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A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Math Anxiety Among Preservice Teachers
Abstract
This project investigated the effects of a standards-based mathematics methods course on the mathematics anxiety levels of preservice teachers. The qualitative portion of the study examined aspects of a math methods course that affected mathematics anxiety levels and the antecedents of mathematics anxiety. Findings revealed a significant difference (p.05) between pretest and posttest mathematics anxiety levels, indicating a decrease in mathematics anxiety from the onset of the mathematics methods course.
... Una de las poblaciones sobre las cuales se han focalizado los estudios de ansiedad matemática es la de docentes de educación primaria en formación inicial. Estas investigaciones parten de varios supuestos, siendo comunes la necesidad de prevenir el traslado de esta ansiedad a los niños durante su futura labor docente y en consecuencia el intervenir el proceso formativo en el que están inmersos (Sloan, 2010). ...
... Estas investigaciones consideran la ansiedad en el marco del proceso de mediación pedagógica, un espacio de naturaleza social (Howard, 1982;Peker, 2016;Sloan, 2010). La ansiedad matemática y la que se produce ante la enseñanza presentan una función primordial dentro de los factores afectivos, por esta razón, estudiar ambos conceptos se convierte en un aspecto sumamente necesario para el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. ...
... Además, estudios como los de Levine (1996) y Peker (2006, 2009a, han encontrado que los maestros en formación presentan esos dos tipos de ansiedad; y la que ocurre en la enseñanza afecta, entre otras dimensiones, el rendimiento académico de los alumnos, dado que, se ha comprobado que esta es transmitida a los estudiantes (Sloan, 2010), lo cual interfiere de manera negativa en el rendimiento académico (Pérez-Tyteca et al., 2011). Así, diversos análisis insisten en que el temor que un docente manifieste hacia las matemáticas va a verse reflejado en la conducta de sus estudiantes (Howard, 1982). ...
[Objective] This research project analyze math anxiety and anxiety experienced when teaching math by primary school teachers working for the Ministry of Public Education in Costa Rica. For this purpose, math anxiety and its three dimensions and math teaching anxiety and its four dimensions were determined. In addition, the influence of some variables such as academic performance, sex, and work experience on anxiety were also analyzed. [Methodology] The study was quantitative and had a sample of 372 practicing teachers (336 women and 36 men) from six regions of Costa Rica: San Carlos, North-North Zone, Limón, Los Santos, Puriscal, and Alajuela with ages between 23 and 63 years. Their experience as primary school teachers range from one year to 35 years, while 55 of them are still studying and 317 are not pursuing university studies. [Results] Higher academic performance is associated with lower MA and MTA scores. Furthermore, teachers suffer MA (Math Anxiety) and MTA (Math Teaching Anxiety), years of experience do not improve this situation, and less self-confident subjects experience more MTA. In addition, a positive correlation was found between MA, MTA, and their dimensions, being the correlations between GA (General Anxiety)-EA (Exam Anxiety), MA-GA, SC (Self-Confidence)-AMT (Attitude towards Math Teaching), and MTA-CK (Content Knowledge) the strongest. [Conclusions] The study concludes that the sample shows a significant percentage of MA and MTA, as well as their dimensions, which negatively affects attitude towards mathematics and teachers’ perception and self-confidence when teaching this subject.
... Gresham (2007) established this in her seminal paper, 'A study of mathematics anxiety in pre-service teachers.' To add to this research and a number of other older research papers, relatively recent international studies support the notion (Ersozlu et al., 2022;Finlayson, 2014;Mizala et al., 2015;Peker & Ulu, 2018;Sloan, 2010;Soysal et al., 2022;Wilson, 2018). These studies from a range of countries have uncovered a range of reasons for this phenomenon. ...
... They also questioned their effectiveness in teaching mathematics (Hadfield & McNeil, 1994;Lu & Setayesh, 2022). Sloan (2010) found that some researchers have presented information indicating that teachers with mathematics anxiety teach differently than teachers who are less anxious about mathematics. These teachers have a tendency to teach more traditionally. ...
... On the other hand, Bowd and Brady (2003) and Boyd et al. (2014) found that females were far more anxious about teaching mathematics than male PSTs. Other studies into mathematics anxiety in PSTs did not enter the gender debate as the research participants were overwhelmingly female, e.g., Gresham (2007) and Sloan (2010). Hembree (1990) also suggests that females are far more likely to suffer test anxiety than males. ...
Mathematics anxiety in initial teacher education is a growing issue that reflects on teacher quality and their student’s maths anxiety and abilities. Previous studies have presented a range of different perspectives to mathematics anxiety. We aimed to explore further the reasons of mathematics anxiety in preservice teachers and suggest some intervention strategies in reducing maths anxiety for initial teacher education systems. We used a mixed methodology in this research analysing both qualitative data along with some quantified data derived from qualitative data sources. The findings provide insights to causes of maths and test anxiety along with some intervention strategies that teacher educators can use in their future teaching.
Keywords: Intervention strategies for maths anxiety, LANTITE, maths anxiety, teacher preparation quality, test anxiety.
... A plethora of research documents mathematics anxiety among elementary prospective teachers (PTs), which are those PTs studying to obtain certification to teach students of ages 5-13 (e.g., Dutton, 1951;Gresham, 2007;Sloan, 2010). Mathematics anxiety is defined as "a general fear of contact with mathematics, including classes, homework, and tests" (Hembree, 1990, p. 45). ...
... While initial research on mathematics anxiety focused on students of mathematics at multiple grade levels from elementary school through undergraduate education (e.g., Dutton, 1951;Hembree, 1990;Wigfield & Meece, 1988), the concept has been expanded to focus on mathematics anxiety among PTs focused on students of age 5-14 (e.g., Kelly & Tomhave, 1985;Uusimaki & Nason, 2004) and classroom elementary teachers who teach students of age 5-14 (e.g., Beilock, Gunderson, Ramierez, & Levine, 2010). Findings from such studies reveal a prevalence of mathematics anxiety among PTs (e.g., Gresham, 2007;Sloan, 2010) that stays with them through their classroom teaching experience (Gresham, 2018). Researchers find that higher mathematics anxiety levels correlate with lower confidence for teaching mathematics and science (Bursal & Paznokas, 2006), and that mathematics anxiety can influence PTs' expectations of their future students (Mizala, Martinez, & Martinez, 2015). ...
... A lack of self-confidence and lack of self-efficacy both correspond with high mathematics anxiety (e.g., Beilock & Maloney, 2015;Finlayson, 2014;Gonzalez-DeHass, Furner, Vasquez-Colina, & Morris, 2017;Mizala et al., 2015;Swars, Daane, & Giesen, 2006). A lack of self-confidence affects both PTs' confidence towards doing mathematics (e.g., Harper & Daane, 1998) and towards teaching mathematics (e.g., Sloan, 2010). Bursal and Paznokas (2006) report that "nearly half of the preservice teachers having higher math anxieties than their colleagues believe that they will not be able to teach math effectively" (p. ...
... Many studies link mathematics anxiety to teachers and the use of inappropriate teaching practices that foster students' lack of confidence in their own mathematical abilities (Bekdemir, 2010;Hoffman, 2010). Burton (2012) discovered that teachers with mathematics anxiety spend less time implementing standards-based instruction and spend 50% less time teaching the subject than those who feel comfortable teaching mathematics (Sloan, 2010). Teachers who have high mathematics anxiety tend to over rely on traditional teaching methods such as lecture, whole-class instruction, flash cards, worksheets, teaching to the textbook, assigning everyone the same problems, insisting on only one method to solve a problem, and focusing on skills rather than teaching for understanding (Gresham, 2009;Isiksal, 2010;Whyte & Anthony, 2012). ...
... Although studies about the role of mathematics content courses and preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety exist, fewer studies exist that address the influence of mathematics methods classes on preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety levels (Cardetti & Truxaw, 2014;Johnson & vanderSandt, 2011;Matthews, Rech, & Grandgenett, 2010). Sloan's (2010) mixed methods study concluded that the methods course was an effective intervention strategy for reducing the majority of preservice teachers' mathe-matics anxiety levels. Gresham (2019) conducted a similar study that examined the effects of a reform-based mathematics methods course on preservice teachers seeking certification for grades K-5. ...
... The authors hypothesized that using research-based practices, including the use of modeling with concrete manipulatives, problem solving, and teaching for conceptual understanding, would help to reduce the preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety and negative stereotypical beliefs. Overall, the methods course was not successful in reducing preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety, even though it used similar teaching methods as those mentioned in previous studies conducted by Gresham (2009), Sloan (2010, and Johnson and vanderSandt (2011). ...
This study investigated preservice teachers’ levels of mathematics anxiety before and after a mathematics methods course. Changes were measured using manipulatives and other activities to make mathematics concepts more concrete and meaningful. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were utilized. Informal discussions, informal interviews, and questionnaire-guided narrative interviews were conducted. Data revealed a statistically significant reduction in mathematics anxiety (p < .001). Results have implications for teacher education programs concerning the measurement of mathematics anxiety levels among exceptional education preservice teachers and the determination of specific contexts in which mathematics anxiety can be interpreted and reduced.
