Mathematics Anxiety Research Articles

Unravelling the interplay of self-efficacy, self-regulation, metacognition in alleviating math anxiety among primary school student: a conditional process analysis

ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationships between self-efficacy, self-regulation, metacognition, and math anxiety among primary school students. The study investigates the mediating roles of self-regulation and metacognition between math anxiety and self-efficacy using a conditional process analysis. Data from 480 students located in the Cirebon region of West Java, Indonesia were analysed, revealing that higher levels of self-efficacy correlate with reduced math anxiety, with self-regulation and metacognition serving as significant mediators. These findings underscore the importance of fostering self-efficacy, self-regulation, and metacognitive skills in early education to alleviate math anxiety and enhance learning outcomes.

The impact of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on math and science anxieties with or without controlling general anxiety

It is well-established that general anxiety associates with the lower use of adaptive emotion regulation and the higher use of maladaptive emotion regulation. However, no study has previously investigated the impact of cognitive emotion regulation on academic anxieties. Using a sample of secondary school students (N = 391), this study examined the impact of cognitive emotion regulation on math and science anxieties. Math anxiety showed stronger correlations with adaptive than maladaptive emotion regulation, whereas general anxiety showed stronger correlations with maladaptive than adaptive emotion regulation. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that math anxiety was associated with the high uses of acceptance, rumination and other-blame and the low uses of positive reappraisal and putting into perspective. However, with controlling science and general anxieties, math anxiety was associated with the high use of rumination and the low use of positive reappraisal. In contrast, science anxiety was associated with the high uses of acceptance and other-blame and the low use of positive reappraisal. Importantly, however, with controlling math and general anxieties, those science anxiety associations did not remain. Accordingly, these results might provide important insights for the specificity, etiology, and intervention of math anxiety.

What pupil size can and cannot tell about math anxiety

Math Anxiety (MA) consists of excessive fear and worry about math-related situations. It represents a major barrier to numerical competence and the pursuit of STEM careers. Yet, we currently do not dispose of many tools that can capture its multifaceted nature, e.g. moving beyond the exclusive reliance on self-reports and meta-cognition. Here we sought to probe Pupil Size (PS) as a viable tool in the study of MA by administering arithmetic problems to university students in the humanities (N = 70) with various levels of MA. We found that arithmetic competence and performance are indeed negatively associated with MA, and this is accurately tracked by PS. When performance is accounted for, MA does not further modulate PS (before, during, or after calculation). However, the latency of PS peak dilation can add a significant contribution to predicting MA scores, indicating that high MA may be accompanied by more prolonged cognitive effort. Results show that MA and mathematical competence may be too crystalized in young university students to be discernible. We therefore call for early educational interventions to tackle and mitigate this dysfunctional association early on.

Effectiveness Of Feedback, Reframe, Assess, Model, And Enhance (FRAME) in the Enhancing of Learners’ Performance of 9 Grader Students in Mathematics

Despite great efforts by the Department of Education, the Philippines during the 2022–2023 period exhibits one of the narrowest disparities in arithmetic performance between students in the highest and lowest quartiles of the economic, social, and cultural status index. This insight motivates the current study’s goal of developing material that will help enhance the student's performance in mathematics. This study developed Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) to enhance the learners’ performance in mathematics among 9th graders of Don Jose Integrated High School in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna. The SIM was designed to help the selected 62 participants learn geometry competency. A quasi-experimental research method was employed in this study to determine whether intervention materials improved mathematics learners’ performance. The analysis of pretest, formative test, and post-test performances in both the experimental and comparison groups provides a comprehensive look at the impact of educational interventions. Hence, there is a statistically significant difference between the pretest, formative, and post-test scores in enhancing learners’ mathematics performance with the use of strategic intervention material. The use of Strategic Intervention Material promotes active learning and engagement among learners; thus, it can be used to help students with mathematics anxiety. Results showed that SIM effectively enhances learners’ mathematics performance based on the mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, and Cohen’s d. Moreover, the subjects demonstrated positive behavior toward the intervention. This entails cutting down on improper behavior, spending more time on instruction, and assisting instructors in teaching, modeling, and meeting students’ needs.

