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Memories of Math: Narrative Predictors of Math Affect, Math Motivation, and Future Math Plans
Abstract
This mixed-methods study focuses on narratives that undergraduates tell about pivotal moments (i.e., turning points) in their prior history with math. A key objective was to examine whether these turning points would be associated with participants’ current math affect, math motivation, and future plans with math. Undergraduate participants (N = 210) completed quantitative measures assessing math anxiety, math self-expectancy, and math value, and also wrote narratives about a turning point with math and their future math plans. Thematic analysis revealed four themes in the math turning point narratives: (1) redemption, (2) contamination, (3) consistently positive, and (4) consistently negative. Quantitative analyses indicated that participants who wrote consistently positive narratives reported significantly lower math anxiety and higher math self-expectancy and math value relative to participants who wrote other types of narratives. Further, participants who wrote consistently negative turning point narratives were more likely to indicate that they would avoid math in the future. These results suggest that an individual’s memory of their early math experiences can color their math affect, math motivation, and plans for pursuing math in the future, even years after the experience has occurred. Implications for math education are discussed.
... Recognizing the ethical framework and the most prominent value systems of STEM education is essential because STEM literacy is rapidly becoming required in workplaces. Thus, STEM education is of prime importance in the current curriculum at all levels [10][11][12][13][14]. However, STEM programs in higher education tend to have high dropout rates [14,15], the causes of which are manifold [16]. ...
... However, STEM programs in higher education tend to have high dropout rates [14,15], the causes of which are manifold [16]. Some studies have attributed this to performance anxiety [10,16], the development of a scientific identity [13,14,17], the sacrifices that a STEM career may imply [12], and marginalization [12][13][14]18,19]. Xie et al. [2] classified the determinants of education into contextual, family, and personal factors. ...
... Math anxiety is also related to more negative personal views of math." [10] Perceived value of science "Task value is conceptualized as multifaceted, with individuals valuing tasks or domains for multiple reasons including the personal importance of a task or domain because of its relevance to their personal and collective (or social) identities (i.e., attainment value). Attainment value in particular is conceptualized as a central, defining component of an individual's personal and collective identities." ...
Introduction
Values are crucial in decision-making, including processes related to science and technology, despite scientists often being unaware of them. Because a goal of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is to foster innovation, values have become fundamental in directing science and technology policies and shaping organizational cultures to leverage innovation. However, most research on STEM education has focused on improving performance or access to STEM education while overlooking its axiological configuration. This study analyzes the different value systems emerging in the current literature on STEM higher education and identifies the relevant stakeholders.
Method
In this systematic review and ethical meta-analysis, we aimed to assess the most prominent studies on STEM education and its core values. We followed a Ricoeur-inspired hermeneutical methodology using Atlas ti 8.4.4. Values are identified and classified using a systematic approach to integrate axiological landscapes.
Results
The literature does not explicitly discuss the value of STEM education for innovation. However, social values appear to be at the intersection and the cornerstone of basic, economic, aesthetic, and epistemic values, as most social values also manifest these four systems. The most common manifestation of the value system is the capability approach to justice, followed by the beauty of recognition and success and, in third place, racism and social disparities. The analyzed literature emphasizes STEM education's social, political, and economic determinants. However, there is an epistemic gap in the indispensable value of innovating and assessing STEM education.
Conclusions
We propose an organizational culture model for STEM education that considers the goals, ends, values, and behaviors of students, teachers, educational institutions, and the government. This model can help fill the axiological gaps in STEM education.
... While genetic-biological differences may account for higher math anxiety in females (Júlio-Costa et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2014), social agents, such as parents and teachers, have gender-biased expectations of math competence (Beilock et al., 2010;Gunderson et al., 2011;Lau et al., 2022), and these influence the development of math anxiety. A few studies have investigated the impact of math anxiety on career choice while controlling for gender (Ahmed, 2018;Daker et al., 2021;Huang et al., 2019;John et al., 2020;Megreya & Al-Emadi, 2023;Morán-Soto & González-Peña, 2022). Some have found that students (both boys and girls) who report consistent or increasing negative experiences with math are more likely to avoid math courses (Ahmed, 2018;John et al., 2020), and this, in turn, may result in avoidance of math-intensive careers. ...
... A few studies have investigated the impact of math anxiety on career choice while controlling for gender (Ahmed, 2018;Daker et al., 2021;Huang et al., 2019;John et al., 2020;Megreya & Al-Emadi, 2023;Morán-Soto & González-Peña, 2022). Some have found that students (both boys and girls) who report consistent or increasing negative experiences with math are more likely to avoid math courses (Ahmed, 2018;John et al., 2020), and this, in turn, may result in avoidance of math-intensive careers. Recently, math anxiety was found to predict university students' enrollment in STEM courses over and above math ability for both genders (Daker et al., 2021). ...
... The findings suggest that math anxiety has a negative link with students' aspirations for a career with a high math intensity, regardless of gender (as in Ahmed, 2018;Daker et al., 2021). Continuous negative math experiences resulting in avoidance patterns (Choe et al., 2019;John et al., 2020) may account for these findings, challenging gender segregation theories (Else-Quest et al., 2010;Stoet et al., 2016). ...
Background
Links between math anxiety and the choice of a math-intensive career might change over development and differ by gender. The study included three research populations: primary school (N = 87, 48 females, mean age = 10.2), high school (N = 107, 61 females, mean age = 15.7), and university students (N = 100, 53 females, mean age = 27.4). Students completed a math anxiety questionnaire and reported their desired career choice.
Results
Findings suggest that math anxiety directly predicted the career choice math intensity for high school and university students, but not primary school students. Gender had a direct effect on younger students, as female students attending primary and high school preferred careers with a lower math intensity. The effect of gender on career choice math intensity for university students was not direct but mediated by math anxiety.
Conclusions
It is crucial to identify young students with math anxiety and provide appropriate math anxiety reduction programs to reduce the cumulative effect of math anxiety on academic achievement and career choice.
... 10,33,34 More recently, a mixed methods approach was used to study math anxiety. 35 They asked participants to complete a series of self-report measures in addition to providing written narratives concerning pivotal moments (i.e., turning points) in their prior history with math. A higher level of math anxiety was associated with negative narratives. ...
... While care must be taken not to assume causal effects, work has emphasized the complex nature of memories associated with prior math events and it appears that negative appraisals may have an important role to play in the development, maintenance, and/or exacerbation of math anxiety. 35 An interpretation account of math anxiety 27 points toward a cyclical process that perpetuates the development and maintenance of math anxiety. Those who are high in math anxiety may impose maladaptive interpretative narratives toward their math experiences, which in turn impacts math anxiety, self-efficacy, and attitudes. ...
... This aligns with previous findings, whereby negative math experiences form a major theme in the narratives of individuals high in math anxiety. 21,25,35 Given the evidence that many people think about previous math experiences during mathematical problem solving, 36 an individual's (negative) appraisal of taking the tests. A conversation could take place in which such incongruency could be explored to modify a student's cognitions regarding their math learning. ...
Math anxiety affects many people, from young children through to older adults. While there has been debate concerning the developmental trajectory of math anxiety and negative math attitudes, little attention has been given to the role of appraisals of previous math experiences. We surveyed 308 adults (mean age = 27.56 years, SD = 11.25) and assessed self‐reported measures of math anxiety, mathematical resilience, math attitudes, and appraisal of previous math experiences. As hypothesized, all variables were found to be interrelated. Math anxiety was significantly negatively related to appraisal of previous math experiences, mathematical resilience, and math attitudes. Moreover, appraisal of previous math experiences was shown to mediate the relations between (1) math anxiety and math attitudes, and (2) mathematical resilience and math attitudes. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering current appraisals of previous math experiences and are consistent with an interpretation account of math anxiety. This may help inform cognitive‐based interventions that focus on one's interpretation of past events to support current and future math learning and engagement.
... The present study has two limitations. First, prior studies demonstrated that mathematics anxiety in early elementary school is associated with teachers' attitudes and behaviors (Beilock et al., 2010;John et al., 2020). For example, teachers who are anxious about their own mathematics skills can potentially pass their negative attitude about mathematics to their students (Maloney & Beilock, 2012). ...
... For example, MEA can be reduced by expressive writing (Ramirez & Beilock, 2011) and reappraising stress arousal (Jamieson et al., 2021). In contrast, LMA can be decreased by positive mathematics value (John et al., 2020) and mathematics strategy training (Passolunghi et al., 2020). ...
