An Examination of Elementary Math Anxiety, Self-efficacy, and Academic Achievement


Book Description

The study aims to explore the level of suburban 5th grade students' mathematics self-efficacy, math anxiety, and academic achievement, to discover the possible interconnections between these parameters. The measures used to evaluate each included the Math Anxiety Rating Scale, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the North Carolina End of Grade Assessment for the 2015-2016 school year. The 5th grade students (N=38) were divided into two clusters: 1) students with positive mathematical self: higher mathematics self-efficacy and self-concept and lower anxiety (n=7) and 2) students with negative mathematical self: lower mathematics self-efficacy and self-concept and higher anxiety (n=5).




The Effects of Problem-based Learning on the Math Anxiety, Self-efficacy and Math Achievement of Elementary Students


Book Description

"The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of problem-based learning on the math anxiety, self-efficacy and math achievement of fifth grade students in a math class. The study was designed to implement problem-based learning in a fifth-grade math class. Data was collected using three research instruments: (a) pre-and-post test results from the District Math Assessments, (b) student interviews with a focus group of six students, and (c) classroom observations. The results from the district math assessments were compared using a paired samples t-test. The responses to the interviews were transcribed and coded in order to locate patterns and themes. Additionally, the classroom observations were coded to analyze patterns in student behaviors and their levels of engagement. An analysis of the data showed that the implementation of the problem-based learning approach does have a significant effect on students' math anxiety, self-efficacy and math achievement"--Page 8.




Mathematics Anxiety


Book Description

Feelings of apprehension and fear brought on by mathematical performance can affect correct mathematical application and can influence the achievement and future paths of individuals affected by it. In recent years, mathematics anxiety has become a subject of increasing interest both in educational and clinical settings. This ground-breaking collection presents theoretical, educational and psychophysiological perspectives on the widespread phenomenon of mathematics anxiety. Featuring contributions from leading international researchers, Mathematics Anxiety challenges preconceptions and clarifies several crucial areas of research, such as the distinction between mathematics anxiety from other forms of anxiety (i.e., general or test anxiety); the ways in which mathematics anxiety has been assessed (e.g. throughout self-report questionnaires or psychophysiological measures); the need to clarify the direction of the relationship between math anxiety and mathematics achievement (which causes which). Offering a revaluation of the negative connotations usually associated with mathematics anxiety and prompting avenues for future research, this book will be invaluable to academics and students in the field psychological and educational sciences, as well as teachers working with students who are struggling with mathematics anxiety




Mathematical and Statistics Anxiety: Educational, Social, Developmental and Cognitive Perspectives


Book Description

Mathematical anxiety is a feeling of tension, apprehension or fear which arises when a person is faced with mathematical content. The negative consequences of mathematical anxiety are well-documented. Students with high levels of mathematical anxiety might underperform in important test situations, they tend to hold negative attitudes towards mathematics, and they are likely to opt out of elective mathematics courses, which also affects their career opportunities. Although at the university level many students do not continue to study mathematics, social science students are confronted with the fact that their disciplines involve learning about statistics - another potential source of anxiety for students who are uncomfortable with dealing with numerical content. Research on mathematical anxiety is a truly interdisciplinary field with contributions from educational, developmental, cognitive, social and neuroscience researchers. The current collection of papers demonstrates the diversity of the field, offering both new empirical contributions and reviews of existing studies. The contributors also outline future directions for this line of research.




The Factors Effecting Student Achievement


Book Description

This book focuses on the effect of psychological, social and demographic variables on student achievement and summarizes the current research findings in the field. It addresses the need for inclusive and interpretive studies in the field in order to interpret student achievement literature and suggests new pathways for further studies. Appropriately, a meta-analysis approach is used by the contributors to show the big picture to the researchers by analyzing and combining the findings from different independent studies. In particular, the authors compile various studies examining the relationship between student achievement and 21 psychological, social and demographic variables separately. The philosophy behind this book is to direct future research and practices rather than addressing the limits of current studies.




