An Exploration of Mathematic Anxiety An Annotated Bibliography

Alisha Benedict
St. Thomas University

Abstract: Mathematic Anxiety, an anxiety of ones capability to do math (independent of

skill) is phenomenon in the educational world that is often discovered when examining
students problems in mathematics. Anxiety Rating Scales have been developed and used
for researching individual students, groups of students, and/or populations of students
from young ages to older adults around the world. The most dominant scale of choice is
called the MARS scale (Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale), introduced by Richardson
and Suinn in 1972. Researchers suggest a number of reason anxiety in mathematics may
arise. With factors from the environment of the classroom, the teachers attitude towards
math, the difficulty of math work, the outside influences of peers, siblings, family
members and society as well as the potential of a predisposed anxiety toward math in
itself. Research conducted on improving the experience of math for students in a math
classroom is varied and limited. Nonetheless, I have examined five articles that present
promising research on this topic with possible strategies and ideas to work towards an
anxiety free math classroom. Keeping an optimistic, positive view on all learning, having
students engaged in their learning and eliminating or working with outside stressors or
preconceived ideas can help us as educators create a comfortable, healthy learning
environments for our students.
Richardson,F.C.,SuinnR.M.,"TheMathematicsAnxietyRatingScale",Journalof
CounselingPsychology,Volume:19,(1972),pp.551554

Brush, L. R. (1981). Some Thoughts for Teachers on Mathematics

Anxiety. The Arithmetic Teacher, 29 (4), 37-39.

This article closely analyzes research of mathematics anxiety and looks for specific
opportunities in which teachers can reduce anxiety and encourage the study of math. The
author Lorelei Brush studies the responses of high school and college students
performing the MARS (Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale) and discovers that out of the
94 questions, two categories can be made experiences and calculations (involving
evaluation of others). Brush finds that students are less anxious about the calculations in
themselves and more anxious about the preparation/waiting for of math problems (i.e.,
waiting to write a test). Brush created a study to using the MARS scale on English and
make a comparison between Math and English. Similar findings were articulated, such
that, students are more anxious about situations in which others are evaluating their work.
With these findings, Brush developed a list of features as to why students may find
mathematics anxiety provoking. To revoke these feelings from happening in students
Brush has also come up with a few key points to decreasing anxiety in math students.
Brush believes with a cognitive teaching mindset of the potential of anxiety levels in your
students, mathematical anxiety can be supported. I think that as a teacher it is important
to know and understand your students and therefore, understanding where the levels of
anxiety in students are centered around, would be important and vital in making lesson
plans to fit your students learning.

Finlayson, M. (2014). Addressing Math Anxiety in the Classroom. Improving Schools,

17 (1), 99-115.

This article is written by Maureen Finlayson, a professor in the Education program at

Cape Breton University, Canada. The article addresses research theories and practices
revolving around math anxiety with researched supported information of what causes
mathematical anxiety in students. As well, Finlayson conducts a study to examine the
causes of math anxiety and explore strategies that will help aspiring teachers support the
overcoming of math anxiety. The study involved surveys done by 70 pre-service teachers
in Canada who are studying to become math teachers. The research findings from the
study conducted by Finlayson support the idea that teachers, as well as students have
some control over the factors leading to mathematical anxiety. Finlayson suitably sorts
the supporting information and findings into three categories: causes of math anxiety,
personal strategies, and teacher strategies. In conclusion Finlayson provides significant
strategies and ideas for coping or avoiding mathematic anxiety, for the pre-service
teacher, current teacher and for students. I believe this article does a good job at
analyzing and displaying the problematic frequency of math anxiety in students and uses
information provided by the study to develop a professional implementation plan for not
only pre-service teachers studying to become math teachers but for the students them
selves. As an aspiring teacher I now understand the importance of becoming aware and
gaining more knowledge of the possibility of mathematic anxiety in students but I what I
find even more interesting is the idea Finlayson suggests, of getting the students more

aware of challenges and strategies surrounding learning pressures in math and hopefully
avoid this anxiety from happening in not only math, but in all subjects.

Harari, R. R., Vukovic, R. K., & Bailey, S. P. (2013). Mathematics Anxiety in Young
Children: An Exploratory Study. The Journal of Experiential Education , 81 (4),
538-555.