There has been growing interest in the relation among students’ perceived teacher support, mathematics learning engagement, and mathematics anxiety in the last decade. Longitudinal models are needed to provide new insights into the role of engagement in mathematics learning. Based on the control-value theory and developmental dynamic bio-psycho-social model of mathematics anxiety, the present study followed 1796 students from Grades 3 to 6 to investigate the longitudinal associations among perceived teacher support and two conceptually distinct dimensions of mathematics anxiety (i.e., mathematics evaluation anxiety and learning mathematics anxiety). We further explored the potential mediator effects of mathematics learning engagement between perceived teacher support and mathematics anxiety. We found bidirectional longitudinal associations between teacher support and learning mathematics anxiety from Grade 3 to grade 6, as well as unidirectional longitudinal associations between teacher support and mathematics evaluation anxiety (from mathematics evaluation anxiety to teacher support). Furthermore, mathematics learning engagement mediated the relation between perceived teacher support and mathematics anxiety (including learning mathematics anxiety and mathematics evaluation anxiety). These findings highlight the importance of understanding the dynamic interplay among perceived teacher support, mathematics learning engagement, and mathematics anxiety from a developmental perspective.
... Students' early math experiences have an impact on students' math affect, motivation, and pursuit of a career in math (John et al., 2020). Nevertheless, it is suggested that students' motivation in mathematics decreased over a period of early adolescence (Reindl et al., 2015). ...
... A certain level of mathematical knowledge is crucial for those who plan to major in relevant fields and apply mathematics as a professional skill to their career fields (Nortvedt & Siqveland, 2019). Even though mathematics plays a key role in various career opportunities, some students struggle with a lack of competence in their mathematics abilities or understand the value of mathematical learning (Hourigan & O'Donoghue, 2007;John et al., 2020;Nortvedt & Siqveland, 2019). As a number of students struggle in their mathematics courses, concerns regarding motivation become salient (George, 2012). ...
Background
Applied Calculus courses serve hundreds of thousands of undergraduates as quantitative preparation and gatekeepers across diverse fields of study. The current study investigated how motivational factors are associated with students’ learning outcomes in Applied Calculus courses from the perspective of self-determination theory—a sound comprehensive motivation theory that has been supported by considerable research in psychology and education. In order to have a nuanced understanding of students’ motivation and learning in Applied Calculus courses, we used three different types of learning measures to investigate students’ mathematics achievement, including course grades, a standardized knowledge exam, and students’ perceived knowledge transferability.
Results
We tested the relationships between motivational factors and learning outcomes with a multi-semester sample of 3226 undergraduates from 188 Applied Calculus classrooms. To increase the precision of our analysis, we controlled for three demographic variables that are suggested to be relevant to mathematics achievement: gender, minority group status, and socioeconomic status. With a series of multilevel modeling analyses, the results reveal that: (1) competence satisfaction predicts college students’ mathematics achievement over and above the satisfaction of needs for autonomy and relatedness; and (2) autonomous motivation is a more powerful predictor of college students’ mathematics achievement than controlled motivation and amotivation. These findings are consistent across different types of learning outcomes.
Conclusions
Self-determination theory provides an effective framework for understanding college students’ motivation and learning in Applied Calculus courses. This study extends self-determination theory in the field of mathematics education and contributes to the dialogue on advancing undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by providing evidence to understand how motivational factors are associated with students’ learning outcomes in undergraduate mathematics courses.
... They also considered mathematics as one of the hated disciplines, they have a negative attitude towards it, and that they hardly see the importance or relevance of this subject to their course. Thus, these groups of students resemble the characteristics prone to motivated forgetting [29]- [35]. ...
... Thus, this could be inferred that the student-respondents had difficulty in Analytic Geometry or mathematics as a whole. Further, as described earlier, the characteristics of these groups of students were prone to motivated forgetting [29]- [35]. ...
span>Retention is the ability to retain information in the mind, either in short-term or long-term memory. Memory in the long-term is more ideal. Thus, this has become a challenge for educators on how to transfer ideas in short-term memory to long-term memory. To concretize the effect of time on mathematics learning retention, a randomized pre-test post-test x groups design, using matched subjects was used in the study. Seven matched groups of students were identified, and took the pre-test as the basis of the initial amount of learning, after which a group of students was assigned to take the post-test every week for seven weeks. The post-tests results were the basis of the amount of retained learning of the students. The study found out that: i) The amount of retained learning among the students diminished following a negative exponential curve; ii) The amount of retained learning was comparably equal with the initial amount of learning up to the second week; iii) The amount of retained learning became incomparable with the initial amount of learning after the third week; and iv) The concepts in the knowledge level had a great chance to be remembered while the concept with analysis level was prone to motivated forgetting.</span
... Among these studies, two demonstrate negative associations between math teacher support and child math anxiety (Ahmed et al., 2010;O'Leary et al., 2017). Several qualitative studies have attempted to identify other contextual factors underlying the ontogeny of math anxiety by interviewing undergraduate students and preservice teachers (John et al., 2020;Markovits, 2011;Trujillo & Hadfield, 1999). In these studies, interviewees identified dimensions of negative math learning experiences that led to heightened levels of math anxiety. ...
... These dimensions included consistently poor math performance and unpleasant interactions with math teachers, tutors, friends, or parents (e.g., lack of support from these individuals ;John et al., 2020;Markovits, 2011;Trujillo & Hadfield, 1999). ...
Despite the well-documented negative implications of math anxiety on math learning, a scarcity of theory-guided, long-term longitudinal research limits knowledge about how math anxiety develops over time. Guided by the Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions (Pekrun, 2006), the present study addresses this gap by examining (1) how math anxiety develops in tandem with the development of control and value appraisals across secondary schooling, and (2) how these three constructs co-develop in relation to characteristics of home and school contexts. We used growth mixture modeling to investigate how math anxiety, math self-concept (a frequently examined indicator of control appraisal), and math utility value (one dimension of math value) develop in parallel in a sample of 3116 adolescents, who were assessed annually across middle and high school. We identified three trajectory classes: a stable class, characterized by stably modest math anxiety, high math self-concept, and high math utility value, a linear change class, characterized by increasing math anxiety and decreasing math self-concept and utility value, and a fluctuating class, characterized by curvilinear changes in math anxiety, math self-concept, and math utility value. Parental academic support and teacher bias differentiated the stable class from the fluctuating class at the transition to middle school, and from the linear change class at the transition to high school. Our findings point to the heterogeneous contributions of control and value appraisals towards the development of math anxiety and highlight the importance of investigating multiple dimensions of the socio-ecological context at different stages of math anxiety development.
... A narrative of mathematical experiences can be positive or negative, even if two students described a parallel turning point with mathematics. For example, John et al. (2020) identified two undergraduate students whose turning point with mathematics was that they had performed poorly. In their appraisals, one student interpreted the outcome for their turning point as the need to work harder while another student determined their outcome would be to abandon current career goals. ...
... In their appraisals, one student interpreted the outcome for their turning point as the need to work harder while another student determined their outcome would be to abandon current career goals. John et al. (2020) concluded that reporting consistently negative memories coincided with plans to avoid mathematics. ...
In this study, we explored the effect of delayed enrollment in college-level mathematics upon entry into a 4-year university for students who were not placed into remedial mathematics (i.e. college ready). For students who attempted a mathematics course, delayed enrollment in mathematics did not have an effect on GPA, graduating within 6-years or passing and failing their first mathematics course suggesting a delay in mathematics enrollment may benefit some students. However, the majority of students who did not graduate within 6-years never attempted a mathematics course. Almost all of those students were non-STEM majors. An implication of our study is that students in non-STEM should be encouraged to complete a mathematics course early within their degree versus avoiding mathematics.
... In addition, according to the motivational theory of emotion, children's math anxiety can reduce their interest and motivation in learning math by negatively impacting their enthusiasm and initiative. This lack of emotion and motivation may result in insufficient investment in math learning, ultimately leading to reduced math achievement (John et al., 2020;. Research based on behavioral tests has confirmed that individuals with increased math anxiety tend to avoid math problems (Choe et al., 2019); this, in turn, hinders math achievement (Wang et al., 2021). ...
Introduction
This cross-sectional study examined the mechanisms underlying adolescent math achievement by investigating the relationship between parents’ rearing styles (including different dimensions of rearing style) and adolescent self-control, math anxiety, and math achievement based on the ecological systems theory.
Method
A total of 584 junior high school students (M age = 12.52) completed the Parenting Style Questionnaire, Self-control Scale, and Math Anxiety Rating Scale and provided their math test scores.
Results
The rearing styles of both fathers and mothers directly predicted adolescents’ math achievement. Maternal rearing style indirectly predicted adolescents’ math achievement through their self-control and math anxiety; however, the indirect effect of paternal rearing style on adolescents’ math achievement was not significant. After distinguishing the three dimensions of rearing styles, we found that paternal emotional warmth can increase adolescents’ self-control, while maternal emotional warmth can reduce adolescents’ self-control. Further, paternal overprotectiveness can directly and positively predict adolescents’ math achievement, while maternal rejection and overprotectiveness can positively predict adolescents’ math achievement. None of the three dimensions of rearing styles can predict math achievement through adolescents’ self-control; however, they can predict math achievement indirectly through adolescents’ math anxiety and the chain-mediation of adolescents’ self-control and math anxiety.
