Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Research Proposal:
2
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………4
Characteristics of Anxiety………………………………………………………………..4
Problem Statement……………………………………………………………………………….6
Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………...6
Research Questions………………………………………………………………………6
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………6
Mathematics Anxiety…………………………………………………………………….6
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….9
Research Method………………………………………………………………………………..10
Participants………………………………………………………………………………………11
Description of Participants………………………………………………………………11
Recruitment………………………………………………………………………………12
Ethical Issues…………………………………………………………………………….12
Instruments………………………………………………………………………………………13
Quantitative Component…………………………………………………………………13
Qualitative Component…………………………………………………………………..14
Procedure………………………………………………………………………………………...15
Reducing Math Anxiety
3
Limitations and Assumptions of Procedure…………………………………………….18
Limitations………………………………………………………………………………19
Schedule of Activities……………………………………………………………………………21
Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………..22
References………………………………………………………………………………………..24
Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………....26
4
Introduction
Imagine this scenario: ten minutes ago, everything was fine. You had a great sleep, an
even better breakfast, and now you are about to start your work for the day. Suddenly, you
realize that your heart is starting to race, your palms are starting to sweat, and the simple task of
writing your name on a piece of paper is causing your neck muscles to stiffen. What you may
or may not realize is that your body is responding to your brain’s activation of its “fight or flight”
mechanism. Now, this response would be appropriate and even beneficial if your job entailed
running away from bears in a national park; however, in this scenario, imagine that you are
sitting down to write a secondary-school mathematics test. While the math test is hardly about to
devour you as if it were a hungry bear, your body is physiologically responding to the perceived
threat of danger, and your physical symptoms are as real as if you were responding to the sudden
appearance of a bear in front of you. In this scenario, you are experiencing an anxiety attack.
Characteristics of Anxiety
The central theme to all types of anxiety is worry. Worry is a cognitive process that is
characterized by having repetitive, negative thoughts of a perceived threat (Huberty, 2012, p. 30).
Table 1 in the Appendix lists typical characteristics of anxiety that can manifest themselves
achieving one’s potent when one is about to write any sort of a test! Mathematics anxiety,
specifically, can be described as “anxiety that interferes with one’s ability to manipulate numbers
and problem solve in mathematic related situations” (Richardson & Suinn, 1972). Such anxiety
Reducing Math Anxiety
5
results in a student’s performing below his or her potential, and therefore compromises the
Some characteristics of gifted learners make them more prone to experiencing higher
rates of mathematics anxiety, whereas other ‘gifted’ characteristics tend to reduce or prohibit
signs of anxiety. Although gifted learners typically exhibit positive traits such as high levels of
inquisitiveness, they can also possess negative traits such as perfectionism, low self-confidence,
frequent instances of frustration, and a lack of perseverance (Distin, 2006, p. 22-30). How, then,
Having been a math educator since 1997, I find this topic very compelling. I have
personally witnessed students experience test anxiety at every level of the spectrum. At its most
innocuous, anxiety can make a student perspire before taking a test; at its worst, anxiety can
psychologically paralyze students to the point of rendering them unable to attend school for
months or contributing to their contemplating suicide. Although much research has been done
on anxiety in general, very little has been done to investigate anti-anxiety strategies specific to a
secondary mathematics classroom. It is my hope that this study will keep the conversation about
and the investigation of math anxiety moving in a direction that will not only benefit students as
they negotiate their math classes, but also as they transition through to adulthood as
6
Problem Statement
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how “gifted” and “non-gifted” mathematics
course.