Using Latent Class Analysis to Enhance Students' Positive Attitudinal Patterns in Mathematics

This study aimed to identify latent classes among Grade 8A – 8D students at Statefields School, Incorporated (SSI) during the 2023–2024 school year to enhance teaching-learning and promote positive attitudes toward Mathematics. The respondents completed the Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ), developed by May D. (2017) for her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Michigan, via Google Forms. Results indicated that a five-class model optimally fits the attitudinal patterns of the students. The latent classes, derived through Latent Class Analysis (LCA), were Class 1 (Math Anxiety), Class 2 (Growth Mindset), Class 3 (Competitive Achiever), Class 4 (Self-Efficacy), and Class 5 (Enthusiasm). Among the 143 respondents, most students were categorized in Class 4 (Self-Efficacy), indicating a high prevalence of self-efficient attitudes. Conversely, students in Class 1 (Math Anxiety) require educators who can proactively foster excitement about math and help them develop confidence as successful problem solvers.

MATHEMATICS ANXIETY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KOHIMA TOWN, NAGALAND

Every learner needs the basic knowledge of Mathematics to live a fulfilling and contented life. Due to its wide applicability in one’s daily life and in varied fields of knowledge, Mathematics is considered as one of the major and compulsory subject in the school curriculum. Despite, Mathematics being a significant subject in the school curriculum, it is considered the most dreaded subject by learners. Secondary school students appear board exams and Mathematics being one of the major subject makes them more anxious towards the subject. Thus, the present study is aimed at finding the Mathematics Anxiety level of secondary school students with respect to Gender, Type of Management and Class Level. The study was conducted on a sample size of 380 secondary school students. The result of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in the level of Mathematics anxiety between male and female; Private and Government; and class 9 and class 10 students. The study also revealed that the majority of the secondary school students had an average level of Mathematics anxiety.

A holistic investigation of fraction learning: examining the hierarchy of fraction skills, misconceptions, mathematics anxiety and response confidence

ABSTRACT This study aimed to holistically investigate fraction knowledge by considering pupils’ fraction performance on various tasks (i.e. mapping, equivalence, comparison, and arithmetic) and in relation to whole number arithmetic, fraction misconceptions, mathematics anxiety, and confidence in responses. Northern Irish pupils (N = 123; 77 girls; M age = 11.1 years) demonstrated a strong understanding of fraction magnitudes with few pupils showcasing misconceptions across magnitude tasks. In contrast, fraction arithmetic knowledge, which was uniquely predicted by whole number arithmetic and fraction comparison, was still developing with many pupils incorrectly applying whole number strategies to arithmetic problems. Mathematics anxiety was low, but negatively correlated with performance, and confidence reports were more closely aligned with performance on whole number arithmetic compared to fraction tasks. Overall, researchers and educators need to consider not just fraction performance, but also foundational skills, the presence of misconceptions, and pupils’ feelings and beliefs to better understand fraction learning.

PENGEMBANGAN MODUL AJAR MATEMATIKA MATERI TRIGONOMETRI BERBASIS COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY UNTUK MEMINIMALISIR MATHEMATIC ANXIETY SISWA FASE E