... These features of the learning environment have repeatedly been shown to relate to mathematics anxiety (Beswick 2012;Buckley et al. 2016;Cornell 1999;Fraser 2012;Haciomeroglu 2013). Given that past research has frequently found that many preservice teachers are mathematics anxious (Novak and Tassell 2017;Sloan 2010), and that this anxiety affects the way in which teachers teach and can be 1 3 passed on to students (Gresham 2018), the learning environment of mathematics education classes should be of paramount importance to teacher educators. ...
... In some cases, 50% less time is spent teaching mathematics than for non-anxious teachers (Schmidt and Buchmann 1983). High levels of mathematics anxiety have been repeatedly found in preservice primary teachers (Harper and Daane 1998;Hembree 1990;Kelly and Tomhave 1985;Novak and Tassell 2017;Sloan 2010). As teachers themselves have been identified as one of the causes of mathematics anxiety (Beilock and Maloney 2015;Buckley et al. 2016;Harper and Daane 1998;Sloan 2010;Stoehr 2017;Whyte and Anthony 2012), it is important to identify and reduce this phenomenon in preservice teachers in order to take action before the cycle continues. ...
... High levels of mathematics anxiety have been repeatedly found in preservice primary teachers (Harper and Daane 1998;Hembree 1990;Kelly and Tomhave 1985;Novak and Tassell 2017;Sloan 2010). As teachers themselves have been identified as one of the causes of mathematics anxiety (Beilock and Maloney 2015;Buckley et al. 2016;Harper and Daane 1998;Sloan 2010;Stoehr 2017;Whyte and Anthony 2012), it is important to identify and reduce this phenomenon in preservice teachers in order to take action before the cycle continues. ...
The learning environment has been found to be related to mathematics anxiety at a variety of educational levels, including higher education, but to date has not been investigated in relation to preservice teachers. It has been previously found that preservice teachers often harbour high levels of mathematics anxiety, and that mathematics-anxious teachers devote less time to the subject area, teach in less effective ways, and can even transmit anxiety to their students. Mathematics teaching anxiety is a construct separate from mathematics anxiety, and the relationship between the two has shown very mixed results. To date, the relationship between the learning environment and mathematics teaching anxiety has not been examined. This cross-sectional study in the UAE examined the relationship between 157 preservice teachers’ perceptions of their mathematics learning environments in a teacher education programme and reports of their mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety. The learning environment was predominantly negatively related to mathematics anxiety across a number of scales, but predominantly positively related to mathematics teaching anxiety, indicating that the learning environment is of utmost importance in teacher education and must be carefully attended to.
... Prior studies in mathematics education have demonstrated that individuals' experiences with mathematics shape how they think about doing and teaching mathematics (Ball, 1988;Mizala et al., 2015;Swars, Daane, & Giesen, 2006). For example, previous studies of women elementary PSTs' experiences with mathematics anxiety revealed issues of inhibited learning experiences from early in their student learning days (Drake, 2006;Harper & Daane, 1998;Sloan, 2010;Carter, 2011, 2012). These studies suggests that K-12 schooling experiences play a significant role in creating mathematics anxiety in some women elementary PSTs. ...
... 33). Sloan's (2010) investigation of PSTs' experiences in mathematics demonstrated that factors like how mathematics was taught, histories of low performance and weak mathematics backgrounds, lack of positive experiences in the mathematics classroom, and negative attitudes toward mathematics contributed to mathematics anxiety. Some participants shared that they felt "scared to death in many math classes" (p. ...
... Mathematics education researchers have examined the worries and distress that many women elementary PSTs experience while learning to teach mathematics (Brown et al., 2012;Bursal & Paznokas, 2006;McGlynn-Stewart, 2010). This is important to study, reasoning that teachers who experienced mathematics anxiety as students may pass their anxiety onto the next generation of mathematics students (Beilock et al., 2010;Brady & Bowd, 2005;Sloan, 2010). Similarly, women elementary PSTs who had experienced mathematics anxiety have themselves voiced great concern about being able to teach mathematics effectively to their students (Brown et al., 2012), especially as they encountered new demands to understand and teach mathematical concepts and strategies (Bursal & Paznokas, 2006;McGlynn-Stewart, 2010). ...
Mathematics educators agree elementary teachers should possess confidence and competence in teaching mathematics. Many prospective elementary teachers (particularly women) pursue careers in elementary teaching despite personal repeated experiences of mathematics anxiety. Previous studies of mathematics anxiety have tended to focus on physical sensations that occur during test-taking situations. This study analyzes how three women prospective elementary teachers described, explained, and related their experiences of mathematics anxiety while learning mathematics as K-12 students and while learning to teach mathematics. My research reveals that mathematics anxiety may reach beyond assessment situations and impact women prospective elementary teachers’ larger mathematical histories. I show how women prospective elementary teachers may interpret mathematics anxiety as specific fears (e.g., loss of social belonging, loss of personal identity, or loss of practical competency) and how specific coping strategies may be invented to cope with the fear. I present evidence of how coping strategies may impede mathematics learning.
... Researchers have noted that pedagogical knowledge is influenced by teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics teaching (Aubrey, 1994b; Brophy, 1991). Research has shown that there are clear differences in practice between teachers who do not enjoy mathematics and those who do, as the teachers who do not enjoy it are likely to spend as much as 50 per cent less time teaching the subject (Schmidt and Buchmann 1983; Sloan, 2010). It is also highlighted that teachers with negative attitudes toward mathematics frequently rely on teaching by rote, thus avoid interactive learning, problem solving processes and mathematical reasoning (Karp 1991). ...
... This way of teaching increases the feeling of mathematics anxiety in students, as well as decreasing students' positive attitude towards mathematics. (Ernest, 1989; Greenwood, 1984; Karp, 1991; Sloan, 2010) ...
... When it is realised that teachers, who possess higher levels of mathematics anxiety, may unintentionally pass on these negative feelings to their students, this represents a cause for alarm (Gresham, 2007; Wood, 1988). Potentially, this process has no end as today's students go on to be future teachers, where they will pass their own anxieties toward mathematics to the next generation and so on (Sloan, 2010). Additionally, the root of some mathematics anxiety lies in how effectively one is taught mathematics. ...
This study aims to investigate the impact of using stories in pre-school mathematics teaching in Saudi Arabia. An intervention was designed to promote interactive teaching and learning in eight classrooms across three private schools. Integral to the intervention was a series of five stories especially written by the researcher based around the same central characters; reflecting the cultural setting familiar to the children, and with a problem-solving storyline. The stories include a range of mathematical facts, skills and concepts applicable to young learners. Additional resource materials to accompany the stories were also designed and provided for the participating teachers. The researcher adopted a qualitative, constructivist, technical action research approach and three data collection tools were used: a bibliographical questionnaire for the teachers; pre- and post-interventions semi-structured interview schedules, and classroom observations. A thematic analysis of the pre- and post-intervention data was undertaken in order to monitor the impact of using the stories in the pre-school classrooms. The study considers the findings from the data in relation to both the teachers’ and the children's’ experiences pre- and post-intervention. In particular, the impact of the intervention on teachers’ subject knowledge, attitudes, confidence and classroom practice is discussed along with the impact on children’s engagement and enjoyment of mathematics; their mathematical understanding and thinking skills. The study concludes that using stories to teach mathematics had a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning mathematics. Using the stories prompted a positive change in teacher’s and children’s attitudes and feelings towards mathematics; a greater understanding of key mathematical ideas; and an appreciation of the value and uses of mathematics in everyday life. The implications from the study highlight the importance of providing appropriate training for pre-school teachers (and elsewhere) and the pivotal role that using stories can play in ensuring high quality mathematics teaching and learning.
... A confined examination of these studies (Dhakal, 2018;Panthi and Belbase, 2017) revealed an interesting trend: mathematics teachers in Nepal tend to experience heightened anxiety as their years of service accumulate. This contrasts with the global scenery, where extensive research has focused on pre-service teachers and their mathematicsrelated professional anxiety (Brown et al., 2012;Sloan, 2010). For instance, Brown et al. (2012) explore anxiety-inducing incidents reported by pre-service teachers during their mathematics practiceteaching experiences. ...
... However, it is noteworthy that the nature and underlying causes of this anxiety differed. While prospective mathematics teachers in economically developed countries worldwide tend to experience higher levels of anxiety, in-service math educators in Nepal appear to face more pronounced anxiety (Brown et al., 2012;Panthi and Belbase, 2017;Sloan, 2010). Thus, the root cause of this anxiety is often attributed to a lack of resources, and consequently, it tends to escalate as the years go by. ...
Professional anxiety in teaching refers to the stress and nervousness that educators experience due to their job duties and the challenges they encounter. This article explores the prevalence of professional anxiety among secondary school mathematics teachers at private schools in Nepal. The study aims to address the question: How do secondary school mathematics teachers narrate their experiences of professional anxiety? Using narrative inquiry as a research method and grounded on the theoretical perspective and lens of the job demand-control-support model (JDCS) and self-efficacy learning theory, this study narrates the stories of three secondary school mathematics teachers (two males and one female) from different private schools of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. In-depth interviews were conducted for data collection, and identified and generated themes aligned to professional anxiety were used to analyze the findings. The findings reflect that professional anxiety increases over time. This research reveals that mathematics teachers, those in private schools, experience high levels of anxiety that persist over the years. Anxiety is linked to pressures such as the lack of a proper career plan, the gap between learning theories and actual classroom contexts, an inadequately structured curriculum, and insufficient resources for integrating technology into teaching practices. For boosting math teachers’ professional responsibilities, the study concluded that understanding the causes and impacts of professional anxiety in teaching is crucial for developing effective supportive strategies. This study is a valuable resource for mathematics teachers to reflect on their professional anxiety.