Research Questions
a. What are the causes or triggers specific to math anxiety in Grade 10 students?
b. How does exposure to anxiety-reducing techniques affect perceived anxiety levels
This review of literature includes both primary and secondary sources. There are four
articles from scholarly journals, two of which were based on the results of the authors’ own
primary research. This review also includes three research reports and two books pertaining to
anxiety and to the gifted learner. This review will be organized under two major categories:
Mathematics Anxiety
Conducting further research in the area of mathematics anxiety could potentially benefit
all levels of education and society. One study has estimated that the numbers of students who
experience mathematics anxiety is over one-third (Richardson & Suinn, 1972); on the other
hand, two other studies (conducted by Cizek & Burg in 2006 and Huberty in 2009) have
estimated that “test anxiety,” in general, affects somewhere between 25% and 40% of secondary
students (as cited in Salend, 2011). Multiple researchers also agree that math anxiety leads to
Reducing Math Anxiety
7
avoidance of subjects involving mathematics, thereby limiting potential career paths for students
who might otherwise succeed in those careers (Richardson & Suinn, 1970; Hembree, 1990;
Ashcraft, 2002; Chernoff & Stone, 2014). Furthermore, in 1989, William Bush’s study showed
that elementary teachers suffering with their own math anxiety favoured teaching algorithms and
skills as opposed to adhering to best practice guidelines that also emphasize concepts. Studying
mathematics with such teachers, students are then more susceptible to developing a lack of
understanding as to why the algorithms are in place, and thus has the potential to create new
generations of math-anxious students (as cited in Chernoff & Stone, 2014). Not surprisingly,
elementary teachers exhibited the highest degree of mathematics test anxiety compared to all
other groups in a meta-analysis process of synthesizing 151 previous studies (Hembree, 1990). It
is clear, then, that math anxiety exists; so what can mathematics researchers do to alleviate its
Langford, British Columbia. The meeting was intended to collect public feedback on the
structuring of a new high school’s being built in the district. Since I am a teacher in the gifted
education program in Victoria, I asked the superintendent if there were any plans to create a
similar program in the new secondary school. He promptly replied that, when this idea was last
discussed, the teachers in his District were against such a plan, as they “didn’t want all of their
smart kids to leave their classrooms.” Sadly, this narrow understanding of the needs of the gifted
learner is prevalent among teachers if they have not had some sort of professional training in the
delivery of gifted education. Prior to training in gifted education, one group of teachers
described gifted learners as “bright, confident, and fortunate,” whereas after the training, the
Reducing Math Anxiety
8
same teachers used such terms as “vulnerable, complex, and needy” (Distin, 2006, p. 118). How
“needy” and “vulnerable” are such students? In a recent study of gifted students, researchers
found a correlation of 0.56 between anxiety and depression in gifted high school students (Yazid,
Bakar & Ishak, 2014). In other words, there is some correlation between test anxiety and above-
Not all research agrees, however, that the gifted are more vulnerable than their non-gifted
counterparts. In 1999, Zeidner and Schleyer studied 772 gifted and 716 regular Israeli students
in Grades 4 to 9. They found that the gifted students who were integrated into regular
classrooms self-reported lower levels of academic anxiety, a finding which may be explained by
their high academic self-efficacy nature. The Zeidner & Schleyer study, however, focusses on a
younger student as opposed to an older student, that is, a student who may be facing academic
challenges for the first time. In my own experience with gifted students, they will sometimes
report, “I never had to work for my grades, but that, now that the material is harder, I don’t know
how to study.” In secondary school mathematics, the working memory must be accessed in
most processes, since the problems almost always require multiple steps. When multiple steps
are involved, working memory is required, and test anxiety increases in those who are
predisposed to mathematics anxiety (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007). Thus, for students who are
experiencing mathematical challenges for the first time, frustration and avoidance of the subject
are likely to occur. This sense of frustration may also be coupled with a lack of perseverance
since gifted learners are not accustomed to having to “work” for their comprehension of a
Indeed, many researchers report high levels of frustration for gifted learners due to setting
unrealistic standards (Zeidner & Schleyer, 1999; Distin, 2006, p.34; Yazid et al., 2014).
