When does math anxiety in parents and teachers predict math anxiety and math achievement in elementary school children? The role of gender and grade year

Monika Szczygieł

doi:10.1007/s11218-020-09570-2

Monika Szczygieł

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09570-2

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Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between math anxiety in parents and teachers and math anxiety and math achievement in first- to third-grade children. The results indicate that math anxiety in fathers (but not mothers and teachers) is associated with math anxiety in first-grade children and third-grade girls. Math anxiety in mothers and teachers (but not fathers) explains the level of math achievement in third-grade children. The research results indicate the importance of adults in shaping pupils’ math anxiety and math achievement, but these relationships vary depending on gender and the grade year. The obtained outcomes generally suggest that adults’ math anxiety is not a social source of children’s math anxiety, but it can be considered a source of low math achievement among children in the final grade of early school education.

Highlights

1.1 Predictors and development of math anxiety and achievementMath skills are mentioned in the recommendations of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (962/EC/2006, 2006) as one of the key competences in the process of lifelong learning
The mean level of math anxiety in elementary school children was low, and most of the results indicated a lack or low level of math anxiety in first- to third-grade children
Possible range of math anxiety results of children is 0–2 and of adults is 1–4; possible range of results in math achievement is 0–36 high math anxiety). Most fathers rated their level of math anxiety as low

Summary

Introduction

Math skills are mentioned in the recommendations of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (962/EC/2006, 2006) as one of the key competences in the process of lifelong learning. They are considered a key area of STEM education (Gonzalez and Kuenzi 2012; Holmlund et al 2018). Math anxiety in children (Harari et al 2013), their parents (Maloney et al 2015), and teachers (Widmer and Chavez 1982) is considered to be an important predictor of math achievement, both individually and environmentally. According to Richardson and Suinn (1972, p. 551), “math anxiety is a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the ability to manipulate numbers and to solve mathematical problems in both ordinary life and academic situations.” Finding out and understanding the sources of math anxiety is desirable because of its importance in predicting math achievement (Cargnelutti et al 2016; Vukovic et al 2013a)

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