... Several studies have demonstrated that mathematical anxiety decreases after undertaking mathematics courses during initial teacher education [29]. Learning to teach mathematics seems to reduce the anxiety through facilitating the conceptual understanding of mathematics. ...
... Learning to teach mathematics seems to reduce the anxiety through facilitating the conceptual understanding of mathematics. By improving skills, teachers in training express greater confidence in their teaching efficacy and more positive attitudes towards mathematics [29]. ...
The study of the affective domain has grown in relevance ever since educators and researchers showed its influence in the process of teaching and learning, playing a fundamental role in the evolution of student learning. Anxiety is one component of the affective domain. The study of mathematical anxiety in pre-service primary teachers at university is the focus of this study. We analyse mathematical anxiety by examining specific data from the sample (age, gender, the subjects they studied in upper-secondary education, and academic performance). One hundred and nineteen students from the Primary Education degree completed the mathematical anxiety questionnaire, obtaining an average anxiety score considered negative (3.08 above the neutral value of 3). The results show a high anxiety toward examinations (3.68) and a negative relation with academic performance. Furthermore, the results show that women, 19-year-old university students, and those from a humanities-based upper-secondary education present greater levels of anxiety than men, older students, or students from other areas of upper-secondary education, respectively. All values of mathematical anxiety are higher than pre-pandemic levels. We can conclude from the studied sample that the students show low–medium global anxiety over mathematics, medium anxiety over problem solving, and high anxiety about exams.
... Students' finding the lesson difficult and having negative feelings may affect their self-efficacy towards the lesson and reduce their interest in the lesson (Alpaslan & Ulubey, 2019). In addition, when students have fun and have positive emotions in the mathematics lesson, they tend to have a positive attitude towards the mathematics lesson (Sloan, 2010). ...
... Öğrencinin dersi zor bulması ve negatif duygulara sahip olması derse karşı öz-yeterliğini etkileyebilir ve derse karşı ilgisini azaltabilir (Alpaslan & Ulubey, 2019). Ayrıca öğrenciler matematik dersinde eğlendikleri ve olumlu duygulara sahip oldukları zaman matematik dersine olumlu tutuma sahip olma eğilimindedirler (Sloan, 2010). ...
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic on middle school students' attitudes towards mathematics. To examine the effect of the distance education during Covid-19 more comprehensively, a mixed method research was used. Among the seventh-grade students studying in eight schools in the Aegean Region, 562 students voluntarily participated in the quantitative part and of these, 52 students participated in the qualitative part. While the Mathematics Attitude Scale was used as a quantitative data collection tool, qualitative data were collected with using 18-item open-ended questions prepared by the researchers. Statistical techniques such as descriptive and paired sample t-test were used in the analysis of quantitative data and qualitative data were analyzed with descriptive analysis technique. Quantitative findings showed that students' attitudes towards mathematics were at moderate level. In terms of face-to-face and distance education, significant differences were found in favor of face-to-face education in students' attitudes towards mathematics. Qualitative findings showed that students had difficulties in communicating with the teacher in distance education, were easily distracted, and therefore, they had difficulty in understanding the subjects in the mathematics. The results of this study, in which qualitative findings support quantitative findings, emphasize the importance of developing teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge.
... Mathematics anxiety of prospective teachers and pre-service teachers affected their pedagogical performances, such as their learning design and implementation, teaching methods, teaching strategies, instructional preparation, and the ways of explaining concepts (Battista, 1986;Brady & Bowd, 2005;Gresham, 2007;Pantaleon, Juniati, Lukito, & Mandur, 2018;Sloan et al., 2002;Vinson, 2001). The experience of prospective teachers when learning mathematics, including the pedagogic lectures that they attend, contributes to the level of mathematics anxiety (Juniati & Budayasa, 2017Lake & Kelly, 2014;Sloan, 2010). ...
... Juniati and Budayasa (2020a) showed that the negative feelings towards mathematics among prospective teachers originated in their own experiences as mathematics learners, namely their experiences when being taught mathematics in schools and mathematics courses in their teacher education programs. Sloan (2010) investigated the effects of a standards-based mathematics methods course on the mathematics anxiety levels of preservice teachers. Based on these results, the education of prospective teachers should pay attention to the level of mathematics anxiety. ...
p style="text-align: justify;">This study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive and affective factors on the performance of prospective mathematics teachers. Cognitive factors include cognitive independence level and working memory capacity, while affective factor include math anxiety. Mathematical performance was then assessed as basic math skills, advanced math skills and problem-solving ability. This research combined quantitative and qualitative research methods. In order to determine the effects of cognitive independence, working memory capacity, and math anxiety on math performance, multiple regression tests were used. To then see the effects of these three factors on problem-solving ability, a qualitative approach was used. Eighty-seven prospective math teachers participated in this study. Based on the results of the multiple regression, it was found that the level of cognitive independence affects basic math skills but has no effect on advanced math skills. Working memory capacity was seen to positively affect math performance (basic and advanced math skills, problem-solving skills), while mathematics anxiety demonstrated negative effects on advanced math skills and problem-solving skills.</p
... Integrating inquiry-based approaches to teaching is highly suggested since it is not just effective in deepening students' conceptual understanding of math contents, but also believed that these approaches may lessen learners' anxiety (Gresham, 2007;Lubinski & Otto, 2004;Sloan, 2010). Also, Furner and Duffy (2002) concludes that integrating technology into the classroom and math curriculum helps reduce math anxiety in the students but Aksan and Eryilmaz (2011) indicated that most of the mathematics classroom doesn't integrate technology because many mathematics educators believe that instructional technology materials are not useful for their teaching of mathematics. ...
... Furthermore, the result of the study shows that inquiry-based instructional strategies do not have a significant influence on the mathematics anxiety of the students. This goes against the propositions of various authors (Gresham, 2007;Lubinski & Otto, 2004;Sloan, 2010) indicating that inquiry-based approaches to teaching are not just effective in strengthening students' conceptual understanding of math contents, but also believed to lessen the anxiety of learners. Also, the result revealed that using computers and technology in the classroom doesn't have any influence on the math anxiety of the students which is contrary to the findings of Furner and Duffy (2002) concluding that integrating technology into the classroom and math curriculum helps reduce math anxiety in the students. ...
The purpose of this study was to examine which domain of attitudes of teacher towards mathematics best influenced the anxiety of the students towards mathematics. The study employs a non-experimental quantitative research design and assessed 278 grade 10 respondents from four schools in Davao City using the Teacher Attitude Survey and Revised Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The results showed that the teacher’s attitude in mathematics has no overall significant relationship towards the mathematics anxiety of the students. But with further exploration among the indicators of the mathematics attitude of the teachers, it shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between the math anxiety of the students and the traditional approaches to teaching pedagogy and an inverse significant relationship between mathematics anxiety of the students and teachers’ understanding confidence in the classroom. These two indicators can be attributed to the provocation of mathematics anxiety among students and thus, can be a predictive factor that may determine the stimulation of math anxiety among learners.
... Another challenge related to early numeracy is the high level of math anxiety and low level of math self-efficacy reported by many early educators, which has negative implications for the teaching of math (Geist, 2015;Gerde, Pierce, Lee, & Van Egeren, 2018). Research indicates that math-anxious teachers teach differently than teachers without math anxiety, spending more time on seatwork, basic skills, and whole class instruction, and less time teaching concepts and strategies for problem-solving (Gresham, 2018;Sloan, 2010). In fact, math-anxious teachers exhibit math avoidance, and spend less time actually teaching math (Geist, 2015). ...
... Gerde et al. (2018) found the Head Start teachers in their study had significantly lower self-efficacy for teaching math than for teaching literacy or science, and engaged in math instruction less often than literacy instruction. Given the preponderance of math anxiety among educators of young children, and potential negative implications for the teaching of math (Sloan, 2010) and for young children's math achievement (Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock, 2016), we were encouraged by our findings that students' own math anxiety was addressed through the ASL experience. We see students' acknowledgement of their math anxiety, statements of confidence for teaching math, and belief in the importance of advocating for early math as key outcomes of our study, and indicative of students' potential to be more effective and more invested in teaching math to young children. ...