Reducing Math Anxiety
9
Compounding this effect are learning environments in which gifted students are segregated into
separated programs for purely gifted learners. Zeidner & Schleyer found that these students’
self-perception of their intellectual ability (their self-esteem) was much lower than their non-
segregated counterparts. Zeidner and Schleyer concluded that the social comparison in a
collective of highly able individuals could lead to the gifted learner’s to feeling inadequate,
frustrated, and increasingly anxious. Other studies have shown that unrealistic expectations (real
or perceived) of parents and educators can also add fuel to the anxiety fire, a phenomenon which
could be intensified should the students be in a specialized program for gifted learners (as cited
Conclusion
Few will argue that the demands on classroom teachers in all secondary subjects have
increased over the past four decades. As educational research continues to dig more deeply and
more broadly into existing and trending topics, and as access to this new research has become
accessible to anyone with an internet connection, educators are assuming responsibilities beyond
simply teaching their subject matter. Moreover, with the rampant use of state-sponsored
standardized testing, teachers are not only losing valuable class time to test preparation, they are
also being required to cover a vast number of state-mandated learning outcomes. These “high
stakes” tests (that in British Columbia are mostly administered at the Grade 10 level) are also
(Salend, 2011).
Not only will this study target the population of students who are facing high stakes,
government exams for the first time, it will also provide evidence that justifies and supports
teachers’ decisions to utilize class time to coach their students through their test anxiety that may
Reducing Math Anxiety
10
exist in the math classroom. As Grade 10 gifted learners may be experiencing genuine academic
challenges for the first time, and since they have a wide array of characteristics unique to their
cohort, this research may shed more light on the anti-anxiety techniques that work best for them
Research Method
maximize the benefits and counter the drawbacks of both the qualitative and quantitative
experiment that monitors students’ anxiety levels using a survey, I will also have a subset of the
students undergo a series of reflections and structured interviews. As the quantitative surveys
and the qualitative reflections will be conducted concurrently throughout the semester, I will
apply the triangulation mixed methods design, also known as QUAN-QUAL, so that statistically
Participants
Description of participants. Four classes will be utilized for this study: two gifted and
two regular, academic Mathematics 10 classes. Two of the classes will constitute the
experimental group, and two of the classes will constitute the control group. The control group,
consisting of two classes (one gifted and one regular), will be taught by other teachers; however,
Reducing Math Anxiety
11
I will teach the experiment group. For qualitative component, three students who have a
“moderate” amount mathematics anxiety will be recruited from each experimental class.
Rationale for selection and exclusion of participants. As I mentioned in the Review of
Literature, studies involving anxiety in gifted learners have focussed for the most part on
intermediate and middle school years, not on Grade 10. Due to “high stakes” testing starting in
Grade 10 in British Columbia, this grade represents a group in which a significantly higher
degree of stress is introduced into students’ lives. Compounding this negative effect, researchers
report that mathematics anxiety tends to peak in Grades 9 and 10 (Hembree, 1990). Students who
are mathematically challenged tend to take Applied and Workplace (A & W) mathematics, and
therefore the study’s focus on the students in the academic mathematics course, Foundations and
Pre-Calculus (FPC) Mathematics, will reduce threats to validity resulting from statistical
regression. In the same vein, students who are tested with extremely high or low levels of pre-
existing mathematics anxiety will not be utilized in the case study. These students will be
selected based on a “moderate” anxiety ranking on an initial, pre-test survey and in light of their
post-unit test responses to the first reflection activity. I will look for students who provide
reflections in a thorough and seemingly honest manner. Finally, I wish to exclude students from
the case study who are repeating the course, so that all participants in this component of the
study have the same level of mathematics experience prior to entering the study.
Recruitment. Utilising my own classes for the experimental group will make
some of the recruitment very simple. The challenge will be to recruit two additional classes to
serve as controls: one gifted and one regular. I will be contacting other Mathematics 10 teachers
from across the district to secure these control groups for two reasons. Typically, my school only
has one gifted Math 10 class per year; however, across town there is another district gifted
education program. Secondly, in order to reduce the effect of treatment diffusion, having the
Reducing Math Anxiety
12
control groups located outside of my school would likely eliminate that effect. Prior to choosing
these control groups, I would need to determine what strategies and policies the teacher(s)
already utilize. Ultimately, I would like to find colleagues who teach mathematics with more
traditional, potentially anxiety-causing techniques, such as timed tests. It is possible that I may
have to recruit outside of my school district, however, in order to satisfy this condition.