Discussion
Our results suggest both commonalities and differences in how paternal and maternal rearing styles, along with their three dimensions (emotional warmth, rejection, overprotection), predict adolescent math achievement. These findings highlight the importance of paternal and maternal rearing styles on adolescents’ math achievement and underscore the need to examine them separately to better understand their impact.
... A worldwide phenomenon is people's prejudice towards mathematics; even though they are immersed in daily activities, a high percentage of the population rejects them, which is typical (Foley et al., 2017;Pantoja et al., 2020). Faced with this situation, it is affirmed that the experiences of basic training are transcendental in the perspectives of the students (John et al., 2020); therefore, the participation of parents in the learning of mathematics and the assertive incentive from an early age is essential to achieve a high interest in the referred subject so that during the following years, the student can maintain a positive attitude towards mathematics, increasing the probability of achieving the expected academic success (Sun et al., 2020). Moreover, the learning created early is highly related to academic performance in the university stage and daily life (Alzahrani et al., 2023). ...
Within the educational context, mathematics is one of the areas that contributes to the development of logical skills and analytical abilities in students. Mastering these skills allows for greater accessibility to understand various fields of study such as engineering, science, technology, among others. Therefore, it is important for educational institutions to intervene proactively, promoting a practical approach in the teaching of mathematics. Although educational institutions have promoted good interaction between teachers and students for better learning, this situation was subject to change due to the arrival of the pandemic; the rapid transition to virtual environments affected the quality of mathematics education due to the lack of good resources. In this context, the research question arises: are students satisfied with the learning modality through virtual environments? To answer this question, a quantitative, cross-sectional research method was applied, and applying a non-probabilistic sampling, 402 university students were surveyed. Through the analysis with structural equations (SEM), it was found that self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, and ease of use have a positive and significant influence on student satisfaction when learning mathematics in virtual environments; therefore, the importance of giving students the appropriate support to develop a positive attitude, confidence, and development of skills that promote self-efficacy, enjoyment, and motivation towards mathematics is framed, also ensuring the availability of technological resources that optimize the conditions and learning experience in virtual environments. Received: 20 January 2024 / Accepted: 29 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024
... . In mathematics education, identity is also crucial because it provides a new perspective in explaining why some students underachieve or disengage from mathematics without indicating their prior abilities (Cribbs et al., 2015;Graven & Heyd-Metzuyanim, 2019;John et al., 2020;Miller & Wang, 2019). Relevant research is scarce when involving primary education students or diverse cultural contexts. ...
Based on the expectancy-value perspective on identity and identity formation, this paper explores the relationship between math identity (MI) and the dimensions of motivation (i.e. intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value and perceived competence) and math achievement in primary school. An additional aim of our research was to explore these relationships in different cultural contexts and investigate potential gender and grade differences concerning MI. The participants were 11,782 primary school students from Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Portugal and Serbia. All predictors from the motivation spectrum were significant for students’ MI across the examined countries and had a stronger association with MI than math achievement. Among the motivational dimensions, intrinsic value had the strongest association with students’ MI. Boys had significantly more positive math identities than girls in Estonia, Finland, Norway and Portugal. The results showed that the grade 4 students perceived themselves less as “math persons” than their grade 3 peers in all countries.
... This study takes a multifaceted approach, integrating existing literature and students' self-reflections to investigate the intricate nuances of student experiences regarding success and challenges in PBL math classes. Such research is of utmost importance, as students' experience of success and challenges have significant implications on their academic achievement (Feather, 1966;Jansen et al., 2013), self-concept (Pajares & Schunk, 2001;Schunk, 1984), motivation (John et al., 2020), and attitudes towards the subject (Tulis & Ainley, 2011). Using grounded theory, we investigated students' experiences with success and challenges along three dimensions -emotional, cognitive, and social. ...
This study takes a multifaceted approach, integrating existing literature and 36 students' self-reflections to investigate the intricate nuances of student experiences regarding success and challenges in PBL math classrooms. Approximately 2000 minutes of classroom interactions and 700 minutes of student interviews were recorded and analyzed in depth. Along the emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions, we characterized six ways in which the students experienced success and five ways in which they experienced challenges in two PBL math classrooms. Key takeaways and suggestions for promoting students' experience of success and for reducing the likelihood of students experiencing unhealthy difficulty in PBL contexts are discussed.
... For a person to become quantitatively literate they require a positive impact on their affective domain, considering that the cognitive and affective domain are intimately linked (Krathwohl et al., 1964). However, researchers have noted that students often have negative experiences in mathematics courses and that these unpleasant experiences evolve into negative affective domain impacts (e.g., math anxiety, math avoidance, and math phobia) as they continue their education as adults (e.g., Hunt & Maloney, 2022;Jameson, 2020;John et al., 2020). As such, a large proportion of college students in the United States claim to have moderate to high levels of math anxiety: an estimated 25% of 4-year college students and up to 80% of community college students (Yeager, as cited in Chang & Beilock, 2016). ...
... However, extending Dweck's (1999) theory, we examine a somewhat wider array of motivational, behavioral, and affective outcomes, bringing in additional theories of motivation, behavior, and affect to explore in the present data. This decision is supported by empirical evidence that finds that students' motivation, behavior, and affect are important predictors of their achievement, retention, and career decision-making in math fields (Beilock & Maloney, 2015;Bong, 2001;Degol et al., 2018;Guo et al., 2015;John et al., 2020;Shively & Ryan, 2013;Wang & Degol, 2013). ...
Mindsets are defined as people’s beliefs about the nature of intelligence, and previous research has found effects of students’ mindsets on their academic outcomes. In the present study, we bring together two recent lines of mindset research: research that has demonstrated that the mindset contexts that surround students matter above and beyond students’ own mindsets; and research that has demonstrated the importance of parents’ mindsets on students’ academic outcomes. Specifically, we explored associations among the family mindset context—operationalized as undergraduate students’ perceptions of their parents’ and older siblings’ mindsets beliefs about math ability—and their motivation, behavior, and affect in math. We found that students’ (N = 358) perceptions of their parents’ and older siblings’ fixed math mindsets were negatively associated with their motivation, engagement, and help-seeking behaviors in math. These findings underscore the importance of family mindset contexts to students’ math motivation and engagement, especially the role of older siblings, which is a particularly novel contribution.
... Given that MA manifestation is associated with previous negative mathematical experiences and, as a consequence, with avoidance behaviours (Ashcraft et al., 2007;John et al., 2020;Maloney & Beilock, 2012), it would be expected that parents with MA would be less involved in their children's mathematical education than their peers without MA. However, research on the subject has yielded inconsistent results (del Río et al., 2017;Hart et al., 2016;DiStefano et al., 2020;Kiss and Vukovic, 2021). ...
A negative correlation between mathematics performance and mathematics anxiety (MA) has been identified in students of varying ages. However, little is known as to whether this correlation diminishes when environmental factors are incorporated as moderator variables.
Specifically, the effect of home numeracy activities (HNA) and parental MA on students’ performance-MA relationship has received little attention. Furthermore, there have been no studies that consider HNA frequency as reported by the children themselves. A sample of 311 Chilean second graders and their parents participated in the present study. We examined whether HNA frequency moderates the performance-MA relationship and whether this moderation is in turn moderated by parent MA. Results showed that the frequency of HNA strengthened or diminished the negative correlation between performance and MA as a function of parent MA. In the case of parents with low MA, regardless of HNA frequency, child mathematics performance was negatively associated with child MA. However, in the case of math-anxious parents that interacted frequently with their children, there was no association between child MA and math achievement. More broadly, the present study suggests that mathematics-related family dynamics and parents’ emotions are key to understanding the relationship between performance and MA in early development.
... As a result, the knowledge they get becomes useful (Bishara, 2018). Moreover, students become focused and have a clear direction in achieving learning goals while playing an active role in discussion activities or the learning process (John et al., 2020). For this reason, teachers must be able to increase students' motivation and awareness of the importance of learning mathematics, especially multiplication and division lessons which are very much needed in real-life situations. ...
This study aims at increasing elementary school students’ learning motivation in multiplication and division lessons by implementing problem-based learning. This study was qualitative research. Furthermore, the research subjects were elementary school students. Results indicated that students experienced an increased motivation in multiplication and division lessons after implementing problem-based learning because they felt happy during the learning process. In addition, observations, interviews, and documentation studies showed that, with problem-based learning, many students better understood the concepts of multiplication & division and applied them in their daily life. Moreover, students thought critically in solving problems when the learning process was carried out in discussion or groups. This study proves that teachers are the key to success in a learning process and the increased student motivation. Therefore, teachers must be able to choose the right learning method for students to encourage their enthusiasm for learning.
