Models of Math Anxiety

Mathematics anxiety: "a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations." The correlations between math anxiety and attitudes concerning math are more strongly negative, and are also considered as supportive evidence for an overall pattern of avoidance. Math anxiety correlates negatively with enjoyment of math, self-confidence in math, motivation to learn math, and views about the usefulness of math. The role of gender in math anxiety is perplexing. Instead, the models and different approaches have been largely supportive, and have enriched the study of math anxiety. On the educational side, math anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement at both the pre-college and college levels, and also negatively with high school and college math grades. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.