Low Math Anxiety Research Articles

Communication Students' Mathematics Anxiety: Implications for Research Methods Instruction

This study examined indicators of math and speaking competence in three student major categories (N = 263). Communication (n = 178), business (n = 58), and liberal arts (n = 27) majors completed scales measuring math anxiety (Betz, 1978), math performance (Dowling, 1978), math self-efficacy, and public speaking apprehension (McCroskey, 1982). These variables explained 27.5% of the variance in reported major. Business majors had higher math performance and math self-efficacy scores and lower math anxiety scores than persons majoring in communication or liberal arts, whereas communication majors reported lower public speaking apprehension scores than business or liberal arts majors. Sex differences were found on all mathematics variables, with females scoring higher in math anxiety and lower in math self-efficacy and performance than males. Findings are examined for their implications concerning research methods instruction.

Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Mathematical Problem-Solving of Gifted Students

Path analysis was used to test the predictive and mediational role that self-efficacy beliefs play in the mathematical problem-solving of middle school gifted students (n= 66) mainstreamed with regular education students (n= 232) in algebra classes. Self-efficacy of gifted students made an independent contribution to the prediction of problem-solving in a model that controlled for the effects of math anxiety, cognitive ability, mathematics GPA, self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, and sex. Gifted girls surpassed gifted boys in performance but did not differ in self-efficacy. Gifted students reported higher math self-efficacy and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning as well as lower math anxiety than did regular education students. Although most students were overconfident about their capabilities, gifted students had more accurate self-perceptions and gifted girls were biased toward underconfidence. Results support the hypothesized role of self-efficacy in A. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory.

The Influence of Individual Differences on Skill in End-User Computing

:Using survey data from 776 knowledge workers from a university, this exploratory study generates and tests eight propositions concerning the relationship between individual differences and computer skill. A multiple regression analysis showed that the male gender, younger age, more experience with computers, an attitude of confidence regarding computers, lower math anxiety, and a creative cognitive style are individual difference variables associated with higher computer skill. The regression also indicated that the individual difference variables accounted for 56 percent of the variance associated with computer skill. These findings suggest that organizations should manage euc using two complementary processes: a global process and an individual process. The global or organizationwide process would be responsible for areas such as standards, controls, and security. The individual process would address issues such as education and training, selection and recruitment, and the introduction of new technology into the workplace.

The content specificity of math and english anxieties: The high school and beyond study

Abstract The purposes of the present investigation were to examine the content specificity of math and English anxieties, to test the generality of predictions from the Internal/External (I/E) frame of reference model to anxiety responses, and to examine sex differences in anxiety responses. This was accomplished by fitting structural equation models, using LISREL, to data from the High School and Beyond (HSB) study. The results demonstrated a remarkable content specificity of these two academic anxieties; despite the substantial correlation between math and verbal test scores, math and English anxieties were nearly uncorrelated. As predicted by the I/E model, better math skills were associated with substantially lower math anxiety but slightly higher English anxiety, whereas better English skills were associated with substantially lower English anxiety but slightly higher math anxiety. Stereotypic sex differences were observed-women had higher math anxiety scores whereas men had higher English anxiety sc...

Relationship of test-taking strategies to test anxiety and performance: Toward a task analysis of examination behavior

An open-ended questionnaire was developed to gather retrospective descriptions of test-taking strategies used in working classroom exam questions. Responses were independently rated on a 3-point scale of effectiveness based on the degree to which subjects' strategies matched methods recommended by experts in remedial education. The study focused initially on evaluating the reliability and validity of the Questionnaire of How You Take Tests (QHTT).Reliability estimates were very adequate and the QHTT was unrelated to verbal ability and sex. Subsequently, the QHTT was used as a dependent measure to assess the degree to which lack of confidence (high text anxiety)in evaluative situations is related to deficits in test-taking strategies. Subjects with high and moderate levels of general test anxiety evidenced significantly less effective problem-solving strategies than low-anxiety subjects. Also, subjects with high and moderate levels of math anxiety were significantly less knowledgeable about effective tactics for working math-reading items than were low math anxiety subjects. The relationship between subjects' repertoire of test-taking strategies and their academic performance was also analyzed. High compared to low QHTT scorers attained significantly higher grade point averages over two consecutive semesters. Ways in which the results extend laboratory investigations of problem-solving skills and text anxiety are discussed as well as the limitations of the current method of assessing cognitive strategies.