... The debilitating anxiety model includes two accounts: the learning avoidance account and the cognitive interference account. The learning avoidance account argues that students with higher MA are more likely to avoid math learning and practicing, which deprives them of opportunities to improve math skills (Chipman et al., 1992;Hembree, 1990;John et al., 2020;Quintero et al., 2021). The cognitive interference account postulates that the impaired math performance among individuals with high MA often do not reflect their true math abilities; rather, high MA competes for cognitive resources in the moment of problem solving, which temporarily diminishes performance ability among individuals with high MA (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007;Beilock & Carr, 2005;Ramirez et al., 2016). ...
Math anxiety (MA) and math performance are generally negatively correlated (Barroso et al., 2021; Namkung et al., 2019). However, the mechanisms underlying this negative association remain unclear. According to the attentional control theory (ACT; Eysenck et al., 2007), anxious individuals experience impaired attentional control during problem solving, which compromises their performance on cognitive tasks. In a sample of 168 elementary and middle school students, the current study used an eye-tracking approach to investigate whether math-anxious students exhibit deficits in their attentional control during a math problem solving task and whether such attentional control deficits account for the negative association between MA and performance on this math task. Consistent with the ACT, we found that students with higher MA were more likely to engage attention to both task-relevant and task-irrelevant distractors during problem solving, and their enhanced attention to these distractors was associated with their impaired performance on the math task. These findings suggest that the MA-related math performance deficit is partly mediated by impaired attentional control, which is indicated by the maladaptive attentional bias toward distracting information during math problem solving.
... Thus, enjoyment is believed to have an overall positive effect on performance. The role of mathematical anxiety for performance, however, has yet to be clarified and seems to depend on other factors such as level of mathematical anxiety (high vs. low), students' prior experiences with mathematics, students' ability to regulate emotions, and teachers' responsiveness to emotional needs (Aldrup, Klusmann, & Lüdtke, 2020;John, Nelson, Klenczar, & Robnett, 2020;Ramirez et al., 2018;Wang, Oh, Malanchini, & Borriello, 2020). But most studies have found a negative relationship between anxiety and performance. ...
The use of self-generated drawings has been found to be a powerful strategy for problem solving. However, many students do not engage in drawing activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of the enjoyment of the drawing strategy, anxiety about the drawing strategy, and prior intramathematical performance on the use of the drawing strategy and modelling performance. We explored the role of the drawing strategy as a mediator between emotions and modelling and whether intramathematical performance moderated the effects of emotions (N = 220, mean age 14.5 years). Enjoyment and anxiety with respect to generating drawings and intramathematical performance predicted the use of the drawing strategy. Enjoyment positively affected modelling performance indirectly via the use of the drawing strategy. Anxiety negatively affected modelling performance via the use of the drawing strategy for students with lower intramathematical performance. Our findings demonstrate that experiencing activating emotions (i.e., enjoyment and anxiety) with respect to strategies and prior intramathematical performance are important for strategy use and modelling performance. Implications for the theory of self-generated drawing and the control-value theory of achievement emotions and practical implications for training and supporting the drawing strategy are discussed.
... In particular, mathematical anxiety is related to one's own performance in math and to lower enjoyment of math, lower confidence in math, lower motivation in math, and overall more negative attitudes towards math (Dowker, Sarkar, & Looi, 2016;Hembree, 1990). For instance, John, Nelson, Klenczar, and Robnett (2020) found that a person's memory of early math experiences can affect their emotions and motivation towards math, and their choice to pursue math in the future, even years after the experience has occurred. Furthermore, studies on parental involvement in children's math homework showed that children learned less math over the school year and developed math anxiety themselves when their parents who were high in math anxiety frequently helped with math homework (Maloney, Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock, 2015). ...
The aim of the present study was to investigate longitudinal associations between formal home numeracy activities and children’s arithmetic fluency skills. Children were followed during the transition from the end of kindergarten (T1; Mage = 6.87 years) to the beginning of Grade 1 (T2), and again at the end of the Grade 1 (T3). Participants were Lithuanian children (n = 341) and their parents. At each time point, parents reported the frequency of the formal home numeracy activities they engaged in with their children; the children completed addition and subtraction tasks at the same three time points. Using a cross-lagged analysis, we found that parents adjusted the frequency of their home numeracy activities in response to children’s arithmetic performance. The frequency of home numeracy activities, however, did not predict changes in arithmetic skills. Finally, maternal education was found to be related to children’s arithmetic skills rather than to home numeracy activities.
... is a type of computational text analysis (see, e.g., [15] for an overview of computational social science) and qualitative coding of the features of student responses [e.g., 28,32]. Classification analysis using qualitative codes and computational text analysis as input has been used to identify differences in subpopulations [e.g., 13,19]. ...
As online offerings have matured and expanded, new efforts have recently been devoted to opening fully-accredited online versions of traditional on-campus classes. Such classes may be offered to on-campus students for greater flexibility during busy semesters, or to allow them to continue to make progress toward their degrees during internships or semesters away from campus. This trend intersects with a growing CS for All movement that sees more and more non-computer science majors enrolling in CS classes. As online offerings expand, it is important for us to understand who enrolls in online sections and the reasons for their choices, both to make sure that learning outcomes are similar across different delivery mechanisms, and to take advantage of opportunities to tailor course content to specific audiences. In this analysis, we look at two versions, one online and one traditional, of a CS1 class offered at a major public research university. We investigate demographic, motivational, and experiential components to identify which types of students are most likely to select each version and what implications this decision has for student success and course design.
The current study aims to investigate the interplay between teacher and student emotions in mathematics and the triggers of student emotions from the perspectives of their mathematics teachers. Mixed‐methods research was employed. In the quantitative phase, 214 middle school mathematics teachers and their seventh and eighth graders (5475 students total) participated in the study to explore the relationship between teacher and student emotions in mathematics. Afterward, 14 mathematics teachers were selected to participate in the qualitative phase according to the variation in class mean values of the student achievement emotion scale. Data were collected through questionnaires (Achievement Emotions Questionnaire‐Mathematics, Teacher Emotions Scale) and semi‐structured interviews. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed no significant correlation between teacher enjoyment, anger, anxiety, and student emotions. Thematic analysis unraveled four themes in explaining the factors affecting students' emotions in mathematics: types of emotions in mathematics learning, sources of emotions, consequences of emotions, and strategies to regulate students' emotions in mathematics. This study stands as the pioneering one in emotional transmission between teachers and students in Turkiye.
The low ability of students to solve science problems is caused by the lack of effectiveness in the use of learning models and media. This study aims to analyze the effect of problem-based learning models assisted by animation media on the ability to solve science problems for grade IV elementary school students. The research method used was an experiment using a posttest-only control design. The samples taken using the simple cluster random sampling technique amounted to 30 students in the experimental group and 30 students in the control group. Data analysis techniques used includes descriptive statistics and inferential statistics by testing hypotheses using t-tests. The results showed that the average score in the experimental group was 82.4, while in the control group was 59.1. The results of the hypothesis test showed that the value of Sig. (2-tailed) was 0.000 < 0.05 or less than (α=0.05), indicating a significant difference in science problem-solving ability between students in the experimental group and the control group. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the problem-based learning model assisted by animation media has a significant influence on the science problem-solving ability of grade IV elementary school students. With the results of this research, it is hoped that teachers can integrate problem-based learning models and animation media in the learning process to improve students' science problem-solving abilities in elementary schools.
Interest in mathematics is an important factor that contributes to improved understanding and mathematical skills. Hence, it is crucial to explore factors that contribute to interest development. This study investigated the role of aha-experiences and accompanying metacognitive feelings like positive affect, certainty, and fluency in developing mathematical interest. In this longitudinal study, we examine the role of aha-experiences in a classroom context and their impact on mathematical interest in Middle school students (N=468) aged 13-16. The students completed five questionnaires, including pre- and posttests, over eight weeks. Findings indicate that aha-experiences and their related metacognitive feelings are associated with situational interest, primarily through positive affect. Moreover, there are indications that individual interest moderates the mutual relationship between situational interest and aha-experience frequency. However, no longitudinal effect of aha-experiences or metacognitive feelings on developing individual interest was observed in our sample. The findings contribute to understanding the relationship between mathematical interest, aha-experiences, and metacognitive feelings.
The educational attainment of the U.S. population over the past 20 years shows a noticeable increase in adult degree achievements. In the last decade, the increase in higher education participation is due to a higher demand for online learning opportunities. In the literature and many professional development offerings, it is common to see the phrase “adult learner” as an all-encompassing term without consideration of potential differences between learners. Only considering “adult learners” as a single group misses these important differences that can help guide instructors in supporting all adult learners. Overlooking these other potential aspects of their identities and needs can lead to ineffective instruction and poor student experiences. Instructors play an important role in helping to meet the needs of students in their classrooms and can implement strategies that will allow them to support the professional and practical skills of students.