Children’s early numeracy knowledge predicts later academic performance, yet many children do not experience optimal math instruction. This study investigated the impact of academic service-learning (ASL) in an early childhood teacher preparation math course and answered the following research question: Was the ASL experience effective in improving students’ dispositions and self-efficacy for teaching early math? Participants included nine undergraduates in an early childhood teacher preparation course and thirteen 2- to 5-year-old children from ten culturally and linguistically diverse families. Results of this mixed-methods study indicated the university students expressed considerable math anxiety near the beginning of the course, yet they believed in the importance of math and aspired to support children’s math. Students articulated challenges and assumptions related to supporting early math. A key finding was that, across the ASL experience, students experienced a shift away from anxiety and toward self-efficacy for teaching math and a disposition to advocate for early math. Children’s math knowledge was also assessed and was significantly higher post-ASL than pre-ASL. The article concludes with a discussion of the obligation of early childhood teacher preparation programs to address possible math anxiety among preservice teachers and provide experiences that help students build self-efficacy for teaching math.
... Among the many emotions that students show in the classroom, the dominant emotion is often boredom (Kolak and Majcen, 2011). However, the fear of mathematics prevails in math class or as it is commonly referred to as "mathematical anxiety" in foreign literature (Geist, 2010;Sloan, 2010). Fear of mathematics by its definition relates to academic emotions and is defined as a feeling of tension and anxiety which makes it difficult to manipulate numbers and solve mathematical problems in everyday and school situations (Richardson and Suinn, 1972;). ...
In this paper, the author examines current problems in the teaching of mathematics and mathematics education and shows how theoretical and practical findings underestimate the role of the social dimension in the teaching of mathematics. Mathematical education is perceived in this research as a kind of a social construct in contrast to the traditional definition of (teaching) mathematics as a purely scientific discipline. The author focuses on students' emotional reactions, classroom environment and teacher competencies as indicators of quality in the teaching of mathematics. In the context of contemporary mathematics teaching, the author uses a critical approach to assess the way and content of teacher education as well as the required competencies in quality mathematics teachers. Taking into account the requirements and specifics of teaching mathematics that are in the domain of pedagogical theory and practice, the author emphasises teachers' pedagogical competencies and their definition from the pedagogical perspective. A review of relevant research has led the author to state that a stimulating classroom environment is one of the key assumptions of students' success in mathematics and that the didactic-methodological guidelines of teaching mathematics should be based on the individuality of students and the demands and difficulties they encounter in the classroom.
... Although research has shown that inquiry-based, approaches to teaching have been effective in deepening students' conceptual understanding of mathematics content, it is also believed that these types of approaches may lessen students' mathematics anxiety [5,6,7]. On either side of the so-called "Math Wars" exists two very different types of educators (The behaviorist and the constructivist) with varying opinions on what is the best way to teach mathematics. ...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of constructivist approach on pre-service teachers' mathematics achievement and the difficulties they encounter in translating and solving word problems. The design was a quasi-experimental. A sample of 120 pre-service teachers was used in this study. A diagnostic pre-test and post-test questions and a questionnaire were used to collect data for the study. The questionnaire was used to examine the difficulties pre-service teachers encounter during translating and solving word problems. The test items were also used to determine the effect of the constructivist approach on pre-service teachers' mathematics achievement. The findings of the study showed that students' conceptual understanding and performance in word problems was largely improved after instructions based on the constructivist approach. The study also revealed that majority of the pre-service teachers appealed more to the constructivist approach than the traditional method.
... MA can also be caused by teachers who put more emphasis on memorisation of formulae and learning mathematics through drill and practice (Mutodi and Ngirande 2014). In addition, MA is also caused by having to complete timed tests, mathematics concepts being taught too quickly, much emphasis placed on attaining the correct answer, mathematics classes being boring, and focusing on memorising procedural knowledge (Sloan 2010). ...
Research indicates that mathematics anxiety is among the factors that contribute to poor performance in mathematics. Learners have a risk of developing severe mathematical difficulties that might impede their socio-emotional development and future mathematics careers; therefore, an understanding of instructional strategies to reduce mathematics anxiety is important. The objective of this systematic review is to summarise the existing body of research on instructional interventions for addressing mathematics anxiety in the classroom. Nine articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified. To address mathematics anxiety in learners, two of the identified articles used problem-solving, one collaborative learning, two personalised instruction, one peer teaching using a photovoice approach, one brain-based instructional strategy, and one team-assisted individualised instructional strategy, whilst one was computer-based. All nine interventions had a positive effect on reducing mathematics anxiety as well as improving performance among learners. The systematic review revealed that little has been done in terms of research on instructional strategies that reduce mathematics anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is recommended that more studies on instructional strategies that address mathematical anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa need to be conducted.
... When all these factors come together, the fear of not being able to succeed in mathematics may arise in the student. In the same way, parents' giving too much meaning to mathematics (Barnes, 2006), insufficient support given by families to their children (Sloan, 2010) or parents' transferring their own math anxiety to their children (Soni & Kumari, 2017) may increase the student's anxiety level. For this reason, individuals with high mathematical literacy self-efficacy are likely to experience mathematics anxiety, as in this study. ...
The research aims to determine the difference between secondary school students’ mathematics anxiety with mathematics literacy self-efficacy level and study these connections. The relational screening model in the research population comprises 32 secondary schools in the 2020-2021 academic years in Esenyurt province, Istanbul. Research samplings comprise 1682 students that are chosen with the stratified sampling method from nine different secondary schools in Esenyurt province. Data was gathered by the ‘’Secondary School Mathematics Literacy Self-Efficiency Scale’’ and ‘‘Mathematics Anxiety-Apprehension Survey’’. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Sperman Correlation Analysis and statistical techniques are used. As a result of the analysis, secondary school students’ mathematics anxiety is higher than average, and their mathematics literacy self-efficacy is also significantly higher. After the examination of the relationship between the scales, it was determined that there is a positive relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics literacy self-efficacy.
... Keywords: Affect, Emotion, Beliefs, and Attitudes; Teacher Beliefs; Preservice Teacher Education Math anxiety, defined as "an adverse emotional reaction to math or the prospect of doing math" (Maloney & Beilock, 2012), is a condition that is estimated to affect 50% of students (Beilock & Willingham, 2014) and has been shown to affect elementary education majors to a large degree (e.g., Hembree, 1990;Sloan, 2010). Unfortunately, the literature is lacking when it comes to exploring math anxiety in secondary mathematics teachers. ...
Teachers with math anxiety can pass their anxiety on to students and even affect student achievement. In this project, we attempt to analyze pre-service secondary mathematics teachers' (PSMTs) feelings about how their math anxiety affects the way they view teaching as a profession. Preliminary findings indicate that math anxiety could affect multiple areas of a teacher's outlook on teaching, including preparing for class, engaging with students, and their overall philosophy about teaching. This case study can serve as a launching point for further research into how math anxiety affects both pre-service and in-service secondary mathematics teachers.
... Of the many emotions that students show in class, the emotion of boredom often proves to be dominant (Kolak and Majcen, 2011). However, in the teaching of mathematics, the fear of mathematics prevails, which is most often referred to in foreign literature as "mathematical anxiety" Sloan, 2010). Fear of mathematics, by definition, belongs to academic emotions and proves to be one of the main obstacles to success in mathematics. ...
Teachers are increasingly required to have mathematical subject knowledge described as lists of facts, skills and competencies. Different emotional reactions are present in the classroom every day. Emotional reactions are most often divided into positive and negative, and negative emotional reactions are most often related to the evaluation process. Teaching mathematics at all stages and levels of education is often a challenge for students. It is known that mathematics is not very popular and one often hears this misconception: "common sense and mathematics do not go together". Unfortunately, statements such as "not for me", "I don't know math" and "my mom is not a mathematician" can often be heard from students. The popularity of mathematics is on the scale of less popular subjects in schools, although teachers are forcing the teaching of mathematics, and even the curriculum offers more math classes than some other subjects.
... Studies conducted by Geist (2015), Gresham (2017), and Sloan (2010) found that if a teacher experienced math anxiety, it influenced the teacher's confidence and ability to teach math and their instructional choices. To help teachers overcome this anxiety and make better instructional choices for their students, they recommended offering math professional learning opportunities targeted at improving teacher confidence and pedagogical content knowledge. ...
Math anxiety, the discomfort or fear of math, spans the globe and affects a wide range of ages, from early childhood to adulthood. Teachers and students may experience math anxiety in a variety of contexts. Teachers who suffer from math anxiety often express negative attitudes about math and lack confidence in their pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics, which influences the instructional practices they choose to implement in their classrooms. Student math anxiety adversely affects student engagement and achievement in math. School leadership is fundamental to effective teaching and student learning and plays a vital role in teacher and student math anxiety. By identifying teachers and students who suffer from math anxiety, leaders can create the conditions to reduce and prevent this anxiety. Leading this work will involve the integration of both instructional and transformational leadership to develop a school culture that is open to sharing and strengthening their knowledge of instructional practices focused on math improvement. To address anxiety concerns and advance student achievement in mathematics, it is beneficial for school leaders to adopt some of the characteristics of a learning organization. To be a learning organization requires leadership to cultivate a climate of trust among members of the school community to develop collective efficacy. It entails school leaders and staff participating in professional learning and coaching opportunities to build the collective capacity of evidence-informed instructional practices in math. Using self-reflection, teachers can acknowledge their own feelings and potential biases towards mathematics and seek support to deepen their understanding of math concepts and pedagogy. The engagement of colleagues in the acquirement of best practices in math instruction will develop positive classroom environments that immerse students in the learning of math. By changing how leaders and teachers approach mathematics, math anxiety will decrease, and student achievement will improve.
