The anxiety in the room

Abstract

This study examined how coaching by a professional development provider assuaged math anxiety in elementary teachers. Studies have shown that elementary teachers have high levels of math anxiety which can lead them to avoid teaching mathematics in productive ways and ultimately pass their math anxiety on to students. This study furthers the research on interventions for math anxiety in teachers currently serving in the classroom. Transformative Learning Theory was applied as a theoretical framework for this study. Semi-structured interviews and coaching sessions over the course of several months were conducted with four elementary school teachers who self-identified as having math anxiety. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied to interpret how coaching affected teacher math anxiety. Themes which emerged were experiences with math anxiety being heard, the impact of modeling, changes in teaching and mindset or behaviors. Assessment of these themes in regard to the research questions, literature, and theoretical framework revealed that coaching helped reduce math anxiety and change how participants saw themselves as mathematicians. Recommendations for changes in professional development for math anxiety in teachers were discussed. Keywords: math anxiety, teacher math anxiety, content coaching, professional development, modeling, interventions for math anxiety --Author's abstract