Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
11:18
Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
Published on: September 12, 2014
15.5K
What impact does maths anxiety have on university students?
Eihab Khasawneh1,2, Cameron Gosling3, Brett Williams3
1Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Monash University, Monash University-Peninsula Campus, McMahons Road, Frankston, VIC, Australia. eihab.khasawneh@monash.edu.
BMC Psychology
|February 26, 2021
Summary
Maths anxiety, a common issue affecting university students, is influenced by factors like gender, self-awareness, and numerical ability. Improving self-efficacy and confidence can help overcome this anxiety and enhance performance.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Education
- Mathematics
Background:
- Maths anxiety is a prevalent issue characterized by tension and apprehension that hinders mathematical performance in academic and daily life.
- University students across various disciplines experience this anxiety, impacting their ability to manipulate numbers and solve problems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the key facilitators and barriers contributing to maths anxiety among university students.
- To synthesize existing research on the factors influencing maths anxiety in higher education.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive scoping review methodology was employed.
- Extensive database searches were conducted across multiple academic and grey literature sources.
- Inclusion criteria focused on studies addressing maths anxiety in university students, identifying its facilitators and barriers, and published in English or Arabic.
Main Results:
- Ten articles met the inclusion criteria, revealing that maths anxiety affects numerous disciplines globally.
- Identified themes included gender, self-awareness, numerical ability, and learning difficulties as significant factors.
- A positive correlation was found between students' maths self-efficacy, maths performance, and drug calculation performance.
Conclusions:
- Maths anxiety is a widespread concern across diverse academic fields and countries.
- Gender appears to influence maths anxiety, with females potentially being more susceptible.
- Enhancing maths confidence, values, and self-efficacy is crucial for overcoming maths anxiety and improving academic outcomes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
41.0K
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
41.0K
01:29Reliability and Validity
13.4K
Reliability and validity are two important considerations that must be made with any type of data collection. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. In the context of psychological research, this would mean that any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.
13.4K
01:30Stress and Mental Health
333
Chronic stress profoundly affects mental health, significantly influencing mood, behavior, and overall quality of life. Research closely links chronic stress with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Ongoing exposure to stress can lead to physiological and psychological changes, initiating a cycle of emotional distress and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
333
01:18Anxiety: Overview
540
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
540
01:37Social Loafing
37.9K
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
37.9K
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
373
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
373