... In order to prevent such detrimental consequences, Porsch (2017) recommends either changing elementary school education (i.e., education in schools should be based on the principle of subject teachers like in China rather than on the principle of class teachers so that not all (future) teachers are forced to learn and teach math) or changing elementary teacher education (i.e., education of teachers should support (future) teachers in dealing with their math anxiety and impart math knowledge so that they can learn to teach math). To deal with the math anxiety problem of elementary school teachers, some previously applied intervention approaches seemed to be successful in reducing math anxiety: For example, pre-service elementary school teachers showed reduced levels of math anxiety after a math methods course with teaching practice (however, there is a control group missing in the evaluation) (Gresham, 2007;Harper & Daane, 1998;Sloan, 2010;Vinson, 2001) or after expanded microteaching as compared to a control group (Peker, 2009). Other intervention approaches targeting the consequences on students might be considered, such as decreasing gender stereotype endorsement by female teachers, increasing confidence and competence of teaching math, or offering coping strategies for math anxiety for teachers. ...
Teachers are strong role models for their pupils, especially at the beginning of education. This also holds true for math: If teachers feel anxious about math, the consequences on the mathematical education of their pupils is detrimental. Previous studies have shown that (future) elementary school teachers have higher levels of math anxiety than most people studying other subjects. Here, we set out to conceptually replicate these findings (e.g., meta-analysis by Hembree, 1990, https://doi.org/10.2307/749455) by comparing math anxiety levels of pre-service and in-service German and Belgian elementary school teachers to a reference group of German university students from various fields of study. Moreover, we questioned this finding by asking which elementary school teachers experience math anxiety, considering gender, specialization, and experience, and investigated how math anxiety relates to teaching attitudes towards math. We replicated the previous finding by showing that female elementary school teachers have a higher level of math anxiety as compared to other female students. Importantly, female elementary school teachers without math specialization indeed had higher levels of math anxiety than female students from other fields and almost a quarter of them experience critical math anxiety. In contrast, female elementary school teachers with math specialization did not show an increased level of math anxiety as compared to the reference sample. Considering that not only these but all teachers, regardless of specialization, teach math in elementary school in the investigated educational systems, the math anxiety of elementary school teachers is a potential problem for their pupils’ math attitudes and learning.
... Previous studies in mathematics education have shown that students' experiences with their math teachers shape how they think and respond to math (Ball, 1988;Swars, Daane, & Giesen, 2006;Mizala & Martínez, 2015). The main factor influencing students' experiences is the strategies teachers use in teaching mathematics (Sloan, 2010;OECD, 2017;McMahon, 2018). Consistently, these studies show that there is a relationship between students' math anxiety and negative experiences in teacher teaching (Chavez & Widmer, 1982;Markovits, 2011). ...
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a study on human excellence for exploring the process of behavior most effectively to achieve excellence. NLP combines verbal and nonverbal communication to influence the systems of the human mind. Hence, this research aims to examine the effectiveness of the Disney's Strategy based on NLP (Strategy Disney NLP) to reduce student math anxiety. This study was conducted at the Perak Matriculation College. The method used was a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. The participants were 40 students from Perak Matriculation College. The researcher used intact group technique to determine the sample. The sample was divided into two groups, namely the control group using conventional modules and the experimental group using Strategy Disney NLP. Data were collected through pre-test and post-test and analyzed using paired t-tests and independent t-tests. The instrument used is the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS). This study confirms that students in the treatment group had higher mean scores (t (38) = 3.94, p <0.05) from the students in the control group (mean = 31.45, s.p = 6.00). The results of this study show that the use of Strategy Disney NLP in learning and teaching has reduced the level of student mathematics anxiety in the topic of probability.
... Mathematics anxiety often begins as a result of negative mathematics experiences (Stoehr, 2015). These experiences can be due to failure to perform well but also may be the result of experiences with mathematics instructors (Lee & Zeppelin, 2014;Sloan, 2010). Once those negative mathematics experiences occur, students sometimes find themselves avoiding mathematics in a variety of ways. ...
Many pre-service teachers suffer from mathematics anxiety which can lead to mathematics avoidance, poor mathematics performance, and the potential to pass on mathematics anxiety to their future students. More and more first-generation college students, who also suffer from math anxiety, are attending four-year universities and studying to be teachers. School leaders, educators, and researchers must recognize the serious nature of mathematics anxiety, how it negatively impacts learners, and how the cycle is perpetuated if the root causes of mathematics anxiety are not mitigated, especially in elementary teachers. This quantitative study, which utilized an anonymous mathematics anxiety survey, examined the prevalence of math anxiety in first-generation pre-service elementary teachers matriculated in Elementary Education programs at University of Maine System (UMS) campuses. The goal was to determine whether there is disparity between first-generation college students and their non-first-generation peers, as well as whether mathematics anxiety and/or first-generation student status is impacted by perceived access to social capital and/or parent education. The most important finding of this study was that pre-service teachers who are first-generation college students have no more mathematics anxiety than their non-first-generation peers. Although both groups of pre-service teachers reported more anxiety when being tested in mathematics than when learning mathematics, there was no significant generational difference in either learning or testing anxiety scores. There was also no statistically significant difference between mathematics anxiety scores of pre-service teachers whose parents had less than a two-year college degree and their peers whose parents had at least a two-year degree. Another important finding was that first-generation students’ perceived access to social capital was not less than their non-first-generation peers’ perceived access. Although access to social capital, especially access regarding university supports, significantly impacted mathematics anxiety, there was no generational significance. Additionally, most UMS pre-service teachers reported having access to social capital. These findings suggest the need for continued resources and supports for all UMS pre-service teachers as well as considering additional mathematics resources to help mitigate the anxiety many experience.
... 180-181). Sloan's (2010) findings further suggest that the regular use of manipulatives by the instructor to model best teaching practices resulted in the PSTs feeling less anxious about learning and teaching mathematics. Many PSTs discovered that manipulatives made the learning and teaching of mathematics fun. ...
Previous studies of prospective elementary mathematics teachers’ mathematics anxiety have documented that many prospective teachers often worry about managing their repeated experiences of anxiety while developing their pedagogical and content knowledge to teach mathematics. The literature further indicates the importance of developing learning opportunities for prospective teachers to confront their past experiences while they (re)learn and learn to teach mathematics during methods courses. This study is situated within one such learning opportunity and seeks to analyze potential mathematics anxiety coping strategies generated by forty-eight prospective elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematical methods course. Written responses generated by the prospective teachers were subjected to qualitative thematic analysis to identify patterns of key ideas related to lesson planning for content they felt anxious and/or not confident about teaching and patterns focused on episodes of mathematics anxiety they might experience in the moment of teaching mathematics. Findings indicate that prospective teachers envision using between two and seven strategies grouped across eight coping strategy themes when given the opportunity to reflect on how they might deal with future instances of anxiety when they are tasked with teaching mathematics to their students. We highlight how some of the coping strategies that the prospective teachers envisioned as a means to cope with mathematics anxiety may have more potential to be helpful than others and present implications of our research for mathematics teacher educators.
... The materials used during the activities are important for the success of pre-school education which has an important place in children's lives (Durmuşoğlu, 2013). Previous research has reported that classes taught with traditional rather than alternative methods and the use of concrete materials negatively affect students' learning of mathematics (Harper & Daane, 1998;Sloan, 2010). ...
The research reported on here was designed in a qualitative approach to present the opinions of pre-service preschool teachers on the use of mathematics activities. The sample consisted of 10 pre-service teachers, who in their fourth year of preschool education in the teaching department in 2017 to 2018. The pre-service teachers in the study group were selected from those with a grade point average (GPA) of above 3 and who completed the teaching practice course. In the research, the data were collected from the pre-service teachers through interviews. A semi-structured form, developed by the researcher, was used as a data collection tool in order to reveal the opinions of pre-service preschool teachers on the application of mathematics activities. The results of the research show that the participating pre-service preschool teachers used more than one-to-one correspondence in mathematics activities of which the most difficult concepts were classification and geometrical figures-difficult situations in which to attract the attention of children and a crowded class of 36 to 48 month old children. Most of the mathematics activities were integrated into games and art through the narration and gamification method. The participants mostly used prepared mathematics activities in practice.
... In order to prevent such detrimental consequences, Porsch (2017) recommends either changing elementary school education (i.e., education in schools should be based on the principle of subject teachers like in China rather than on the principle of class teachers so that not all (future) teachers are forced to learn and teach math) or changing elementary teacher education (i.e., education of teachers should support (future) teachers in dealing with their math anxiety and impart math knowledge so that they can learn to teach math). To deal with the math anxiety problem of elementary school teachers, some previously applied intervention approaches seemed to be successful in reducing math anxiety: For example, pre-service elementary school teachers showed reduced levels of math anxiety after a math methods course with teaching practice (however, there is a control group missing in the evaluation) (Gresham, 2007;Harper & Daane, 1998;Sloan, 2010;Vinson, 2001) or after expanded microteaching as compared to a control group (Peker, 2009). Other intervention approaches targeting the consequences on students might be considered, such as decreasing gender stereotype endorsement by female teachers, increasing confidence and competence of teaching math, or offering coping strategies for math anxiety for teachers. ...