Ethical issues. Parental permission will unquestionably be required for students whom I
wish to participate in the study. It is feasible that a student with extreme anxiety issues would be
be voluntary and names would be held in confidence, with the best interests of the students
always being held paramount. Documents will be held in strict confidence, and only data
pertaining to overall results of the study will be released to the public. No data or instruments
will be destroyed for five years, during which these will be securely stored in locked filing
cabinets and on a password-controlled computer. General results of the study, however, will
disseminated to student participants, their parents, and their teachers upon conclusion of the
study.
Instruments
survey that takes a quick snapshot of the students’ self-perceived mathematics anxiety levels
(Appendix, Figure 1). The survey consists of some basic demographic information, such as
name, age, and whether or not this is the first time taking the course. It then proceeds to use a 5-
point Likert scale from “Extremely” to “Not at all” that asks students to rank ten statements
Reducing Math Anxiety
13
pertaining to their emotional and distress levels that they tend to experience during math tests
and in completing practice work. Since this survey has been adapted from the Westside Anxiety
Test, its statements are specific to mathematics anxiety, as opposed to test anxiety in general
(Driscoll, 2007). Each response is given a point value; and survey-takers’ responses will be
averaged to a score out of five in each case. Using Westside’s rating system, I will be able to
determine the anxiety levels of my students quickly and effectively (Appendix, Table 2). A quick
search in UBC’s Commons listed numerous studies that have used this anxiety scale to quantify
anxiety levels resulting from testing, thus providing me with confidence levels pertaining to the
validity of this survey. The survey will be administered using the CPS Student Response
System, which will allow for students to enter in their responses into a “clicker” without fear of
their neighbours’ looking at their self-assessment. At the end of the course, I will administer this
identical survey to compare where they are presently in their mathematics anxiety with their
The second component to the quantitative piece will be the pre-math test survey, entitled
“Pre-Math Test Check-in.” This is a self-developed, 4-point Likert Scale that allows students to
determine graphically which statement most describes how they are feeling immediately before
they write each unit test in the course. Instead of utilizing words to describe their feelings, I have
chosen to utilize an arrow system that students can use to judge reliably their frame of mind both
quickly and effectively (Appendix, Figure 2). Students will read seven statements, one at a time.
The leftmost statements represent the statements with which a typically calm and prepared
student would identify, whereas the rightmost statements would typical of students who exhibit
signs of mathematics anxiety. Students can also gauge to what extent they identify with a side by
choosing either the single arrow, “<” or the double arrow, “<<”.
Reducing Math Anxiety
14
Qualitative Component. The day after each unit test has been written, each student will
complete a very short reflection sheet that completes the following statements:
The motivation behind this reflection piece is to promote what is referred to as “Attribution
Training.” Some students will enter testing situations “knowing they are going to fail,” even
though they have prepared for the assessment. Attribution training helps these students positively
and correctly attribute their achievements to the correct cause, thereby reducing anxious feelings
The six students who will be part of the ethnographical case study will be required to
participate in three structured, audio-recorded interviews, at the beginning, middle, and end of
the course. These interviews will each serve different purposes. The initial interview will let me
find out about their “math history” and what triggers them personally to experience mathematics
anxiety. During this interview, I will help each participant craft a “game plan” for the course
and, most importantly, during this interview, I will establish a rapport with the student. The mid-
semester interview will serve as a check-in: I will clarify what is going well, what isn’t, and what
we could be doing differently. The final interview, which will take place before the Grade 10
Mathematics Provincial Exam, will serve to leave the student with a sense of where we started,
how far have we gone, and where will we go from there. At the end of the final interview, I will
leave students with some “Reflection Homework” that helps them synthesize the anxiety training
that is taking place. I will also encourage these six students to set up appointments for informal
15
Lastly, I will maintain a field journal throughout the semester, documenting observations
from in class and summarizing my interviews (this is especially important for any spontaneous
interviews that will not be audio-recorded). I will also ensure that I thoroughly check my
students’ I. E. P.s (Individualized Education Plans), and make note of any anxiety related
information.
Procedure
determined and permissions obtained from parents. For each group, one Gifted and one Regular
follows:
1. Day 1 of the semester: Students in all four classes will be given the Math Anxiety Survey.
The control groups will not be surveyed again until the final day of class, but before their
final exam.
