gender differences and correlations with external measures were also similar across cultures. Beyond the cultural comparison, we used path model analyses to show that math anxiety relates to math grades and self-competence when controlling for trait anxiety. The current study shows transcultural validity of math anxiety assessment with the AMAS.

Highlights

Definition and Societal ImportanceMath underachievement and its broad social and personal consequences attract increasing attention from both scientific investigation and educational policy (e.g., OECD, 2010)
In this study we examined the Polish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko et al, 2003)
In the last step of the analysis we examined whether the results obtained in our study resembled those reported in a study by Hopko et al (2003) as well as Iranian (Vahedi and Farrokhi, 2011) and Italian (Primi et al, 2014) AMAS adaptations

Summary

Introduction

Math underachievement and its broad social and personal consequences attract increasing attention from both scientific investigation and educational policy (e.g., OECD, 2010). It was already known in the 1970’s that intelligence accounts for only 50% of the variance in math performance (see Suinn and Edwards, 1982). In past decades extensive research on AMAS: Polish Adaptation this phenomenon was conducted mostly in the United States and Great Britain. The math anxiety construct has received more attention in other countries (see, e.g., Krinzinger et al, 2009). In this study we examined the Polish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko et al, 2003)

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Discussion

Conclusion