Teachers are strong role models for their pupils, especially at the very beginning of education, and as such, pupils tend to share their teacher’s attitudes. This also holds true for math: If teachers feel anxious about math, the consequences on the mathematical education of their pupils is detrimental.Previous studies have shown that (future) elementary school teachers have higher levels of math anxiety than most people studying other subjects. Here, we set out to conceptually replicate these findings (e.g., meta-analysis by Hembree, 1990) by comparing math anxiety levels of pre-service and in-service German and Belgian elementary school teachers to a reference group of German university students from various fields of study. Moreover, we questioned this finding by asking which elementary school teachers experience math anxiety, considering gender, specialization, and experience, and investigated how math anxiety relates to teaching attitudes towards math.We replicated the previous finding by showing that female elementary school teachers have a higher level of math anxiety as compared to other female students. Importantly, female elementary school teachers without math specialization indeed had higher levels of math anxiety than female students from other fields. In contrast, female elementary school teachers with math specialization did not show an increased level of math anxiety as compared to the reference sample. Considering that not only these but all teachers, regardless of specialization, teach math in elementary school in the investigated educational systems, the math anxiety of elementary school teachers is a potential problem for their pupils’ math attitudes and learning.
... Interestingly, despite many reviews of relevant literature citing one or both of the Trice and Ogden (1987) and Schmidt and Buchmann (1983) studies, and treating the apparent link between feelings towards teaching mathematics and instructional time as a robust research finding (e.g., Good & Lavigne, 2018;Haciomeroglu, 2013;Lee, 2005;Sloan, 2010;Wilkins, 2008Wilkins, , 2009), we could not identify any research from the past three decades specifically examining this issue. Coupled with the relatively low sample sizes of these studies, and the fact that they both took place in a US educational setting, re-examining this issue in a different time and cultural context with a larger sample of teachers is of great value. ...
In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle, and the amount of time teachers spent teaching mathematics. Ninety-eight primary educators were surveyed regarding their attitudes and behaviors towards mathematics instruction. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics explained variance in both teacher attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time spent on mathematics, even after relevant educator characteristics were accounted for. Findings suggest that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics in the early primary years has important implications for both the quality and quantity of mathematics instruction students receive.
... From this point, it can be said that self-efficacy can be the predictor of teachers' effectiveness in mathematics (Hashmi & Shaikh, 2011;Swackhammer, Koellner, Basile, & Kimborough, 2009). Additionally, a wide body of studies (Alkan, 2009;Fiore, 1999;Geist, 2010;Sheilds, 2006;Sloan, 2010;Stuart, 2000) determined that teachers can cause, increase or reduce students' anxiety in mathematics at all levels of schooling on account of their attitudes and behaviours along with the teaching methods and the instructional strategies they use. Swars, Daane & Giesen (2006) stated that there was a negative relationship between selfefficacy for teaching and mathematics anxiety. ...
This
study aimed to develop mathematics teaching anxiety scale for prospective
primary school teachers. It was designed based on survey method and conducted
with four sampling group consisting of 956 prospective primary school teachers
at Education Faculties in Turkey. First sampling group was consisted of 404
prospective primary school teachers and 96 out of it were involved in the
application of open-ended questions and 308 were involved in exploratory factor
analysis. 305 prospective primary school teachers in the second sampling group
participated in the confirmatory factor analysis, 108 prospective teachers in
the third group were involved in criterion validity and 139 prospective
teachers in the fourth one participated in the test-retest reliability
analysis. As a result of the principal component analysis of the Mathematics
Teaching Anxiety Scale (MTAS), it was found that the scale indicating single factor structure and consisting of 31
items (47.43% of the total variance). After suggested modifications, the scale
MTAS was constructed with 19 items. 12 items were removed from the scale and
the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out with 19 items. According
to CFA results (0≤X2 / df = 1.483≤2, RMSEA = 0.040, RMR = 0.050, AGFI = 0.908,
TLI = 0.972, CFI = 0.976, IFI = 0.976, GFI = 0.928, NFI = 0.930 and RFI =
0.919), it was confirmed that the scale structure was consisting of 19 items
and one dimension. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the final form of
Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale was calculated as 0.93.
... Y señalan que se tornan necesarias intervenciones específicas y en cierto modo individualizadas para abordar esta problemática. Respecto a los profesores en servicio, se sabe que quienes experimentan ansiedad matemática pueden transmitirla a sus alumnos (Brady y Bowd, 2005;Sloan, 2010). ...
Esta investigación reporta el caso de Diego, un profesor novel mexicano que imparte clases de matemáticas en nivel secundaria, quien experimentaba ansiedad matemática en sus clases, debido a que no conocía toda la matemática escolar que debía enseñar. Al ser detectada la situación, la primera autora de este escrito realizó con él un acompañamiento centrado en su conocimiento emocional y su conocimiento matemático. Después del acompañamiento Diego logró superar su ansiedad matemática y logró disfrutar la enseñanza de las matemáticas. La historia de superación de la ansiedad de Diego, se reporta desde el enfoque de la historia de vida.
... It is well documented that mathematics anxiety cuts across many lines, for example, gender, race, and age. There are also many factors that can bring about or heighten math anxiety, such as parental influences, negative school experiences, low math achievement, lack of confidence, and math background (Sloan, 2010). For preservice teachers this can be especially challenging, since generally they have the highest levels of math anxiety compared to other college majors (Hembree, 1990). ...
In this paper, the author examined the results of one classroom assignment submitted by preservice teachers to explore different representations of a division-by-fraction expression. Given one expression, the preservice teachers were asked to evaluate the expression, write a word problem modeling this expression, and describe an activity using manipulatives to illustrate the expression. The preservice teachers, the majority of whom are elementary generalists, were also asked to describe their math confidence in understanding the concept of division by a fraction.
This study aimed to identify the mathematics anxiety degree among newly graduated mathEMATICS teachers and its relationship to gender and experience. The descriptive-analytical approach was used. The study sample was consisting of (237) newly graduated mathematics teachers. The researchers developed a mathematics anxiety scale. Its validity and reliability were verified. The results of the study showed that the mathematics anxiety degree among newly graduated mathematics teachers was medium. And the results didn’t show a statistical significant difference among the newly graduated teachers due the to gender and experience variables. In light of the results the researchers recommended that the teachers must be encouraged to reveal their anxiety sources and to work on helping them to overcome them through technical and psychological support by educational supervisors, schools principals and their experienced colleagues.
Math anxiety plagues students and teachers and may cause reduced math competency, avoidance of math courses, and physiological symptoms. This study investigated Hispanic pre-service teachers’ math anxiety, self-efficacy, and coping strategies. Previous research found that math-anxious teachers may promote the same feelings in their students and choose less effective teaching strategies. Therefore, we wanted to identify the incidence of anxiety in our Hispanic teacher candidate population while identifying potential differences from previous studies. Very few past investigations looked at this population exclusively and findings from other populations may not apply to our candidates and teachers. We collected data using a digital survey instrument and found math anxiety correlated with low self-efficacy and poor attitudes toward mathematics. Quizzes and exams, statistics, and probability caused the most anxiety among our participants. The most common way participants coped with their anxiety was to study more, followed by mindfulness and test-taking strategies. Based on our findings, math anxiety is quite common among Hispanic teacher candidates and should be studied further since many used coping strategies that did not appear to help even though they have shown promise in previous studies.
Este artigo provém de uma tese de doutorado em desenvolvimento, no qual apresentamos análises iniciais de um dos fatores geradores de Ansiedade Matemática em professores e/ou futuros professores da educação básica. Nosso objetivo é evidenciar em que termos de pesquisas acadêmicas essas tratam as experiências negativas com a matemática enquanto fator, com potencialidade para desencadear ou aumentar Ansiedade Matemática em professores e/ou futuros professores da educação básica. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, no formato de revisão sistemática. Adotamos como aportes teóricos: Dreger e Aiken; Richardson e Suinn, Lyons e Beilock, Carmo e seus colaboradores, entre outros. Os resultados indicam que experiências negativas é um aspecto que necessita ser estudado com maior intensidade, pois são desencadeadores da Ansiedade Matemática e se apresentam em situações envolvendo a aprendizagem desta disciplina, ou seja, contextos de ansiedade sofridos por professores em exercício e/ou futuros professores durante suas trajetórias de vida e formação acadêmica.
The consequences of being anxious towards mathematics can be broad and long-lasting. They include the avoidance of mathematics, the limitation in selecting higher education courses and careers and negative feelings of guilt and shame. Several causes for mathematics anxiety have been reported with past educational experiences, and particularly primary school teachers, taking a sizeable amount of blame. As mathematics anxiety has been described as a wide-spread, detrimental emotion in the classroom, it is pertinent for primary school teachers to be confident in mathematics and well-prepared to be effective teachers of the subject. However, high incidences of mathematics anxiety have been repeatedly reported among in-service and pre-service teachers, and negative correlations found between mathematics anxiety and effectiveness when teaching mathematics. In particular, mathematics anxious female teachers have been found to influence girls’ gender-related beliefs about who is good at mathematics, which in turn negatively affects girls’ mathematics achievement. Given that females make up the majority of the primary school teaching profession in the United Arab Emirates, the context for this study, this is of concern. This chapter looks at the history of mathematics anxiety, and how it is defined and measured. The causes and consequences of mathematics anxiety, and the mathematics anxiety of UAE national pre-service teachers are discussed, and the perpetual cycle of anxiety which must be broken if we want more females in mathematics-related professions. Recommendations for breaking the cycle are made in this chapter.
