Researchers at Western University have learned anxiety about mathematics may not simply be a within-individual phenomenon as often thought.
According to data studied by Western psychologists from over one million students around the world, math anxiety is prevalent globally and can be detrimental in students trying to perform many school-related math skills.
The study, led by postdoctoral researcher Nathan Tsz Tan Lau, which was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at how a student’s perception of their teacher’s competence and parental support with homework are significant predictors of math anxiety. How a student’s classmates feel about math can also influence their ability to do well.
“If you have low math anxiety, but you’re in a high math anxiety classroom, because of the teacher’s ability or inexperience, or even the other students, you’re more likely to have lower math achievement,” Lau said. “The emotional climate in the context within which you learn greatly influences math achievement.”
People who fret about math will often avoid math-related situations, career paths that require math, and most notably, degrees, or careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As a result, math anxiety can influence how one experiences and interacts with the world.
Research also showed that the more parents are involved with homework and how much a teacher assigns, the higher math anxiety a child experiences.
“We can’t really say whether or not it is the parents helping their kids with homework that leads to higher math anxiety,” said Daniel Ansari, senior author of the study. “It could be the other way around that the students who are already struggling, require more help from parents. We need to do more research, but it is a surprising finding nonetheless.”
Ansari, who is an international expert for the specific learning disabilities that affect a child’s ability to understand, learn and perform math noted that while there is a relationship between math anxiety and achievement, students who are apprehensive about math are not necessarily cognitively disadvantaged.
“If a child has math anxiety, don’t assume that they’re not good at math. They may have had a really bad experience with math and there are ways to improve math achievement,” Ansari said.
Results from the study may be used in future studies to help identify specific math-related country factors, such as differences in the math education environment, cultural perceptions of math, or expectations placed on a student’s math achievement.