2. Week 1 to end of semester: The experiment groups will receive mini-lessons aimed to
educate students into the causes and effects of anxiety. Teaching practices will also be
altered to minimize triggers that have been shown to activate students’ anxiety. I have
included an “Anti-Anxiety Tip Sheet” that I have produced in the Appendix (Figure 3).
Every effort will be made to implement these theories in my teaching practice, and I will
3. Day of each unit test: There are 6 unit tests in FPC Math 10. Using an anonymous, 4-
point, self-developed Likert scale survey, the students will take this survey the day of
each unit test. The survey, called the “Pre-Math Test Check-in,” asks questions pertaining
Reducing Math Anxiety
16
to students’ mathematical preparedness, confidence, and overall feelings of nervousness.
confidence have been shown to be inversely related; therefore, the survey was designed
to gauge these factors (Hembree, 1990). Secondly, the questions also serve to remind the
students about the importance of completing practice work, doing the practice test, and
reviewing the notes as part of their studying process for math. Teaching study skills to
4. The day after each unit test: A quick self-reflection will be given to students with three
questions to answer (see Instruments). After the first reflection, I will assess which
students with their math anxiety scores. Those students who provide detailed responses
and who also have ranked between “moderate” to “high” (3.0/5 – 4.0/5) for math test
anxiety will be approached to become part of the qualitative case study. Ideally, three
will reduce the weighting of tests on these students’ spreadsheets by 5%. That 5% will
5. The week after the first unit test: The six case study students will be interviewed for the
first time. My goal will be to gain insight into their math history and to find out about
their personal anxiety triggers. As I have previously mentioned, a “game plan” will be
created together to help these students become less anxious with their math testing.
6. Mid-semester: After Chapter 3, I will conduct a check-in interview with the six case
study students. I will go over their spreadsheets in the course with them in detail and see
Reducing Math Anxiety
17
how they are feeling about the course overall. The goal will be to determine what
techniques have been working for them and where a change might be needed to
7. End of semester: Before the Provincial final examination, I will conduct a final interview
with the six case study students. The purpose will be to talk about their study strategy for
the final exam, to discuss their game plan for their next course, and to determine what
anti-anxiety techniques have worked the best for them. I will also be giving them a
“Dear Me” assignment. This is a reflection in which they will write a letter to
themselves, which will then supposedly be transported back to them at the beginning of
the semester. The letter will need to convey their successes, their misses, what they are
most proud of, what new strategies really worked well for them that resulted in reduced
anxiety, and any other advice that they would give themselves.
8. Last “teaching” day of class: Students from all four classes will take the Mathematics
Anxiety Survey for the second time so as to gauge whether their overall mathematics
treatment group for this study and another 50-60 students will be in the control group, thereby
restricting the generalizability of the study. The overall anxiety levels determined at the
beginning and end of the semester will be using an adapted version of a survey designed to
gauge test anxiety in general. The only adaptation that I made was to add the word “math” in
certain places to make the survey specific to math anxiety. I am assuming that this change will
not affect the validity of this survey to any great extent. As well, although the control group will
Reducing Math Anxiety
18
not be receiving treatment from me, it is possible that the teachers in those classes will
implement anti-anxiety teaching strategies that are similar to mine. This study assumes that the
frequency and variety of anti-anxiety teaching strategies used by the control group teachers will
Rationale of research method. Since the quantitative and qualitative components of this
survey are interwoven with each other, the triangulation mixed methods design is the optimal
method for my study. Research questions (a) and (c) will be addressed using the qualitative
methods outlined in the procedure. Interviewees will have been specifically selected to minimize
validity threats and to maximize engagement with students who demonstrate a willingness to
share and reflect in a productive way. This one-on-one process will thereby allow me to be able
to obtain a cornucopia of relevant information. To address research question (b), I will use the
Pre-Mathematics Test surveys to quantify students’ attitudes and study habits immediately before
the unit tests. By analyzing the trends in these data, I will be able to establish if the group work,
combined with anti-anxiety classroom policies, actually does make a difference in those attitudes