This research aims to: 1) determine the process of developing teaching module, 2) determine the validity of teaching modules, 3) determine the practicality of teaching modules, and 4) determine the effectiveness of teaching modules. In general, the development of this CLT-based teaching module is to find out whether the taching module can minimize students’ mathematical anxiety.The research follows a development model, specifically the Plomp development model which consists of 5 phase, 1) preliminary phase, 2) design phase, 3) realization phase, 4) test, evaluation and revision phase, 5) implementation phase. The developed teaching module focuses on trigonometry material for phase E students at MAN Se-Tulungagung. Data collection methods include validation, objective observation, and questionnaires. Practicality data were obtained from teacher questionnaires, while effectiveness data were derived from students’ mathematical anxiety questionnaires. Based on data analysis, the following results were obtained: 1.) The validation score for the teaching module was 3.754, categorizing it as valid. 2.) The practicality score for the teaching module was 4.02, indicating high practicality. 3.) The teaching module effectively minimized mathematical anxiety, as evidenced by anxiety levels in experimental classes compared to control classes. Control classes using conventional learning showed higher anxiety levels, with MAN 3 Tulungagung at 2,89 (‘anxious’), MAN 2 Tulungagung at 2.615 (‘anxious’), and MAN 1 Tulungagung at 2.204 (‘anxious’). Meanwhile, experimental classes, after using the teaching module, showed lower anxiety levels: MAN 3 Tulungagung at 1.98 (‘moderate anxiety’), MAN 2 Tulungagung at 1.96 (‘moderate anxiety’), and MAN 1 Tulungagung at 1.44 (‘moderate anxiety’)

An Approach of Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to Develop the Risk Management Index in Special Education Mathematics

According to previous research, low self-efficacy leads to special education mathematics teachers to doubt their self-confidence and experience mathematics anxiety, affecting both the efficiency of teaching mathematics and student achievement. Many teachers, whether fresh to the teaching profession or in-service, struggled with mathematics instruction. It was unsurprising that they would prefer not to teach mathematics and would rather leave if given the option. To avoid potential losses in the future, school administrations must be aware of and identify the risk of their human resources. Thus, the purposes of this study are to identify and weight each significant risk factor in the development of a risk management index in special education mathematics using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). The risk management index can be utilized by school administrators as a guideline tool for decision making in special education mathematics. The consensus of sixteen experts from both fields in FDM confirmed and ranked seven significant factors. The newly constructed risk index formula utilizes all factors and their weightings. The findings indicated that the approach method has a high potential for dealing with the complexities of risk management in human resources.

PISA 2022. Predictores de la competencia matemática de los estudiantes españoles de Educación Secundaria

Mathematical competence is fundamental for active, participatory and engaged participation in the 21st century, and for facing the challenges of a globalised society. This study aims to analyse the simultaneous effect of a set of predictors on the mathematical competence of Spanish students who have participated in PISA 2022. The sample consists of 28,792 Spanish students (14,465 boys, 50.24%; 14,327 girls, 49.76%), from 935 schools. Two questionnaires are used to collect data: one for students and one for school principals. A hierarchical linear model is used according to the three levels presented by the data (Level 1=Students, Level 2=School and Level 3=Autonomous Community). At the first level, sex, socio-economic background, family cultural level, mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy is included; at the second level, the socio-economic background of the school; and at the third level, GDP per capita. The results show that girls experience more anxiety and less self-efficacy in mathematics than boys. The socio-economic background of the students, the cultural level of the family, mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy are significant predictors of mathematical competence. At school level, socio-economic background has an impact on achievement. These findings suggest the need to strengthen collaboration between school and family, as well as to provide specific training for teachers on how to address socio-affective feelings towards mathematics.

PISA 2022. Predictors of the mathematics achievement of Spanish students in Secondary Education

Mathematical competence is fundamental for active, participatory and engaged participation in the 21st century, and for facing the challenges of a globalised society. This study aims to analyse the simultaneous effect of a set of predictors on the mathematical competence of Spanish students who have participated in PISA 2022. The sample consists of 28,792 Spanish students (14,465 boys, 50.24%; 14,327 girls, 49.76%), from 935 schools. Two questionnaires are used to collect data: one for students and one for school principals. A hierarchical linear model is used according to the three levels presented by the data (Level 1 = Students, Level 2 = School and Level 3 = Autonomous Community). At the first level, sex, socio-economic background, family cultural level, mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy is included; at the second level, the socio-economic background of the school; and at the third level, GDP per capita. The results show that girls experience more anxiety and less self-efficacy in mathematics than boys. The socio-economic background of the students, the cultural level of the family, mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy are significant predictors of mathematical competence. At school level, socio-economic background has an impact on achievement. These findings suggest the need to strengthen collaboration between school and family, as well as to provide specific training for teachers on how to address socio-affective feelings towards mathematics.