The Impact of Preparedness, Self-efficacy, and Math Anxiety on the Success of African American Males in Developmental Mathematics at a Community College


Book Description

If African American Males hope to become viable and productive members of the global marketplace of the 21st century, they must find avenues to consistently improve their likelihood of achieving success within academia. For the past twenty years, reports from the United States Department of Education and research from scholars such as McCabe, Hampton, and Steele all reflect the widening achievement gap in education between ethnic and racial minorities and the White majority. When different ethnic and racial sub-groups were examined, African American Males were found to be the lowest achievers; furthermore, African American Males made up the largest percentage of students in developmental mathematics.







Gender Differences in Mathematics


Book Description

Females consistently score lower than males on standardized tests of mathematics - yet no such differences exist in the classroom. These differences are not trivial, nor are they insignificant. Test scores help determine entrance to college and graduate school and therefore, by extension, a person's job and future success. If females receive lower test scores then they also receive fewer opportunities. Why does this discrepancy exist? This book presents a series of papers that address these issues by integrating the latest research findings and theories. Authors such as Diane Halpern, Jacquelynne Eccles, Beth Casey, Ronald Nuttal, James Byrnes, and Frank Pajares tackle these questions from a variety of perspectives. Many different branches of psychology are represented, including cognitive, social, personality/self-oriented, and psychobiological. The editors then present an integrative chapter that discusses the ideas presented and other areas that the field should explore.




Students' Mathematics Self-efficacy, Anxiety, and Course Level at a Community College


Book Description

Research suggests that student success in mathematics is positively correlated to math self-efficacy and negatively correlated to math anxiety. At a Hispanic serving community college in the Midwest, developmental math students had a lower pass rate than did college-level math students, but the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on these students’ learning was unknown. This causal comparative, correlational study, guided by social cognitive theory and math anxiety research, hypothesized that students in developmental math would have lower levels of math self-efficacy and higher levels of math anxiety, and that significant correlations would exist between course level, selfefficacy, and anxiety. All math students at this setting (N = 1,019) were contacted to complete the self-report Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire; 32 developmental math and 103 college-level math students returned the survey. A random sample of 32 college-level students was selected to create equal group sizes for the data analyses. Independent samples t-tests revealed no significant differences in self-efficacy and anxiety between the groups. Significant correlations were found for course level, self-efficacy, and anxiety. Lower course level math students reported on average significantly lower levels of self-efficacy and significantly higher levels of anxiety than did upper course level students. A professional development program was created to educate faculty about math self-efficacy and math anxiety and to implement strategies that may increase math self-efficacy and decrease math anxiety over time. This doctoral study has the potential to create social change by offering educators new insight into the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety in student learning.




Mathematics Learning Support Center Visits and College Students' Mathematics Anxiety and Self-efficacy


Book Description

College students' inability to complete necessary mathematics coursework due to elevated mathematics anxiety levels can hinder degree completion and affect graduation rates. Institutes of higher education should offer students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course opportunities outside of the classroom that potentially lower mathematics anxiety levels and increase self-efficacy levels. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the correlation between the frequency of visits to a mathematics learning support center and mathematics anxiety levels and self-efficacy among nontraditional developmental mathematics students at a 2-year college in Florida. The study applied Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory that explains interactions that exist between behavior (mathematics anxiety), personal factors (self-efficacy), and environmental events (learning support centers) as the theoretical framework. I utilized convenience sampling to collect survey data from 16 participants. The data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between preintervention and postintervention mathematics anxiety levels (p = 0.028) and self-efficacy levels (p = 0.0075). However, a statistically significant correlation did not exist between the frequency of visits to a mathematics learning support center and participant levels of mathematics anxiety (p = 0.241) and self-efficacy (p = 0.850). The study results have implications for current policies by examining the correlation between attendance at learning support centers and developmental mathematics students' mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy levels. Because the sample size was significantly reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions, I suggest future research with a larger sample size should be conducted.