The current study focuses on how academic motivation, academic identity, and gender work in concert to predict STEM career aspirations. We examined these relations in a sample of adolescents who predominantly identified as East Asian American (61%), which afforded insight into how career decision-making operates among students who are not well represented in the academic motivation literature. Participants were 629 adolescents (Mage = 16.09) who attended a US high school. Findings demonstrated that both facets of academic motivation (i.e., STEM self-expectancy and STEM value) were indirectly associated with STEM career interest via STEM identity. The link between STEM identity and STEM career interest was significantly stronger for girls than it was for boys. Although analyses revealed few ethnic differences, the hypothesized mediation model explained less variance for East Asian American participants than it did for participants from other ethnic backgrounds. These findings have theoretical implications for models of STEM identity development and applied implications for interventions that seek to reduce gender disparities in STEM fields.
Numerous studies affirm the importance of students’ attitudes for mathematical education. This study uses mathematical autobiographical essays to examine the mathematical experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students enrolled in mathematics classes at a Midwestern University in the United States. The essays of 41 students (20 men, 21 women) out of 170 enrolled in College Algebra, Precalculus, and Calculus were analyzed using the categories of (1) confidence in mathematics ability, (2) value of mathematics, and (3) liking of mathematics. This paper provides context and theoretical depth to student reports of their attitudes in these categories. Statements at the intersections of both confidence and liking, and value and liking provide additional insights. First, students who perceive mathematics as valuable are more likely to like it. Second, the vast majority of students talk about confidence and liking together, and with a positive correlation. Further, these students tend to talk about liking or not liking mathematics because of their perceived ability in mathematics. Our study suggests the importance of proactive teaching strategies to improve students’ perceptions of the value, liking of, and their confidence in, mathematics, and also suggests self-efficacy as a potential theoretical basis for this work.
Math self-concept is strongly associated with a range of academic and career outcomes in math. The current research sought to identify factors that distinguish between undergraduates with particularly low or high math self-concept. A sample of 754 college students were asked to recall a low point they had with math as well as respond to questionnaires measuring math self-concept, value, and anxiety. Focal analyses were conducted on a subsample of participants who reported either high (n = 90) or low (n = 94) math self-concept. Relative to participants who were high in math self-concept, those who were low tended to be women, were higher in math anxiety, and valued math less. Thematic analysis also revealed similarities and differences in how undergraduates from these two groups appraised challenges, or low points, that they encountered in their history with math. Although there were similarities in the types of low points described by members of these two groups, these experiences were often appraised in distinct ways. Unique themes also emerged for each group, indicating that narrative interpretations of math experiences vary with current levels of math self-concept. Implications for future research and math education are discussed.
Vocational interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in middle school can predict life outcomes, including enrollment in STEM courses and pursuing STEM careers. Numerical performance, as well as emotional factors such as math anxiety (MA), may influence vocational interests. The constructs of both vocational interests and MA are sensitive to gender differences. Accordingly, this study explored whether the relations among MA, numerical performance, and math vocational interests among middle-school students vary by gender. A sample of 127 ninth-grade students (68 females) performed a computation task and completed MA and trait anxiety (TA) questionnaires. A math vocational interest questionnaire was composed and assessed with an additional sample of 89 ninth-grade students. For females, MA, but not TA or numerical performance, predicted math vocational interest. Those with low MA levels tended to be interested in careers with higher math proficiency such as STEM careers. For males, high numerical performance and low TA, but not MA, related to interest in careers with high math proficiency. Bayes factors indicated that the data strongly supported the theory. The findings support the assumption that high MA levels affect the career plans of female students, whereas low numerical performance can account for both MA levels and future career plans of male students. It is essential to investigate how career aspirations are shaped in young students to promote the choice of STEM careers, especially among underrepresented populations such as females.
Mixed methods research has the potential to advance theory and enhance the usefulness of research findings. However, the success of a mixed methods research inquiry is tied to how well researchers integrate the quantitative and qualitative strands, and to how well researchers address the standards for quality in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. In this introduction article, we define mixed methods research and discuss what mixed methods research can offer to the field of educational psychology. Then we consider what constitutes integration and rigor in mixed methods research and describe three core mixed methods research designs. Following this overview, we briefly introduce each article to this special issue, along with the commentary by Vicki Plano Clark. We also discuss how the use of mixed methods can help address common educational problems including: (a) identifying and exploring socially-situated and contextualized learning processes; (b) providing insights into differences across individuals with respect to educational outcomes; and, (c) building instruments that reflect the experiences of individuals who will be assessed by these instruments. Finally, we close with thoughts on the future of mixed methods research.
This investigation of undergraduates’ heterogeneous science identity trajectories within a gateway chemistry course identified three latent classes (High and Stable, Moderate and Slightly Increasing, Moderate and Declining) using growth mixture modeling. Underrepresented minorities were more likely to exhibit Moderate-and-Slightly-Increasing science identities versus High-and-Stable patterns. Students with higher perceived competence were more likely classified into the High-and-Stable class compared to the other classes. Students classified into the High-and-Stable class scored significantly higher on the final exam and appeared to be more likely to remain in a STEM major across fall and spring semesters compared to the other two classes. Results suggest that some students’ identities shift within a single semester and supporting science perceived competence before college may support students’ science identity development.
In this chapter we explore how master narratives have ethical and moral implications, and how master narratives can provide a way for researchers to look at the intersections of culture, ethics, morality, and individual development. We make this case by advancing three propositions about the relation among master narratives, ethics, and morality: 1) Master narratives are fundamentally about ethics in that they outline and convey culturally held ideas about the nature of a good life; 2) While all master narratives are grounded in ethics, not all master narratives are moral; and 3) Despite proposition 2, master narratives can come to exert moral force. We first describe the master narrative framework, and then follow with a detailed discussion of the three propositions. Our intent is that this integration of master narratives with moral development will help researchers in both areas to think about their work in new ways.
Individuals with high math anxiety demonstrated smaller working memory spans, especially when assessed with a computation-based span task. This reduced working memory capacity led to a pronounced increase in reaction time and errors when mental addition was performed concurrently with a memory load task. The effects of the reduction also generalized to a working memory-intensive transformation task. Overall, the results demonstrated that an individual difference variable, math anxiety, affects on-line performance in math-related tasks and that this effect is a transitory disruption of working memory. The authors consider a possible mechanism underlying this effect - disruption of central executive processes - and suggest that individual difference variables like math anxiety deserve greater empirical attention, especially on assessments of working memory capacity and functioning.
A common misconception about math is that it requires raw intellectual talent or "brilliance." Only students who possess this sort of brilliance are assumed to be capable of success in math-related subjects. This harmful myth has far-reaching consequences for the success of girls and children from ethnic-minority backgrounds in these subjects. Because women and minorities are stereotyped as lacking brilliance, the myth that success in math requires this trait is a barrier that students from these groups have to overcome. In the first part of this paper, we detail the pervasiveness of this myth and explore its relation to gender and race gaps in math and beyond. In the second part, we highlight some potential sources of this myth in children's everyday experiences and offer some strategies for debunking it.
Mathematics anxiety is a pervasive issue in education that requires attention from both educators and researchers to help students reach their full academic potential. This review provides an overview of past research that has investigated the association between math anxiety and math achievement, factors that can cause math anxiety, characteristics of students that can increase their susceptibility to math anxiety, and efforts that educators can take to remedy math anxiety. We also derive a new Interpretation Account of math anxiety, which we use to argue the importance of understanding appraisal processes in the development and treatment of math anxiety. In conclusion, gaps in the literature are reviewed in addition to suggestions for future research that can help improve the field's understanding of this important issue.
A prominent feature of education in the United States is the widespread endorsement of an achievement narrative, which links individual motivation and effort to academic achievement. In mathematics and science domains, this narrative is often coupled with one that special intelligence is required for people to do math and science. We argue that such narrative are especially problematic for students from non-dominant backgrounds, since de-racialized, ready-made narratives such as these obscure how broader sociopolitical structures shape individual and racial group success in school, and normalize the experiences of white children. We analyzed the negotiation of such master-narratives by students from less dominant backgrounds as they figured themselves and others in the world of school achievement, and learning mathematics. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of initiating and orchestrating conversations that support students in explicitly grappling with these master-narratives in order to confront and change the power they hold.
