Recognising Maths Anxiety
Sheffield & Hunt (2007) suggest that studies on the prevalence of maths anxiety with students in the USA indicate that 25.9% of students had moderate to high needs with maths anxiety (p. 19). While there appears to be little or no data from a New Zealand perspective, it would be reasonable to assume that up to a quarter of students in our classrooms could be detrimentally affected, to some degree, by maths anxiety. So, just how is maths anxiety diagnosed?
While there are also the obvious physiological manifestations discussed in earlier postings (flight or fight) which are both measurable and observable (see the cartoon above!), the literature suggests that the predominant method of diagnosis to determine maths anxiety is by using the Maths Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS). The MARS is a lengthy self-report questionnaire which asks respondents to rate their level of anxiety when responding to maths-specifics situations (ibid. p. 19). Further, there are various lengths and versions of the MARS available to cater for the different needs and age appropriateness of students (Ashcraft & Moore, 2009).
Of late, there is also an increasing body of research investigating the neurodevelopmental origins of maths anxiety. In a study (heavy reading) by Young, Wu, & Menon (2012) that incorporated neuropsychological assessments and functional brain imaging using MRI, they posit that maths anxiety is "associated with aberrant activity in the right amygdala" portion of the brain. Whats more, they highlight that this is consistent with research that links the amygdala with the regulation of cognitive-emotional behaviours (p. 499).
This is all well and good, but what do I, as a classroom teacher, need to know from a lay perspective of maths anxiety? Firstly, in a somewhat surprising finding for me, the literature all tended to suggest that maths anxiety on the whole was more of an issue for girls than boys! It is generally accepted that boys and girls brains function differently (no kidding!!), and Geist (2010) points out that many classrooms still operate on a traditional 'skills based' model of instruction which is incompatible with how many girls learn. Further, it is likely that girls are less adaptable and particularly struggle with high stakes testings and time constraints, and that parental and teacher expectations (societal) of girls not being good at maths become self-fulfilling (p. 25).
Interestingly, this type of issue arose at my base school last year where female students were competing against each other to gain entry into a local prestigious all girls schools. One student in particular became noticeably anxious with her physical and emotional well-being deteriorating to the point where she had to receive counselling...she was only 10 years old :-(
Especially relevant, is the fact that poverty also shapes as a consistent indicator of poor maths performance and maths anxiety. This can be generally explained by low levels of parental expectations, mathematical efficacy, and educational attainment which in turn shape the child's own beliefs (p. 28).
Parental and teacher expectations (and instruction) are close to the heart of my journey, and I will explore these is terms of maths anxiety in my next posting.
Geist, E. (2010). The anti-anxiety curriculum: Combating maths anxiety in the classroom. Journal of Instructional Pschcology; Mar 2010; 37, 1. Retrieved from:
Young, C., Wu, S. & Menon, V. (2012). The neurodevelopmental basis of maths anxiety. Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved from:
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