This article claims that most information on mathematics anxiety is focused on older
children and adults. However given the negative long-term consequences associated with
mathematic anxiety, the authors (Harari, Vukovic, & Bailey) in this article have chosen to
focus on when math anxiety first emerges and its characteristics in young children. The
article introduces mathematics anxiety by describing the development of math anxiety.
Harari, Vukoviic and Bailey touch on the current conception in the field such that math
anxiety results primarily from cumulative negative experiences in school. They further
explore this notion with ideas brought together from other research showing
students/children showing mathematic anxiety in ages as low as third grade, also,
evidence that parenting practices play a role in the development and maintenance of
childrens anxiety. To develop clear more advanced understanding, the authors go on by
investigating the nature of mathematics anxiety in young children (what does it look
like?), and hypothesize what math anxiety in young children may encompass.
Expanding on the literature provided, the authors present a study, examining
mathematics anxiety with a sample of first-grade attending urban, high minority schools.
The study focused on determining whether mathematics anxiety was multidimensional,
how specific dimensions of math anxiety were independently related to math
performance and whether mathematic anxiety differed as a function of demographic
characteristic (i.e., race, sex, economy, language background, etc.). Momentous results

were found as a result of this study, such that (along with others) the study suggests that
some form of mathematics anxiety might be present in children even before they
encounter prolonged negative math experience, in other words, the findings suggest that
student may begin their school careers, predisposed to mathematics anxiety.
I think this article was extremely beneficial to my understanding of mathematical
anxiety. I have a stronger, reliable sense of when/how mathematics anxiety is presented in
young children. The idea of mathematical anxiety being predisposed in children and
having fault from other possible sources including peers, older siblings, families, and
society in whole, is reassuring in the sense that it does not solely rely on the teacher. I
think this is good to know in order change to happen. Effects such as getting the families
involved in homework, discussion, learning optimism, etc. may have a great impact on
the students attitude towards mathematics and essentially, shape their positive learning.

Hsiu-Zu, H., Senturk, D., Lam, A. G., Zimmer, J. M., Hong, S., & Okomoto, Y. (2000).
The Affective and Cognitive Dimensions of Math Anxiety: A Cross-National
Study . Journal for Research in Mathematics Education , 31 (3), 362-379.

This study focuses on comparing the dimensions, levels and relationships of math anxiety
with mathematic achievement, using a sample of 6th-grade students from China, Taiwan,
and the United States. The presenting factors is that past researchers have found a
correlation between math anxiety and performance, such that students with high levels of
mathematic anxiety, tend to have lower levels of mathematic performance. The
researchers in this article have chosen to focus particularly on gender differences,
reporting that as the result of 151 studies, an indication of females anxiety toward
mathematics to be consistently higher than that of a male. As well, the authors indicated
in the article, that mathematics performance also differs between Asian and U.S. students,
supporting the existence of differential patterns in attitude achievement.
As mentioned before, the authors/researchers conducted a study to explore these
reports. The results of the study were dissimilar in cross-national comparison, such that,
two Asian samples did not respond similarly: females from Taiwan cognitive and
affective math anxiety showed higher ratings than males and the ratings did not differ
between boys and girls in Chinese sample for either factor. The authors conclude, the
research through the study shows that experiential distinction between affective and
cognitive dimensions of mathematic anxiety found in the United States is also relevant
for samples in other nations (specifically China and Taiwan. As well, through their
findings, the authors can generalize the negative effects of math anxiety (affective and

cognitive) on mathematic achievement to the samples in China and Taiwan, such that
affective math anxiety was also a hindering factor in mathematics performance in the
Asian samples. Through the distinction made of affective and cognitive effects on
performance made in this article/study, implications for intervention strategies can be
more properly made, such as, behavioral strategies and proper, comfortable and
encouraging learning environments.
I found this study interesting in the sense of its comparison to Western learners
and Asian students. I think that it is important to see the comparison and understand that
mathematic anxiety is a worldwide problem, which has great potential to be controlled.
As a teacher, I hope to find myself teaching in other countries and therefore with this
knowledge and understanding of the universal effect of math anxiety and the intervention
strategies suggested in this article, I hope to apply this to my teaching and prosper healthy
learning in all my students.