Which occupation to pursue is one of the more consequential decisions people make and represents a key developmental task. Yet the underlying developmental processes associated with either individual or group differences in occupational choices are still not well understood. This study contributes toward filling this gap, focusing in particular on the math domain. We examined two aspects of Eccles et al.’s (1983) expectancy–value theory of achievement-related behaviors: (a) the reciprocal associations between adolescents’ expectancy and subjective task value beliefs and adolescents’ career plans and (b) the multiplicative association between expectancies and values in predicting occupational outcomes in the math domain. Our analyses indicate that adolescents’ expectancy and subjective task value beliefs about math and their math- or science-related career plans reported at the beginning and end of high school predict each other over time, with the exception of intrinsic interest in math. Furthermore, multiplicative associations between adolescents’ expectancy and subjective task value beliefs about math predict math-related career attainment approximately 15 years after graduation from high school. Gender differences emerged regarding career-related beliefs and career attainment, with male students being more likely than female to both pursue and attain math-related careers. These gender differences could not be explained by differences in beliefs about math as an academic subject.
In this article, we review published literature that draws on autobiographical accounts of students' experiences learning mathematics. We summarize the main findings of the target literature and present recommendations for further research that will extend this field. Our review indicates that autobiographical and narrative methodological approaches have the potential to occasion important advances in our knowledge of students' experiences learning mathematics. However, relative to accounts of preservice teacher learning, there is a paucity of published research that documents the mathematics learning experiences of kindergarten to Grade 12 students.
A large field study of children in first and second grade explored how parents' anxiety about math relates to their children's math achievement. The goal of the study was to better understand why some students perform worse in math than others. We tested whether parents' math anxiety predicts their children's math achievement across the school year. We found that when parents are more math anxious, their children learn significantly less math over the school year and have more math anxiety by the school year's end-but only if math-anxious parents report providing frequent help with math homework. Notably, when parents reported helping with math homework less often, children's math achievement and attitudes were not related to parents' math anxiety. Parents' math anxiety did not predict children's reading achievement, which suggests that the effects of parents' math anxiety are specific to children's math achievement. These findings provide evidence of a mechanism for intergenerational transmission of low math achievement and high math anxiety.
© The Author(s) 2015.
This study extends previous research on the long-term connections between motivation constructs in expectancy-value theory and achievement outcomes. Using growth mixture modelling, we examined trajectories of change for 421 students from 4th grade through college in their self-concept of ability (SCA) in math, interest in math, and perceived importance of math. We also assessed how these trajectories relate to choice of college major, focusing on math-intensive and non-intensive majors. Gender, parental income, and initial achievement were included as covariates in the analyses. A 3-class solution best represented underlying trajectories of change for each of the 3 constructs. A latent class relatively high in math self-concept, interest, and importance emerged for each construct respectively, and individuals in these high classes were most likely to choose a math-intensive college major. Interpretations and implications of the trajectories of change and their influence on college major classification are discussed.
This article presents 2 longitudinal studies designed to assess the relationship between variability in narrative identity and trajectories of mental health over several years. In Study 1, core scenes from 89 late-mid-life adults' life stories were assessed for several narrative themes. Participants' mental health and physical health were assessed concurrently with the narratives and annually for the subsequent 4 years. Concurrent analyses indicated that the themes of agency, redemption, and contamination were significantly associated with mental health. Longitudinal analyses indicated that these same 3 themes were significantly associated with participants' trajectories of mental health over the course of 4 years. Exploratory analyses indicated that narratives of challenging experiences may be central to this pattern of results. In Study 2, similar longitudinal analyses were conducted on a sample of 27 late-mid-life adults who received a major physical illness diagnosis between the baseline assessment and 6 months later and a matched sample of 27 control participants who remained healthy throughout the study. Participants' mental health and physical health were assessed every 6 months for 2 years. In this study, the themes of agency, communion, redemption, and contamination in participants' life narratives collected at baseline (before any participant became sick) were significantly associated with mental health in the group of participants who went on to receive a medical diagnosis, but not in the control group. Taken together, the results of these 2 studies indicate that the way an individual constructs personal narratives may impact his or her trajectory of mental health over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Although young women now obtain higher course grades in math than boys and are just as likely to be enrolled in advanced math courses in high school, females continue to be underrepresented in some Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations. This study drew on expectancy-value theory to assess (1) which intellectual and motivational factors in high school predict gender differences in career choices and (2) whether students’ motivational beliefs mediated the pathway of gender on STEM career via math achievement by using a national longitudinal sample in the United States. We found that math achievement in 12th grade mediated the association between gender and attainment of a STEM career by the early to mid-thirties. However, math achievement was not the only factor distinguishing gender differences in STEM occupations. Even though math achievement explained career differences between men and women, math task value partially explained the gender differences in STEM career attainment that were attributed to math achievement. The identification of potential factors of women’s underrepresentation in STEM will enhance our ability to design intervention programs that are optimally tailored to female needs to impact STEM achievement and occupational choices.
Narrative identity is a person's internalized and evolving life story, integrating the reconstructed past and imagined future to provide life with some degree of unity and purpose. In recent studies on narrative identity, researchers have paid a great deal of attention to (a) psychological adaptation and (b) development. Research into the relation between life stories and adaptation shows that narrators who find redemptive meanings in suffering and adversity, and who construct life stories that feature themes of personal agency and exploration, tend to enjoy higher levels of mental health, well-being, and maturity. Researchers have tracked the development of narrative identity from its origins in conversations between parents and their young children to the articulation of sophisticated meaning-making strategies in the personal stories told in adolescence and the emerging adulthood years. Future researchers need to (a) disentangle causal relations between features of life stories and positive psychological adaptation and (b) explore further the role of broad cultural contexts in the development of narrative identity.
Magda B. Arnold's theory of emotion is examined from three historical viewpoints. First, I look backward from Arnold to precursors of her theory of emotion in 19th century introspectionist psychology and in classical evolutionary psychology. I try to show that Arnold can be regarded as belonging intellectually to the cognitive tradition of emotion theorising that originated in Brentano and his students, and that she was also significantly influenced by McDougall's evolutionary view of emotion. Second, I look forward from Arnold to the influence she had on Richard S. Lazarus, the theorist who deserves the most credit for popularising the appraisal approach to emotion. Here, I try to document that Lazarusâ–™ theory of the stress emotions preserved most assumptions of Arnold's theory. Finally, I look back at Arnold from today's perspective and address points of success of the appraisal paradigm in emotion psychology, as well as some remaining problems.
Two experiments report on the relationship between level of mathematics anxiety and timed performance on simple and complex addition problems. In both experiments, subjects at differing levels of mathematics anxiety responded to one- and two-column addition problems in a verification task. Anxiety effects on the simple one-column addition problems were largely limited to the false problems. For example, when the incorrect answer differed by 1 from the correct value (e.g. 7+9=15), high anxious subjects were particularly slow to decide ''false'', and became even less accurate when incorrect answers deviated further from correct (e.g. 7+9=39), the opposite of the normal trend. In both experiments, anxiety effects were especially prominent in the two-column addition problems, particularly when the problem involved the carry operation. Experiment 3 tested the same types of stimuli in an untimed task and showed equivalent, high accuracy for all levels of mathematics anxiety, arguing against an alternative interpretation of the anxiety effects based on the covariation between mathematics anxiety and competence. Speed accuracy trade-offs, difficulties in rejecting incorrect addition problems, and large reaction-time differences for complex problems characterise the results and suggest several directions for further empirical tests of the general mathematics anxiety-tocomplexity relationship. In summary, there appear to be several on-line cognitive consequences or correlates of mathematics anxiety.
Friendship group characteristics, motivation, and gender were investigated in relation to adolescents' science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career interest. The sample was comprised of 468 high school students (M = 16 years, range = 13–18) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Participants rated their friendship group's support of STEM as well as their personal motivation in science. They separately rated the friendship group's support of English and personal motivation in English. Other predictors included friendship group characteristics (importance, gender composition) and background variables such as gender. Group support of STEM (but not English) and science motivation (but not English motivation) predicted STEM career interest. Group characteristics and participant gender moderated the effects. Findings suggest social identities and self-concepts may shape youths' STEM career choices.
The present study examined the reciprocal relationships between self-concept and anxiety
in mathematics. A sample of 495 grade 7 students (51% girls) completed self-report
measures assessing self-concept and anxiety three times in a school year. Structural
equation modeling was used to test a cross-lagged panel model of reciprocal effects
between math self-concept and math anxiety. The analysis showed a reciprocal relationship
between self-concept and anxiety in math (ie, higher self-concept leads to lower anxiety, ...
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The authors provide a brief review of the history and assessment of math anxiety, its relationship to personal and educational consequences, and its important impact on measures of performance. Overall, math anxiety causes an "affective drop," a decline in performance when math is performed under timed, high-stakes conditions, both in laboratory tests as well as in educational settings. This means that math achievement and proficiency scores for math-anxious individuals are underestimates of true ability. The primary cognitive impact of math anxiety is on working memory, particularly problematic given the important role working memory plays in math performance. The authors conclude with a discussion of risk factors for math anxiety and some factors to be kept in mind when working with math-anxious students.