The Influence Of Mathematical Anxiety And Logical-Mathematic Intelligence On Students' Learning Outcomes Through Critical Thinking Ability

The research aims to determine the direct and indirect influence of mathematical anxiety, logical-mathematical intelligence, and critical thinking abilities on the learning outcomes acquired by students. Many things affect the teaching and learning process, both from outside the student's environment and from within the student himself. The unpreparedness of external and internal factors will create obstacles in the learning process of the student, which will then affect their learning outcomes. These include mathematical anxiety, mathematical logical intelligence, and critical thinking abilities. Students who experience mathematical anxiety tend to avoid conditions where they feel threatened and stressed. Of course, these people will think or assume negative thoughts about themselves. Mathematical logical intelligence plays a significant role for students in understanding abstract mathematics lessons. The challenge in the world of education is that it requires students to think at higher levels (HOTs). Critical thinking is a logical and natural thinking process that already exists in a person when facing changes in all sectors of life. The method used in this research is structural equation modeling (SEM), which will look at direct and indirect effects. The research results show that 1) mathematics anxiety has a significant positive influence on critical thinking abilities; 2) logical-mathematical intelligence has a significant positive influence on critical thinking abilities; 3) critical thinking skills have a significant positive influence on student learning outcomes; 4) mathematics anxiety has a significant positive influence on student learning outcomes; 5) logical-mathematical intelligence has a significant positive influence on student learning outcomes; 6) mathematics anxiety has a significant positive influence on student learning outcomes through critical thinking skills; and 7) logical-mathematical intelligence has an insignificant positive influence on student learning outcomes through critical thinking skills.

The effect of self-efficacy and mathematical anxiety on students' mathematical communication skills

This study aims to identify and examine the effect of self-efficacy and mathematical anxiety on students' mathematical communication skills. This study used a quantitative method with a survey design. The population of this study was students of class X at SMA Negeri 2 Cianjur and the sample used was students of class X-D to X-G, totaling 34 people. The sampling technique was carried out by purposive sampling. Data regarding self-efficacy and mathematical anxiety using a questionnaire each amounted to 20 statements and data regarding students' mathematical communication abilities used a test which amounted to 5 description questions with quadratic function material. The data processing technique used is multiple linear regression tests, by fulfilling the prerequisite tests including the normality test, homoscedasticity test, linearity test and multicollinearity test. Based on the research results, it was found that the P value was 0.074, meaning > 0.05, then H0 was accepted and H1 was rejected. This means that there is no influence between self-efficacy and mathematical anxiety on students' mathematical abilities.

Father educational involvement and Chinese elementary school children's math anxiety: the chain mediating role of growth mindset and math self-concept

Father educational involvement and Chinese elementary school children's math anxiety: the chain mediating role of growth mindset and math self-concept

Investigating math education in reducing math anxiety with the help of Data Envelopment Analysis

Investigating math education in reducing math anxiety with the help of Data Envelopment Analysis

Affectivity in mathematics teaching: using playfulness to combat resistance to new practices in the context of basic education

This article investigates the effectiveness of playful approaches and affectivity in teaching mathematics in basic education. The goal is to analyze how these methodologies can overcome resistance to new pedagogical practices and improve engagement and understanding of mathematical concepts. A literature review and practical experience report demonstrate that playful activities, such as games and challenges, increase student interest, facilitate the understanding of abstract concepts, and develop socio-emotional skills. Affectivity, by creating an emotionally safe environment, reduces math anxiety and promotes a positive attitude. It is concluded that combining playful elements with an affective approach transforms the teaching-learning experience, making mathematics more accessible. Therefore, it is essential to invest in continuous training, school infrastructure, and educational policies that encourage pedagogical innovation.

