Math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills among primary school children

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Mathematics Education

Background:

• Math anxiety is reported by children as early as first grade.
• Previous research on math anxiety and performance is contradictory.
• Varying definitions of math anxiety may explain inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine math anxiety prevalence in primary school children.
• Investigate the relationship between math anxiety and arithmetic skills.
• Differentiate between anxiety about math failure and anxiety in math situations.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 1,327 children in grades 2-5.
• Assessed math anxiety using six items.
• Evaluated basic arithmetic skills with three tasks.

Main Results:

• One-third of children reported anxiety about math inability; one-fifth about answering questions; one-tenth about doing math.
• Anxiety about math situations and failure are distinct aspects of math anxiety.
• Anxiety about math situations correlated more strongly with arithmetic fluency than anxiety about failure.

Conclusions:

• Math anxiety, especially situational anxiety, is linked to arithmetic fluency in early grades.
• Early identification and intervention for children's math anxiety are recommended.
• Addressing negative feelings can support mathematical development in primary school.