Highly math-anxious individuals are characterized by a strong tendency to avoid math, which ultimately undercuts their math competence and forecloses important career paths. But timed, on-line tests reveal math-anxiety effects on whole-number arithmetic problems (e.g., 46 + 27), whereas achievement tests show no competence differences. Math anxiety disrupts cognitive processing by compromising ongoing activity in working memory. Although the causes of math anxiety are undetermined, some teaching styles are implicated as risk factors. We need research on the origins of math anxiety and on its “signature” in brain activity, to examine both its emotional and its cognitive components.
Midlife adults (age 35 to 65) and college undergraduates provided lengthy, open-ended narrative accounts of personally meaningful episodes from the past, such as life-story high points, low points, turning points, and earliest memories. The oral (adult) and written (student) narratives were coded for redemption and contamination imagery. In the midlife sample, adults scoring high on self-report measures of generativity showed significantly higher levels of redemption and lower levels of contamination sequences. In both samples, redemption sequences in life narrative accounts were positively associated with self-report measures of psychological well-being, whereas contamination sequences predicted low levels of well-being among midlife adults. In addition, redemption sequence scores were a stronger predictor of well-being than were ratings of the overall affective quality of life-narrative accounts. The results are discussed with respect to the empirical literature of benefit-finding in the face of adversity and in the context of the recent upsurge of interest in the collection and interpretation of life narratives.
The present research examined whether the production of a narrative containing self-redemption (wherein the narrator describes a positive personality change following a negative experience) predicts positive behavioral change. In Study 1, we compared the narratives of alcoholics who had maintained their sobriety for over 4 years with those of alcoholics who had been sober 6 months or less. When describing their last drink, the former were significantly more likely to produce a narrative containing self-redemption than the latter. In Study 2, we examined the relation between the profession of self-redemption and behavioral change using a longitudinal design, by following the newly sober alcoholics from Study 1 over time. Although indistinguishable at initial assessment, newly sober alcoholics whose narratives included self-redemption were substantially more likely to maintain sobriety in the following months, compared to newly sober alcoholics who produced nonredemptive narratives; 83% of the redemptive group maintained sobriety between assessments, compared to 44% of nonredemptive participants. Redemptive participants in Study 2 also demonstrated improved health relative to the nonredemptive group. In both studies, the effects of self-redemption on sobriety and health held after controlling for relevant personality traits, alcohol dependence, recovery program involvement, initial physical and mental health, and additional narrative themes. Collectively, these results suggest that the production of a self-redemptive narrative may stimulate prolonged behavioral change and thus indicate a potentially modifiable psychological process that exhibits a major influence on recovery from addiction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data. We outline what thematic analysis is, locating it in relation to other qualitative analytic methods that search for themes or patterns, and in relation to different epistemological and ontological positions. We then provide clear guidelines to those wanting to start thematic analysis, or conduct it in a more deliberate and rigorous way, and consider potential pitfalls in conducting thematic analysis. Finally, we outline the disadvantages and advantages of thematic analysis. We conclude by advocating thematic analysis as a useful and flexible method for qualitative research in and beyond psychology.
Using mathematics life stories as tools to aid in the instruction of mathematics methods classes. Instructors will learn how to use the students' past and present experiences in mathematics to help plan instruction and get to know their students.
Accurate estimates of population effect size are critical to empirical science, for both reporting experimental results and conducting a priori power analyses. Unfortunately, the current most-popular measure of standardized effect size, partial eta squared ([Formula: see text]), is known to have positive bias. Two less-biased alternatives, partial epsilon squared ([Formula: see text]) and partial omega squared ([Formula: see text]), have both existed for decades, but neither is often employed. Given that researchers appear reluctant to abandon [Formula: see text], this article provides a simple method for removing bias from this measure, to produce a value referred to as adjusted partial eta squared (adj [Formula: see text]). Some of the many benefits of adopting this measure are briefly discussed.
Using a self-defining memory task, this work studies the exact moment in which abstinent alcoholics perceived themselves as addicted. Phenomenological variables involved in the memory were obtained asking participants to evaluate their cognitions, perceptions and emotions associated with that self-defining memory. The sample consisted of 12 female and 31 male ex-alcoholics, with abstinence ranging from 6 months to 23 years. Mean age was 52.91 years. Our findings showed that awareness of the alcoholic self emerges in the context of uncontrolled consumption or an ultimatum from family members. This type of memory had a positive valence for most of the participants, regardless of the memory perspective (actor versus spectator). Those who remembered from an actor perspective, perceived the event as providing higher growth and personal learning. These results show the importance of exploring situations of uncontrolled consumption and family dynamics in the self-recognition of alcohol dependence. In addition, reinforcing an actor perspective compared to a spectator perspective might results in higher levels of personal enrichment, which may help maintain a patient’s long-term recovery. These results support the use of autobiographical memory techniques to enhance awareness of the addicted self, and suggest the need to include these interventions in rehabilitation programmes.
We review work on the development of children and adolescents’ expectancy and competence beliefs for academic achievement domains across the elementary and secondary school years, and how they become calibrated to children's performance. The work reviewed stems from prominent achievement motivation theories: expectancy-value theory, social cognitive theory, self-worth theory, and self-determination theory. Broadly, research on the development of children's expectancy and competence beliefs for different achievement tasks shows that these beliefs decline from kindergarten to 12th grade, although there are different patterns of decline. Across age children's expectancy beliefs relate more strongly to, or become better calibrated with, their performance on achievement activities. Such calibration impacts students’ motivation and self-regulation for exams and other assignments. Children's expectancies are influenced by the feedback (supportive or critical) given to them by parents and teachers, as well as by parents’ and teachers’ expectancies for them. School instructional practices, notably ability grouping and tracking, differentially influence children's developing expectancies. Peers also impact each other's expectancy beliefs. We conclude the article with suggestions for future research.
In the United States, students’ ability to perform well in school mathematics is important for gaining access to a selective college and affects entry into sought-after majors. We find that the gatekeeper function of mathematics is not a function of general academic prowess and operates separately from advantages attributable to family background. Moreover mathematics is especially important for educational attainment among youth from higher socioeconomic status families. Human capital theory implies that schooling’s emphasis on math reflects its functional importance in the workplace. However, our analyses of skills used in workplaces indicate that very small proportions of educated workers ever use “school math.” We draw out the implications of this disjuncture both for theories of class reproduction and for human capital theory.
We investigated differences in the nature and implications of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs; n = 53) and non-ACOAs’ (n = 80) narrative identities. Participants described six autobiographical narratives and completed measures of emotional functioning. Narratives were coded for redemptive (bad things turning good), contaminated (good things turning bad), and agentic (perceived control) imagery. ACOAs exhibited similar levels of redemptive and contaminated imagery, and lower levels of agency in their narratives, relative to non-ACOAs. In addition, themes of redemption, contamination, and agency corresponded divergently with emotional functioning. Among ACOAs, narrative redemption and agency were related to poorer emotional functioning whereas, among non-ACOAs, narrative contamination predicted poorer emotional functioning. These findings provide indication of the manner in which ACOAs story their lives. They also align with the emerging area of research noting that, among certain vulnerable populations, redemptive and agentic imagery serve as predictors of maladaptive functioning.
Drawing from the author's psychological research on especially generative (that is, caring and productive) midlife American adults and on a reading of American cultural history and literature, this book identifies a prototypical story of the good life that many Americans employ to make sense of who they are, who they have been, and who they will be in the future. The central theme in this story is redemption - the deliverance from suffering to a positive status or outcome. Empirical research suggests that highly generative American adults are much more likely than their less generative counterparts to construe their lives as tales of redemption. Redemptive life stories promote psychological well-being, physical health, and the adult's commitment to making a positive contribution to society. But stories of redemption are as much cultural texts as they are individual psychological constructions. From the spiritual autobiographies composed by the Massachusetts Bay Puritans to the most recent episodes of the Oprah Winfrey Show, common scripts for the redemptive self may be found in religious accounts of conversion and atonement, the rags-to-riches stories of the American dream, and canonical cultural narratives about personal liberation, freedom, and recovery. The book examines the psychological and cultural dynamics of redemptive life narratives, including the role of American religion and self-help as sources for the construction of life stories and the broad similarities, as well as the striking differences in how African-American and Euro-American adults construct redemptive stories of the self. For all their psychological and cultural power, redemptive life stories sometimes reveal important limitations in American identity. For example, some versions of the redemptive self underscore the naïve expectation that suffering will always be overcome and the arrogance of seeing one's own life as the living out of a personal manifest destiny.