Performing 1-1 Interventions to Address Mathematics Anxiety – An Intervention Case Study of 3 Brazilian Women Who Believed They Were Stupid in Mathematics

Mathematics Anxiety is well-researched, but solutions are few. This study shows the potential to provide an affordable solution, one that could ultimately be rolled out across the country and the world. The 1:1 interventions involve inviting the participants to tell their math story and then introducing the Mathematical Resilience Framework and reframing adverse prior experiences as unrelated to intrinsic ability. The framework includes three tools: the hand model of the brain, the growth zone model, and the relaxation response. The intervention participants were Brazilian volunteers living in England from the local and virtual communities. The levels of Mathematics Anxiety were measured before the intervention using the Betz (1978) scale, and narrative records were made. The qualitative data were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis (Braun Clarke, 2006) through the lens of the Mathematical Resilience Framework. The data indicated the positive impact of performing this kind of intervention.

The impact of math anxiety and self-efficacy in middle school STEM choices: A 3-year longitudinal study.

In today's world, which is progressively oriented towards science and technology and facing a growing demand for skilled professionals, it becomes essential to identify the factors that encourage individuals to pursue careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Previous research has shown that affective-motivational factors, math performance and gender influence STEM occupational and academic choices in adulthood. However, few studies examined how these factors may influence STEM choices as early as middle school. This study aims to assess how math anxiety, math self-efficacy, math performance and gender influence STEM school choices during middle school. We longitudinally assessed a group of 109 students (Year 6) over three school years, with measurements taken on three different occasions. Findings indicated that individuals who made an STEM school choice experienced lower math anxiety, higher self-efficacy and math performance and were predominantly male. Furthermore, the results indicated that both math anxiety in Year 7 and self-efficacy in Year 6 made the most substantial unique contributions to the STEM school choice. Math anxiety and math self-efficacy seem to be both crucial in influencing middle school students' STEM choices, offering new perspectives for early interventions aimed at promoting more informed school choices.

Pengaruh Tingkat Kecemasan Matematika terhadap Hasil Tes Penalaran Matematis pada Siswa Kelas V SD 5 Mejobo

This research aims to determine the effect of mathematical anxiety on the results of mathematical reasoning tests. This is motivated by the emergence of anxiety experienced by students when learning mathematics which affects the results of students' mathematical reasoning tests. The research method used in this research is a quantitative research method with the aim of testing a predetermined hypothesis and the data analysis technique used is an inferential statistical analysis technique with a simple linear regression test. The population of this study were 18 fifth grade students at SD 5 Mejobo, consisting of 11 boys and 7 girls. The data used is secondary data in the form of student anxiety questionnaire data and data from mathematical reasoning results. Class V anxiety is in the average category, the calculation results are included in the anxiety category. Mathematics anxiety has a negative effect on the results of fifth grade students' mathematical reasoning tests and the effect is 70.9%.

The role of technology in reducing mathematics anxiety in primary school students

Mathematics anxiety is a significant problem in education that affects students’ learning outcomes, academic success, and well-being. This systematic literature review aimed to explore the role of technological interventions in reducing mathematics anxiety and promoting positive learning experiences in mathematics learning. Our findings revealed a mixed picture, where learning mathematics through online distance education increases mathematics anxiety, especially among primary school students, while interventions such as game-based learning and digital tools show positive results in reducing students’ mathematics anxiety levels. Additionally, the results of this study contribute to ongoing discussions on effective strategies to reduce mathematics anxiety and improve mathematics education through the integration of technology, providing new understanding among educators, parents, researchers, and policymakers in creating inclusive and effective learning environments. Using technology to reduce mathematics anxiety and increase student achievement emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts.