Analysis of the Relationship between Anxiety about Mathematics and Performance

Abstract

92 students in an upper level college statistics course were given a number of mathematics anxiety and performance measures. A canonical analysis resulted in one significant canonical factor, labeled Mathematics Efficiency, which explains the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance. Variables making the greatest contribution to this high math efficiency factor were mathematics anxiety and attitude toward mathematics. One major implication of these results is that psychologists need to focus on attitude change and anxiety reduction techniques in helping people improve their performance in mathematics. In addition, educators need to design curricula which emphasize the promotion of positive attitudes toward mathematics rather than content alone to facilitate mathematics efficiency.

Mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement

“…Adams and Holcomb (1986) identified a construct they called mathematics efficiei~cy to explain the correlation; and Hadfield and Maddux (1988) indicated that cogi~itive style (i.e., whether or not the student was field dependent) was an intermediary factor. However, all of these expect that mathematics anxiety is a causative agent of the third factor, rather than the third factor causing both the mathematics anxiety and the poor performance in mathematics.…”

“…A moderate but significant negative correlation between the two has been observed by many researchers (Adams & Holcomb, 1986;Betz, 1978;Brush, 1978;Cooper & Robinson, 1991;Cowen, Zax, Klein, Izzo, & Trost, 1963;Dew, Galassi, & Galassi, 1984;Lunneborg, 1964;Resnick, Viehe, & Siegel, 1982;Suinn, Edie, Nicoletti, & Spinelli, 1972;Wigfield & Meece, 1988). However, it should be noted that the observations of Hunsley (1987) using multiple regression, and those of Hadfield and Maddux (1988) using analysis of variance, did not indicate a significant relationship between the two.…”

The relationship among mathematics achievement, affective variables and home background

“…Richarson and Suinn (1972) reported that many people who do not suffer from general anxiety do suffer from anxiety about mathematics. Consistent, negative relationships between mathematics anxiety and performance have been established (Adams & Holcomb, 1986;Aiken, 1970Aiken, , 1976Betz, 1978;Gliner, 1987;Szetela, 1973). The Phobos (Ferguson, 1986) was developed to measure mathematics anxiety.…”

Learning to be Researchers

“…In fact, many students have a listless behavior to research and do not worry about how and why they have to carry it. As claimed by Adams & Holcomb (1986), Elmore & Vasu (1980) and Wise (1985), students at the undergraduate university level, typically tend to view research and research teaching courses with negative attitudes.…”

“…Students think that it is tough and dry to study the research (Adams & Holcomb, 1986). They do not understand the concepts of research and its importance in their professional life.…”