and study habits over time. As well, the initial and final Mathematics Test Anxiety Surveys will
establish my baseline anxiety levels to ultimately determine if changes in classroom policies can
Limitations. The non-equivalent control group design lends itself to certain threats to its
internal and external validity. Statistical regression, differential selection, and pretest-treatment
interaction threats are typical in this type of design, as a consequence in large part to the non-
random selection of participants. To minimize these effects where possible, I will not use
Reducing Math Anxiety
19
students who self-report themselves as having high or low anxiety, in the qualitative component
of the study, and thereby address regression issues. In my particular school, there are three levels
of mathematics at the Grade 10 level: Apprenticeship and Workplace (A&W), Regular, and
Gifted. Therefore, the students in my Regular Math 10 are typically void of students who are
particularly challenged at math, since they tend to register in A&W math. Hence, most students
in Regular math classes are relatively homogenous, and finding a control group within the school
should not be an issue, thereby minimizing selection threats. To eliminate the effects of Pretest-
Treatment interaction, I will administer the initial anxiety survey to participants in the first week
of class. The next self-assessment of their anxiety will not occur for another two weeks, and it
Lastly, there are also limitations to undertaking a “field experiment” as opposed to a “true
experiment” that controls nearly all threats to an experiment’s validity. Since my experiment
will occur in the natural classroom setting, I will not be able to control all of the external
variables that could influence a student’s anxiety levels, such as personal stress and stress from
other classes. As well, for this study to be reproduced, a new researcher would find it very
difficult to recreate exactly the same conditions that I had in my classroom. Ultimately, by being
aware of these threats, I will be able to create a study that has at least some limited
generalizability.
1. Math Anxiety Survey. Once the surveys are completed, I will determine the mean of
the responses to give each student an anxiety score out of 5. I will then group the
students into three categories: High Anxiety (3.7 – 5), Medium Anxiety (2.3 – 3.6)
Reducing Math Anxiety
20
and Low Anxiety (1 – 2.2). The evenly distributed anxiety levels will categorize the
namely gifted and non-gifted, the independent variable is considered to have two
levels. As well, since the same students will each undergo a pre-test and post-test, the
groups that I have are categorized as “dependent” will consistent of those students
whose anxiety levels have decreased little over time. Hence, the most appropriate
statistical test to use for analysing the data from the Math Anxiety Survey will be the
paired t-test. A significance value of 0.05 will be used to test whether or not the null
hypothesis is true, where the null hypothesis is that anti-anxiety techniques will not
Lastly, to compare anxiety levels between the experimental group and the control
group, I will run a one-tailed t-test to determine if the treatment group exhibited less
anxiety. This decision is the result of my assuming that anti-anxiety techniques will
2. Pre-Math Test Check-in: The questions will be categorized in the following way:
a. Preparedness and Study Skills (Questions 1 – 2*) *Q3 will not be considered
in the data since it is too subjective. I will keep it in the survey, however, to
b. Confidence (Questions 4 – 5)
21
Each arrow will be given a numerical value of +2, +1, -1, and -2, whereby the
positive values are assigned to positive attributes, such as not feeling nervous. For each
category, I will sum the total points for each student. Over time, I would hope to see the
sums in each category moving towards the optimal value of +2. Scatterplots of each
category over time will also be produced to see trends as the course continued. In other
words, scatterplots of Preparedness versus Time, Confidence versus Time, and Anxiety
versus Time will be examined. Since these surveys are anonymous, I will utilize the
average score from each class. Using linear regression techniques, I will also compute the
slope of the best fit line from the gifted and non-gifted classes. Lastly, to compare how
the two independent groups (gifted and non-gifted) respond, I will utilize the Mann-
Whitney U-test on these data because I will have one independent variable (exposure to
anti-anxiety techniques), with two levels (gifted and non-gifted), with the dependent
For all data analysis processes, an Excel spreadsheet will be used. In the
Appendix, I have included diagrams that illustrate how the groups are assigned and the
Schedule of Activities
When Who What How/Why
22
test groups Check-in To monitor test readiness, confidence
only and anxiety levels
Day after each unit Experiment Reflection What went well on the test?
test groups What didn’t go well?
only What will they try to do differently
on the next test to reduce their
anxiety even more?