Yeo Kai Kow, J. (2004). Do High Ability Students have Math Anxiety? Journal of
Science and Mathematics Education in S.E. Asia , 27 (2), 135-152.

This article, written by well-known professor Joseph Yeo from the National Institute of
Education, discusses the study of 116 high ability Secondary Two students (students from
the top 10% of their class in Singapore). Yeo begins his article with discussing
Spielbergers research (1972), the idea that anxiety has two forms or constructs; theory of
state (A-State), and trait anxiety (A-Trait). Yeo then goes on to further explore and define
the importance of understanding the psychological connections made with mathematic
anxiety, using research to support his theories.
Before introducing his study, Yeo discusses the key goals he wishes to get out of
it. One being, to promote a better attitude towards mathematics, for students to enjoy
doing mathematics and show confidence. Secondly, the overall goal was to discover if
mathematic anxiety exists in high ability Secondary Two students. The instrument chosen
by Yeo to use in the study was the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS),
a 12-item, five-point Likert-format instrument. Interestingly, in the administration of the
MAS, the teachers referred to the scale as Mathematics Attitude Scale on the form and
anxiety was avoided. In conclusion, Yeo claims that mathematics anxiety did not exist
among this sample group of 116 high ability Secondary Two students. However, their
fears of taking a math test and solving math problems was greater than their fear in
learning math and thinking about math. Yeo discusses implications such as the size of the
sample in the study being too small and the isolation to a certain type of school, which
can both be replicated/modified to explore further.

This article was nicely laid out and very easy to read and understand, however,
the information discovered through the results of the study were not as meaningful as I
had hoped. That being said, the fact that Secondary Two students from Singapore are still
showing some fear towards being tested and solving math problems vs. learning math and
thinking about math, offer an interesting correlation. It makes me wonder what can be
done during tests/solving problems to allow students to feel that they are only learning
and thinking, decreasing stress/anxiety levels.

Jameson, M. M. (2013). The Development and Validation of the Childrens Anxiety in

Math Scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment , 31 (4), 391-395.

This article looks at key aspects of the Childrens Anxiety in Math scale and to determine
its reliability, validity and factor structure of a new tool to measure math anxiety in young
children. Jameson describes further the commonly used MARS tool for assessing math
anxiety, a 98-item Mathematic Anxiety Rating Scale and continues by discussing
shortened versions, the 25-item sMARS and an even shorter scale, the 9-item
Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale, AMARS. Most frequently, Mathematic anxiety is
studied in older adults rather than young children. Jameson suggests that one reason for
the scarcity of research of math anxiety in young children could be partially due to the
lack of measurement tools and explains that there are really only three main tools used to
assess math anxiety in children, the 22-item MASC, the 14-item assessment MAXS, and
the 26-item MARS scale, all based off the popular MARS scale mentioned earlier.
Jameson claims that although all three of these scales have strong psychometric
properties, there are also weaknesses in each designed for upper elementary, dated and
all use Likert-type (numeric responses), which are inappropriate for elementary students,
particularly lower grade levels.
Given the low state of math measurements available for children, this article
explains how Jameson developed an exploratory study to develop an appropriate measure
of math anxiety for young children and to evaluate the measure based on its factor
structure, internal consistency, and validity. Next, five experts appropriately created a 16item Math Anxiety Rating Scale (CAMS), with specific content including, performing

math, performing math in social situations, thinking about math and struggling in math.
Children responded using a facial images scale (five facial expressions ranging form very
anxious a 5- to not at all anxious a 1), scores are summed with high scores
representing higher levels of math anxiety. A study was conducted using this scale, with
428 participants from three different elementary schools in the Midwest United States.
The results of the study provide evidence for the potential use of the CAMS as a
developmentally appropriate measure for math anxiety in young children.
The idea that a measurement being used is not as reliable and valid as one may
think did not come to my mind before reading this article. I now have a high
understanding of the use of MARS on younger children, and the idea that a more
accommodating and appropriate measure (such as the CAMS) should be administered to
elementary students. I think what this article was suggesting as the biggest factor in a
MARS for elementary students was the idea that the rating are done using a numeric
rating scale. Having done my internship in grade one class, knowing their level of
understanding, and actually using the facial scale in class, I know and understand how
they would respond, and I definitely believe the difference between the two would have a
major impact on the results of the assessment.