Mathematics Anxiety: What Have We Learned in 60 Years?

By A. Dowker, Amar Sarkar, C. Looi. Frontiers in Psychology, 2016

785 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The construct of mathematics anxiety has been an important topic of study at least since the concept of “number anxiety” was introduced by Dreger and Aiken (1957), and has received increasing attention in recent years. This paper focuses on what research has revealed about mathematics anxiety in the last 60 years, and what still remains to be learned. We discuss what mathematics anxiety is; how distinct it is from other forms of anxiety; and how it relates to attitudes to mathematics. We discuss the relationships between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance. We describe ways in which mathematics anxiety is measured, both by questionnaires, and by physiological measures. We discuss some possible factors in mathematics anxiety, including genetics, gender, age, and culture. Finally, we describe some research on treatment. We conclude with a brief discussion of what still needs to be learned.

Subfields: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Statistics and Probability

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/57357f2a31f0cde58cf34e1567206abf861dce51

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Citations in the corpus

Math anxiety, intelligence, and performance in mathematics: Insights from the German adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS-G) (2018, background): “MA has been discussed as being related to other forms of anxiety, especially to trait anxiety (i.e., general anxiety that is not specific to a situation or content) and test anxiety (i.e., anxiety that occur before or during tests and examinations) (for a review, see Dowker et al., 2016).”
The impact of mathematics anxiety on self-regulated learning and mathematical literacy (2020, background): “levels of mathematics interest, value, self-concept and confidence in abilities (Dowker et al., 2016; Suárez-Pellicioni et al., 2016).”
The potential of digital tools to enhance mathematics and science learning in secondary schools: A context-specific meta-analysis (2020, background): “Motivational student outcomes such as interest in science and mathematics or instrumental forms of motivation can influence student career choices later in life (Dowker, Sarkar, & Looi, 2016; Schiepe-Tiska et al., 2017).”
Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants (2021, background): “the affective dimension, physiological effects, and motivational components) (Dowker et al., 2016; Pekrun et al., 2004).”
Math Anxiety in Students With and Without Math Learning Difficulties (2019, background): “Although it is not clear to what extent the math anxiety affects the mathematical difficulties and how much of the experience of mathematical difficulties cause mathematical anxiety, there is considerable evidence that math anxiety affects the mathematical performance that requires working memory (D”