This book brings a surprisingly wide range of intellectual disciplines to bear on the self-narrative and the self. The same ecological/cognitive approach that successfully organized Ulric Neisser's earlier volume on The Perceived Self now relates ideas from the experimental, developmental, and clinical study of memory to insights from post-modernism and literature. Although autobiographical remembering is an essential way of giving meaning to our lives, the memories we construct are never fully consistent and often simply wrong. In the first chapter, Neisser considers the so-called 'false memory syndrome' in this context; other contributors discuss the effects of amnesia, the development of remembering in childhood, the social construction of memory and its alleged self-servingness, and the contrast between literary and psychological models of the self. Jerome Bruner, Peggy Miller, Alan Baddeley, Kenneth Gergen and Daniel Albright are among the contributors to this unusual synthesis.
Drawing on Eccles’ expectancy-value model of achievement-related choices, we examined the personal aptitudes and motivational beliefs at 12th grade that move individuals toward or away from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations at age 29. In the first set of analyses, occupational and lifestyle values, math ability self-concepts, family demographics, and high school course-taking more strongly predicted both individual and gender differences in the likelihood of entering STEM careers than math scores on the Differential Aptitude Test. In the second set of analyses, individual and gender differences in career decisions within STEM disciplines (health, biological, and medical sciences (HBMS) versus mathematics, physical, engineering, and computer sciences (MPECS)) were best predicted by occupational values (i.e. preferences for work that were people oriented and altruistic predicted entrance into HBMS instead of MPECS careers). Females were less likely to hold the beliefs that predicted selection of STEM in general, but those who did choose STEM were more likely to select HBMS than MPECS.
The current study focuses on girls’ and women’s reported experiences with gender bias in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In the first set of analyses, I examined whether the prevalence of self-reported gender bias varied depending on the educational context. I then examined whether experiencing gender bias was associated with lower STEM self-concept and, if so, whether having a supportive network of STEM peers would buffer this effect. Data were collected through a self-report survey that was administered to high school girls who aspired to have STEM careers, women in STEM undergraduate majors, and women in STEM doctoral programs. Overall, 61% of participants reported experiencing gender bias in the past year, but the prevalence rate varied according to their phase of education and field of study. In particular, women in math-intensive undergraduate majors were especially likely to encounter gender bias, which predominately originated from male peers in their major. As expected, participants who encountered gender bias had lower STEM self-concept than participants who did not. However, this effect was attenuated for participants who also had a supportive network of STEM peers. These findings suggest that positive peer connections may be a valuable resource for girls and women in the STEM pipeline.
Convergent evidence from the diverse lines of research reported in the present special issue of this journal attests to the explanatory and predictive generality of self-efficacy theory. This commentary addresses itself to conceptual and empirical issues concerning the nature and function of self-percepts of efficacy.
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.
In this mete-analysis I examined 26 studies on the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics among elementary and secondary students. The common population correlation for the relationship is significant (-.27). A series of general linear models indicated that the relationship is consistent across gender groups, grade-level groups, ethnic groups, instruments measuring anxiety, and years of publication. The relationship, however, differs significantly among instruments measuring achievement as well as among types of publication. Researchers using standardized achievement tests tend to report a relationship of significantly smaller magnitude than researchers using mathematics teachers' grades and researcher-made achieve ment tests. Published studies tend to indicate a significantly smaller magnitude of the relationship than unpublished studies. There are no significant interaction effects among key variables such as gender, grade, and ethnicity.
Students' declining science interest in middle school is often attributed to psychological factors like shifts of motivational values, decrease in self-efficacy, or doubts about the utility of schooling in general. This paper adds to accounts of the middle school science problem through an ethnographic, longitudinal case study of three diverse students' identity work from fourth- to sixth-grade school science. Classroom observations and interviews are used as primary data sources to examine: (1) the cultural and structural aspects of the fourth- and sixth-grade classrooms, including the celebrated subject positions, that enabled and constrained students' identity work as science learners; (2) the nature of students' identity work, including their positioning related to the celebrated subject positions within and across fourth- and sixth-grade science; and (3) the ways race, class, and gender figured into students' identity work and positioning. In fourth-grade, all experienced excellent science pedagogy and performed themselves as scientifically competent and engaged learners who recognized themselves and got recognized by others as scientific. By sixth-grade, their identity work in school science became dramatically less scientific. Celebrated subject positions did not demand scientific thinking or robust engagement in scientific practices and were heavily mediated by race, class, and gender. Our results highlight three insights related to the middle school problem: (1) when students' social identity work was leveraged in service of robust science learning, their affiliation increased; (2) academic success in school science did not equate to affiliation or deep engagement with science; and (3) race, class, and gender figured into students' successes in, threats to, and identity work related to becoming scientific. We end the article by providing a framework and questions that teachers, teacher educators, and researchers might use to design and evaluate the equity of science education learning spaces. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach
The United States has made a significant effort and investment in STEM education, yet the size and the composition of the STEM workforce continues to fail to meet demand. It is thus important to understand the barriers and factors that influence individual educational and career choices. In this article, we conduct a literature review of the current knowledge surrounding individual and gender differences in STEM educational and career choices, using expectancy-value theory as a guiding framework. The overarching goal of this paper is to provide both a well-defined theoretical framework and complementary empirical evidence for linking specific sociocultural, contextual, biological, and psychological factors to individual and gender differences in STEM interests and choices. Knowledge gained through this review will eventually guide future research and interventions designed to enhance individual motivation and capacity to pursue STEM careers, particularly for females who are interested in STEM but may be constrained by misinformation or stereotypes.
Two studies were conducted to examine gender differences in trait (habitual) versus state (momentary) mathematics anxiety in a sample of students (Study 1: N = 584; Study 2: N = 111). For trait math anxiety, the findings of both studies replicated previous research showing that female students report higher levels of anxiety than do male students. However, no gender differences were observed for state anxiety, as assessed using experience-sampling methods while students took a math test (Study 1) and attended math classes (Study 2). The discrepant findings for trait versus state math anxiety were partly accounted for by students' beliefs about their competence in mathematics, with female students reporting lower perceived competence than male students despite having the same average grades in math. Implications for educational practices and the assessment of anxiety are discussed.
Autobiographies are an effective tool for assessing students' predispositions toward science and mathematics content and identifying any changes in attitude over time. The purpose of this study was to analyze autobiographies of students enrolled in elementary education methods classes to determine the kinds of K-12 and college content course experiences affecting their perceptions of mathematics or science. Special attention was given to recollections of events that had positive or negative effects on students' interest in and attitudes toward science or mathematics, their confidence in these areas, and transitions in attitude throughout their experiences. Ninety-eight autobiographies were collected and analyzed, revealing attitudes that were generally more positive than expected, five major emergent themes, and important information about when and why transitions in attitudes occurred.
This study examined the demographic, pre-college, environmental, and college factors that impact students' interests in and decisions to earn a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree among students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Results indicated that Hispanic students were well represented among STEM majors, and students' decisions to declare a STEM major and earn a STEM degree were uniquely influenced by students' gender, ethnicity, SAT math score, and high school percentile. Earning a STEM degree was related to students' first-semester GPA and enrollment in mathematics and science “gatekeeper” courses. Findings indicate that HSIs may be an important point of access for students in STEM fields and may also provide opportunity for more equitable outcomes for Hispanic students.
Who am I? What am I about? What is my place in my social group? What is important to me? What do I value? What do I want to do with my life? These are all questions related to what psychologists call identity. Many theorists have argued that we are driven to answer these questions, particularly during adolescence. In this article, I summarize an expectancy value perspective on identity and identity formation. Within this framework, identity can be conceptualized in terms of two basic sets of self perceptions: (a) perceptions related to skills, characteristics, and competencies, and (b) perceptions related to personal values and goals. Together these two sets of self perceptions inform both individuals' expectations for success and the importance they attach to becoming involved in a wide range of tasks. Within this perspective, then, I focus on the role personal and collective identities can play on motivated action through their influence on expectations for success and subjective task values. I also discuss briefly how personality and collective identities develop over time.
The present article presents a review of identity status-based theory and research with adolescents and emerging adults, with some coverage of related approaches such as narrative identity and identity style. In the first section, we review Erikson’s theory of identity and early identity status research examining differences in personality and cognitive variables across statuses. We then review two contemporary identity models that extend identity status theory and explicitly frame identity development as a dynamic and iterative process. We also review work that has focused on specific domains of identity. The second section of the article discusses mental and physical health correlates of identity processes and statuses. The article concludes with recommendations for future identity research with adolescent and emerging adult populations.
The present study examined the structural relations of social influences, task values, ability beliefs, educational expectation and academic engagement for both boys and girls. The structural equation modelling analyses provided nationally representative evidence of gender differences in: (1) the links from teacher–student relationship and peer friends’ academic value to student task values; and (2) the relations of student values and educational expectation with student academic engagement. Despite the detected gender differences, similar findings across gender groups were also noted. In addition, results from the Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause analyses demonstrated the existence of latent factor mean non‐invariance between boys and girls on multiple school motivational factors and social influences.