The week of the 6 case Initial Individually administered
first test study Interview Determine math history, anxiety
students triggers
Create a math “game plan”.
During each test Experiment Anxiety Friendly reminders of the techniques
groups coaching Assisting individuals who are leaving
only blanks on their tests when they
actually know something
Mid-semester 6 case Check-in Individually administered
study Interview Determine where they are at with
students their anxiety?
Has anything changed? New
triggers?
Offer strategies specific to their
anxiety-reducing process
End of Semester 6 case Final Interview Individually administered
study Where are they at now?
students What strategies were the most
beneficial?
What will they work on for their next
course?
How could this study improve?
Last Day of class All 4 Math Anxiety Same survey as on Day 1
(but before final groups Survey
exam)
Discussion
23
This week, I had the pleasure of presenting the math department in my school with some
of the literature in this field of study. My five colleagues initially responded to the conversation
in a very positive way. That is, until I showed them the anti-anxiety tip sheet that I created that
incorporates both the research I have found and teaching practices that have worked for me in the
past. At one point in the conversation, a teacher said that he uses anxiety as a “motivational
tool” to get his students to start handing in work! The teachers who spoke indicated that
although they were in favour of reducing their students’ anxiety, that they were not prepared to
change some of their anxiety causing practices, such as timed tests and publicly posting the class
marks. Would they have been so rigid in their thinking if they had “proof” that these practices
were detrimental?
I maintain that conducting further research in this field will promote the normalization of
anxiety amongst the student population. This will in turn, encourage more students to talk about
their own anxieties and to seek help in lessoning anxiety’s effects. Secondly, math educators
they are not properly trained. This study will ideally help them execute some simple strategies in
their own classes that have been already demonstrated to work and to seek out further training in
this field. On the district level, superintendents may see higher graduation rates and standardized
teaching practices.
This study would unquestionably build on the significant research already completed on
the topics of anxiety and gifted learners. Targeting the high school population, for whom the
Reducing Math Anxiety
24
stakes have been raised, and specifically the Grade 10 level, the age at which mathematics
anxiety peaks, makes a study of this nature relevant and important to many groups. Should a
negative correlation be determined between anti-anxiety teaching practices and anxiety levels of
students, other researchers may be inspired to conduct studies with more generalizable
conditions. As well, should this correlation be determined, researchers may wish to replicate
Furthermore, findings from this study may give us a deeper understanding into the mind
of the gifted learner. At a young age when the material is relatively simple, these learners have
been shown to have less anxiety, however, as learning conditions change, it is not unreasonable
to believe that anxiety levels do as well. I hypothesize that not only will the gifted class Grade
10 classes report higher levels of anxiety than then non-gifted peers, but they will also respond
and those invested in education, may already possess the night light required for anxiety’s dark
anxiety-reducing classroom policies, anxious mathematics students may finally be able to come
References
25
Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety.
Chernoff, E. J., & Stone, M. (2014). An examination of math anxiety research. Gazette - Ontario
Distin, K.(2006). Gifted children: A guide for parents and professionals. London; Philadelphia:
Driscoll, R. (2007). Westside Test Anxiety Scale Validation. Retrieved from ERIC database.
(ED495968)
Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research
Richardson, F. C., & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric
Salend, S. J. (2011). Addressing test anxiety. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 44(2), 58-68.
Schleyer, E., & Zeidner, M. (1999). Test anxiety in intellectually gifted school students. Anxiety,
26
Yazid, A., Baker, A., & Ishak, N. M. (2014). Depression, anxiety, stress, and adjustments among
27
Appendix
28
Figure 1: Math Anxiety Survey
2. Age: ______
3. Is this your first attempt at Foundations/Pre-Calculus Math 10? (please circle) yes no
5 = extremely / always
4 = highly / usually
3 = moderately / sometimes
2 = slightly / seldom
1 = not at all / never
__ 1) The closer I am to a major math test, the harder it is for me to concentrate on the material.
__ 2) When I study math, I worry that I will not remember the material on the test.
__ 3) During important math tests, I think that I am doing poorly or that I may fail.
__ 4) I lose focus on important math tests, and I can’t remember material that I knew before the test.
__ 5) I finally remember the answer to math test questions after the test is already over.
__ 6) I worry so much before a major math test that I am too worn out to do my best on the test.
__ 7) I feel out of sorts or not really myself when I take important math tests.
__ 8) I find that my mind sometimes wanders when I am taking important math tests.
__ 9) After a math test, I worry about whether I did well enough.
__ 10) I struggle with completing math assignments, or avoid them as long as I can. I feel that whatever I
do will not be good enough.
