“I have cried in almost all of my math classes.” Relations between math self-concept, gender, and narrative appraisals of past low points in math

Math self-concept is strongly associated with a range of academic and career outcomes in math. The current research sought to identify factors that distinguish between undergraduates with particularly low or high math self-concept. A sample of 754 college students were asked to recall a low point they had with math as well as respond to questionnaires measuring math self-concept, value, and anxiety. Focal analyses were conducted on a subsample of participants who reported either high (n = 90) or low (n = 94) math self-concept. Relative to participants who had high math self-concept, those with low math self-concept tended to be women, had higher math anxiety, and valued math less. Thematic analysis also revealed similarities and differences in how undergraduates from these two groups appraised challenges, or low points, that they encountered in their history with math. Although there were similarities in the types of low points described by members of these two groups, these experiences were often appraised in distinct ways. Unique themes also emerged for each group, indicating that narrative interpretations of math experiences vary with current levels of math self-concept. Implications for future research and math education are discussed.