El artículo tiene como objetivo determinar el rendimiento académico y errores en la resolución de tipos de problemas de aplicación de la función cuadrática, de estudiantes de enseñanza media de la Región de Los Lagos y de la Región de Los Ríos en Chile. El enfoque es cualitativo descriptivo con estudio de casos. Fueron elaboradas y aplicadas una prueba de matemática con problemas de respuesta abierta y un cuestionario de opinión. A través de los resultados, se evidencia el mayor rendimiento académico en los problemas rutinarios de contexto puramente matemático y de contexto fantasista, pero con dificultad en la resolución de problemas no rutinarios. Además, los errores con origen en las actitudes afectivas y emocionales asociados a bloqueos al iniciar la resolución, olvido a la hora de plantear la función cuadrática, prevalecen por sobre los errores con origen en un obstáculo y errores con origen en la ausencia del sentido.
Uzun yıllar, öğrenmede yoğunluklu olarak bilişsel süreçler üzerinde yoğunlaşılmıştır. 1950’li yıllardan bu yana yapılan araştırmalarda öğrenmede bilişsel süreçlerle birlikte duyuşsal ve psiko-motor süreçlerin de araştırmalara dâhil edildiği görülmektedir. Öğrenmedeki bilişsel olmayan süreçler içerisinde kaygı, tutum, motivasyon, öz-yeterlik ve akademik benlik gibi bileşenler yer almaktadır. Bu
bileşenlerden araştırmalarda en fazla ele alınanı kaygıdır. Matematik biliminin günümüzdeki önemine ek olarak, özellikle matematik dersinin ülkemizde başarının anahtarı olarak görülmesi, bu derse karşı politika yapıcıların, öğrencilerin, öğretmenlerin ve ebeveynlerin beklentilerini farklılaştırabilmektedir. Bu beklentiler eğitimle ilişki tüm paydaşlar üzerinde matematiksel kaygılara neden olabilmektedir. Matematik kaygısı çevresel, durumsal ve psikolojik ve duygusal
sebeplerden kaynaklı oluşabilmekte ve gelişebilmektedir. Bu nedenle, matematik kaygısının çok yönlü ele alınması gerekir. Bu düşüncelerden yola çıkarak yazılan kitap ülkemizde matematik kaygısını kapsamlı bir şekilde ele alan ilk kitap olma özelliği taşımaktadır. Matematik kaygısı üzerine yapılmış güncel araştırmalarla kitap dokuz bölümden oluşmaktadır. Bölüm yazarlarının hepsi matematik kaygısı
üzerine araştırma deneyimlerine sahiptir. Kitabın özellikle politika yapıcılara, öğretmenlere, öğretmen adaylarına ve ebeveynlere matematik kaygısının tüm yönlerini anlama konusunda ışık tutacağına inancındayız. Kitabın ortaya çıkmasındaki katkılarından dolayı bölüm yazarlarına ve yayınevine teşekkürlerimizi sunarız. Keyifli okumalar…
Preservice elementary school teachers are under ever increasing pressure to deliver quality mathematics instruction to their students. Mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy are constructs that are commonly measured in preservice elementary school teachers and are used to help identify future challenges these preservice teachers might have when teaching mathematics. Mathematics teaching anxiety is a relatively new construct measured in preservice elementary school teachers. Mathematics teaching anxiety aims to separate the anxiety experienced when doing mathematics from the anxiety experienced when teaching mathematics. This study used a modified version of an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to examine the relationship between mathematics anxiety, mathematics teaching anxiety, and mathematics teacher efficacy in preservice elementary school teachers in Ontario. Participants were preservice elementary school teachers across six teacher education programs in Ontario. Questionnaire data was gathered from 185 participants, 16 of whom were also interviewed. Results indicate that mathematics teaching anxiety is significantly correlated to both mathematics teacher efficacy and mathematics anxiety, but there was a lack of correlation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy. These results indicate that mathematics teaching anxiety does interact with mathematics anxiety; however, mathematics teacher efficacy and the introduction of mathematics teaching anxiety may disrupt the previous belief that mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy are negatively correlated. Furthermore, interview and short answer responses showed that preservice elementary school teachers who were mathematically anxious were aware of their anxieties and developed methods of overcoming their feelings while maintaining effective teaching practices.
The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to measure elementary preservice teachers’ emotions about teaching science and mathematics. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire, Teacher Emotion for teaching Science and Mathematics (TESaM), was designed and pilot and field tested with a sample of preservice elementary teachers in the United States. Using the rating scale Rasch model, results showed that the TESaM can produce reliable and valid measures of preservice teachers’ emotions concerning teaching science and mathematics. Based on measures from the TESaM, we found that elementary preservice teachers had more positive emotions about teaching science than about teaching mathematics. Additionally, when comparing emotions overall, preservice elementary teachers experienced greater Anxiety than Anger and Joy over teaching both content areas. Implications for teacher educators and future research are discussed.
The results reported herein represent the quantitative portion of a mixed method investigation that employed a non-equivalent control group design conducted to determine the effects of teaching methods on math anxiety and achievement among preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematics course. Two teaching methods, inquiry-based learning (IBL) and direct instruction (DI), were compared. These results indicated that math anxiety decreased significantly for the IBL group while increasing for the DI group over the course of an academic semester. There was no difference in measured learning outcomes between the two groups. A significant negative correlation between math anxiety and student achievement, however, was found. Qualitative results, discussed in a companion article, contextualize these findings and reveal that the participants attributed varying levels of math anxiety to several factors including course content, teaching methods, assessments, and student behaviors.
This study investigated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on math anxiety and math self-concept in elementary school students using an experimental design. For this study, we selected 30 students with high mathematics anxiety and low mathematics self-concept from a larger sample of 142 elementary school students in Arak City, Iran. We randomly assigned participants to either the control or treatment group. The treatment group took part in a 12-session program based on a cognitive-behavioral approach. Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) and PALMA math self-concept were used to measure math anxiety and mathematics self-concept. The finding shows that participants in the treatment group reported statistically lower mathematics anxiety and higher mathematics self-concept after participating in group sessions based on CBT intervention
Learning Under the Lens: Applying Findings from the Science of Learning to the Classroom highlights the innovative approach being undertaken by researchers from the disparate fields of neuroscience, education and psychology working together to gain a better understanding of how we learn, and its potential to impact student learning outcomes.
The book is structured in four parts: ‘Science of learning: a policy perspective’ sets the scene for this emerging field of research; ‘Self regulation of learning’ and ‘Technology and learning’ feature findings by eminent international and national researchers in the field and provides an insight into some of the innovative research illustrating the depth, breadth and multi-disciplinarity of the research; and ‘Research translation’ focuses on the scaled-up implementation of research findings in authentic learning settings, and showcases research findings which are having impact in learning environments.
This fascinating book is intended as a reference tool to create awareness among researchers, policy makers, and education practitioners of the research being undertaken in the science of learning field and its potential to impact student learning outcomes.
Erschienen in: mathematica didactica
This article gives an overview of instruments und designs applied in studies published in English and German (N = 30) since 1998 measuring mathematics anxiety among pre-service teachers. Additionally, findings from intervention studies (N = 14) will be presented that aimed at the reduction of math anxiety. The review shows that math anxiety among pre-service teachers has been assessed predominantly by inventories presenting mathematics-related situations. In addition to the prevalence of math anxiety, findings refer to the correlation of math anxiety with math proficiency/qualification in math, competence beliefs, prior experience in school, math-related attitudes/beliefs, and anxiety to teach mathematics. Further results are given for differences of gender, subject choice, and years of study in the teacher education program. Courses in mathematics didactics were the most common form of intervention that proved effective in reducing math anxiety.
Early childhood preservice teachers participated in a qualitative multiple case study to explore and examine the effectiveness of reform-based constructivist methods used in a mathematics methods course to change their mathematics anxiety, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Findings indicated that instructor’s use of a variety of reform-based strategies to teach and model concepts were effective in reducing their mathematics anxiety and improving their mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs. Based on these findings, it is recommended that mathematics methods course instructors use reform-based constructivist methods in their courses as outlined by the NCTM’s (2014) principles. Teacher educators must also consider carefully their attitudes and disposition toward mathematics along with the type of classroom and learning environment they establish in mathematics methods courses. They must emphasize conceptual understanding during mathematics methods courses, understand the connection between preservice teachers’ mathematics anxiety and mathematics efficacy beliefs, and integrate field experiences as well as peer teaching opportunities into mathematics methods courses.