29
Table 2: Westside Anxiety Ranking Scale
30
Figure 2: Pre-Math Test Anxiety Self-Test (self-developed)
2. For each statement, decide which side (left or right) you most identify with and then, to what
extent that you identify: “really agree” or “somewhat agree”.
3. Circle the set of arrows that point towards the statement you identify with. For example,
if you really agree with the statement on the left, circle “<<”.
If you somewhat agree with the statement on the right, circle “>”.
1. I completed the Practice Work << < > >> I had many errors on the
entirely and there were few to Practice Work and/or I did not
no errors. complete it.
2. I completed the Practice Test << < > >> I had many errors on the
entirely and there were few to Practice Test and/or I did not
no errors. complete it.
3. I reviewed the notes thoroughly. << < > >> I did not review the notes at all.
4. I am really prepared for this test. << < > >> I am not prepared for this test at
all.
5. I think I am going to do well on << < > >> I do not think this test is going
this test. to go well.
6. I think this test will reflect what << < > >> I think that I am going to blank
I know. out on what I know.
7. I am not nervous at all right << < > >> I am very nervous right now.
now.
Reducing Math Anxiety
31
Figure 3: Anti-Anxiety Tip Sheet for Educators
Before Testing
Identify students in your class that experience anxiety in math class. Whether or not
you give a formal anxiety assessment (using a survey, for example) or simply put one or
two questions on an Interest Inventory, this is the first step needed to help students.
Students leaving entire portions of test blank may be suffering from anxiety and so they
avoid practice and being engaged in class. Avoidance is the number one mechanism for
people to use to help them “deal with” their anxieties.
Desensitize students to their anxiety by providing many “quizzes” as opposed to, or in
addition to, one large quiz. This will only be productive, though, if these quizzes are
perceived as non-threatening. This is why I no longer count any quiz for marks and I
have students mark their own quizzes. And no—my overall results have not suffered in
the last eight years that I have not counted quizzes for marks.
Teach study skills.
Highly recommend that students complete their Practice Test as a mock test. This will
help with the desensitization process. Ensure that your Practice Test is in the same
format and from the same test bank (if you use one) that the unit test is in.
Refrain from posting spreadsheets of the class’ scores on the wall for every student to
see. Especially important in gifted classes, comparing one’s mathematically ability to
others reinforces negative thoughts of inability. In Challenge, students can feel
inadequate if they have 87%, when they see that 2/3 of the class is higher. Instead,
handout individual interims or send e-reports home via Integrade.
Normalize test & math anxiety by talking about it
o Talk about the science behind it and what is physiologically happening to them
when they go into “fight or flight” mode
Allow retests; explain your retest process ahead of time (the higher the stakes the
higher the anxiety so if students know that it is possible to have a re-do, anxiety can be
lowered).
Remind them that they are not their scores; their self-worth is not based on their
achievements. It is natural to want to avoid doing math if it is not a pleasant activity but
avoidance only makes the anxiety worse in the end.
If students have anxiety, they shouldn’t go to class early before a test. Conversations
with classmates can intensify anxiety before the test even starts.
Reducing Math Anxiety
32
33
References
Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety.
Chernoff, E. J., & Stone, M. (2014). An examination of math anxiety research. Gazette - Ontario
Distin, K.(2006). Gifted children: A guide for parents and professionals. London; Philadelphia:
Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research
Salend, S. J. (2011). Addressing test anxiety. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 44(2), 58-68.
Reducing Math Anxiety
34
Figure 4: Group assignment for quantitative component.
Audio-recorded Yes No No No
Anonymous No No No No
Frequency Throughout
3 per student 6 1
semester