This article outlines the mathematics anxiety profiles of Mexican and German students by means of a questionnaire that has been drawn up ex professo. The mathematics anxiety can be defined around three description terms: beliefs, attitudes and emotions. The authors establish a Mathematics anxiety index and when they put it into practice they observe that the German students tend to obtain a higher value, which means that they have a higher level of mathematics anxiety. The differences in the values of the Mathematics anxiety index can be understood in terms of cultural differences. This interpretation can be consistent with the cultural differences and matches the obtained results.
resumen Se determinan los perfiles de ansiedad matemática de estudiantes mexicanos y estudiantes alemanes por medio de la aplicación de un cuestionario desarrollado ex profeso. La ansiedad matemática se define en términos de tres descriptores: creencias, actitudes y emociones. Los autores definen un Índice de Ansiedad Matemática, al aplicarlo encuentran que los estudiantes alemanes presentan un valor mayor de dicho Índice, lo que significa que tienen una mayor nivel de ansiedad matemática. Las diferencias en los valores del Índice de Ansiedad Matemática se interpretan en términos de diferencias culturales. La interpretación parece ser consistente con las diferencias culturales y se ajusta a los resultados obtenidos. Palabras clave: ansiedad matemática, diferencias culturales, estudiantes alemanes, estudiantes mexi-canos. Cristina Eccius-Wellmann ceccius@up.edu.mx Mexicana. Doctora en Educación Matemática por la Universidad de Hamburgo, Alemania. Profesora investigadora de la Escuela de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad Panamericana, campus Guadalajara, México. Temas de investigación: errores algebraicos y su procedencia, enseñanza-aprendizaje de las matemáticas, ansiedad matemática y confianza en la matemática y en las tic.
The goal of this chapter is to gain a better understanding of the experiences of mathematics anxiety that some women elementary preservice teachers encounter while learning mathematics during their own K-12 years. Specifically, this chapter is an analysis of the personal well-remembered events (WREs) told and recorded by women during their preservice teaching professional sequence. These narrative writings provide a powerful voice for the degree to which mathematics anxiety shape preservice teachers’ beliefs on what it means to learn mathematics. This intersection of teacher knowledge is important, as these are women who are on the professional track to teach mathematics. The focused analysis for this chapter is aimed at ways in which teacher preparation programs could broaden current views of women who have anxiety and confidence issues in mathematics.
This study explores the attitudes of mathematics pre-service teachers, based on their initial exposure to a model-eliciting challenge. The new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement determines that mathematics students should be able to identify, investigate and solve problems via modelling. The unpreparedness of mathematics teachers in teaching modelling is widely recognized. Modelling was thus included for the first time in the mathematics education curriculum of a South African university. Based on their modelling exposure, the participants revealed their attitudes via an Attitudes towards Mathematics Modelling Inventory. The Mann Whitney U-test detected significant differences between gender and achievement groups. Most participants displayed positive attitudes towards modelling, even after this brief exposure. The main implications of the study are that the modelling competencies of mathematics pre-service-teachers could be strengthened during their formal education by lecturers that adopt an appropriate modelling pedagogy that takes cognizance of their attitudes, while gradually building their confidence.
Reports normative, reliability, and validity data for the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS), a measure of mathematics anxiety for use in treatment and research. Normative data were collected on a sample of 397 undergraduates. The instrument has high test-retest and internal consistency reliability. Evidence for validity comes from 3 studies in which MARS scores showed expected decreases following behavior therapy for mathematics anxiety, and a separate validity study in which MARS scores were found to correlate negatively with scores on a mathematics test. Possible uses of the instrument in treatment and research are discussed. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The nature and quality of a child's early exposure to mathematics is a matter of ongoing concern in our profession. This concern has been amplified recently by the studies relating to “math anxiety” in children and adults (Tobias 1976). At the same time, research continues on the relative significance of biological and environmental factors on mathematical achievement (Fennema 1974, Hilton and Berglund 1974). The conclusions of these studies are in some cases confusing and even conflicting, but nearly all recognize that a person's environment has some effect on her or his mathematical ability and interest.
Results of 151 studies were integrated by meta-analysis to scrutinize the construct mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety is related to poor performance on mathematics achievement tests. It relates inversely to positive attitudes toward mathematics and is bound directly to avoidance of the subject. Variables that exhibit differential mathematics anxiety levels include ability, school grade level, and undergraduate fields of study, with preservice arithmetic teachers especially prone to mathematics anxiety. Females display higher levels than males. However, mathematics anxiety appears more strongly linked with poor performance and avoidance of mathematics in precollege males than females. A variety of treatments are effective in reducing mathematics anxiety. Improved mathematics performance consistently accompanies valid treatment.
Math anxiety affects both sexes, and is not the cause of imbalance in mathematical professions. Attempts to broaden perceptions of mathematics deal only with the symptoms of math anxiety. The principal cause is the methodology used to teach mathematics. Problem-solving processes must be employed. (MNS)
This study analyzed the math anxiety levels of 53 elementary preservice teachers before and after a mathematics methods course. Additional information was gathered about factors that played a part in creating their math anxiety. Interviews were conducted with those showing the greatest math anxiety differences between pretest and posttest scores. The study showed that there was a significant reduction in the level of math anxiety at the end of the methods course. Factors causing the original anxiety centered around an emphasis on right answers, word problems, fear of making mistakes, timed tests, and confidence levels. Math anxiety levels were discussed with the preservice teachers at the end of the study. It is recommended that preservice teachers be made aware of their individual levels of math anxiety and learn ways of preventing their own negative dispositions toward mathematics from being transmitted to their future elementary students.
The author's personal experiences in overcoming mathematics anxiety provide insights into how teachers can create a classroom environment to help students develop self-confidence by assessing students' feelings, using cooperative-learning techniques, showing more patience, and having students write about their experiences. (MDH)
Defines math anxiety and discusses some of its sources. Suggests methods for instructors in postsecondary institutions to help learners become successful in mathematics. (Contains 33 references.) (JOW)
In her 1972 study, Lucy Sells (1978) indicated that 92 percent of the female first-year students in the University of California had such inadequate mathematics preparation that they had effectively closed the door on 70 percent of the career choice available to them. Sell's conclusions and subsequent research on math avoidance were the bases for the resarch we conducted during the 1980-1981 school year at the University of Minnesota, Morris a liberal art college with an enrollment of 1700. This study was directed at documenting math avoidance among female students on the campus.
This research article examines math anxiety in pre-service teachers. The Mathematics Anxiety Scale-Revised (MARS-R) was administered to 481 university students. Significant results were found in areas of gender, educational level, and educational major. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)
Sixty-five preservice elementary teachers' math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach elementary mathematics and science were measured. The confidence scores of subjects in different math anxiety groups were compared and the relationships between their math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach mathematics and science were investigated. The results suggest that low math anxious preservice teachers are more confident to teach elementary mathematics and science than are their peers having higher levels of math anxiety. Negative correlations were found between preservice teachers' math anxiety and their confidence scores to teach elementary mathematics (r = −.638) and between preservice teachers' math anxiety and their confidence scores to teach elementary science (r = -.417). Also, personal math and science teaching self-efficacy scores of participants were found to be correlated at .01 level (r =.549).
In an attempt to find ways of reducing the mathematical anxiety of preservice elementary teachers, three cases were investigated. The first was a section of mathematics for elementary teachers taught in a very traditional manner, and the second was the same course taught in a manner consistent with the recent recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The third case included two sections of a methods course which covered the same mathematical content, as well as addressing how it should be taught to children. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Adults was administered before and after the courses. No significant reduction of anxiety was measured in either mathematics section, but both sections of the methods course showed a significant reduction.
The study investigated the changes in levels of mathematics anxiety among pre-service teachers in six different sections of
a mathematics method courses for early childhood/elementary education pre-service teachers. The changes were a function of
using Bruner’s framework of developing conceptual knowledge before procedural knowledge and using manipulatives and other
activities to make mathematics concepts more concrete and meaningful. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative
measures. Two hundred forty-six pre-service teachers completed a 98-item Likert-type survey. Informal discussions, informal
interviews, and questionnaire-guided narrative interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers. Data revealed a statistically
significant reduction in mathematics anxiety in pre-service teachers (p<.001) who completed a mathematics methods course that emphasized Bruner’s model of concept development. Results of the
study have implications for teacher education programs concerning how future teachers are trained, the measurement of mathematics
anxiety levels among pre-service teachers, and the determination of specific contexts in which mathematics anxiety can be
interpreted and reduced.
Contenido: Parte I.Cuestiones conceptuales en la investigación cualitativa: Naturaleza de la investigación cualitativa; Temas estratégicos en la investigación cualitativa; Diversidad en la investigación cualitativa: orientaciones teóricas; Aplicaciones cualitativas particulares. Parte II. Diseños cualitativos y recolección de datos: Estudios de diseños cualitativos; Estrategias de trabajo de campo y métodos de observación; Entrevistas cualitativas. Parte III. Análisis, interpretación e informe: Análisis cualitativo e interpretación; Incrementar la calidad y la credibilidad del análisis cualitativo.
Causes underlying pre-service teachers' negative beliefs and anxieties about mathematics. Paper presented at the 28th conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education
- L Uusimaki
- R Nason
Uusimaki, L., and R. Nason. 2004. Causes underlying pre-service teachers' negative beliefs and anxieties about mathematics. Paper presented at the 28th conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, July 14–18,