Enhancing student engagement to positively impact mathematics anxiety, confidence and achievement for interdisciplinary science subjects

Abstract

Contemporary science educators must equip their students with the knowledge and practical know-how to connect multiple disciplines like mathematics, computing and the natural sciences to gain a richer and deeper understanding of a scientific problem. However, many biology and earth science students are prejudiced against mathematics due to negative emotions like high mathematical anxiety and low mathematical confidence. Here, we present a theoretical framework that investigates linkages between student engagement, mathematical anxiety, mathematical confidence, student achievement and subject mastery. We implement this framework in a large, first-year interdisciplinary science subject and monitor its impact over several years from 2010 to 2015. The implementation of the framework coincided with an easing of anxiety and enhanced confidence, as well as higher student satisfaction, retention and achievement. The framework offers interdisciplinary science educators greater flexibility and confidence in their approach to designing and delivering subjects that rely on mathematical concepts and practices.

Relations among Engagement, Self-Efficacy, and Anxiety in Mathematics among Omani Students

“…Student engagement is an important aspect of motivation (Linnenbrink, & Pintrich, 2003). Everingham et al (2017Everingham et al ( , p. 1154 stated, "… evidence for the effectiveness of student engagement for learning and subject mastery is overwhelming". Everingham et al (2017) pointed that few studies that have investigated the effect of engagement on mathematics anxiety.…”

“…Everingham et al (2017Everingham et al ( , p. 1154 stated, "… evidence for the effectiveness of student engagement for learning and subject mastery is overwhelming". Everingham et al (2017) pointed that few studies that have investigated the effect of engagement on mathematics anxiety. Everingham et al (2017) used some strategies to engage students in mathematics and science and found those strategies overcome mathematical anxieties.…”

“…Everingham et al (2017) pointed that few studies that have investigated the effect of engagement on mathematics anxiety. Everingham et al (2017) used some strategies to engage students in mathematics and science and found those strategies overcome mathematical anxieties. They found that reduced math anxiety enhanced subject mastery (Everingham et al, 2017).…”

“…Everingham et al (2017) used some strategies to engage students in mathematics and science and found those strategies overcome mathematical anxieties. They found that reduced math anxiety enhanced subject mastery (Everingham et al, 2017).…”

“…Some researchers indicated that measures of engagement have been with weak conceptualization and unclear psychometric properties (e.g., Fredricks, Wang, Linn, Hofkens, Sung, Parr & Allerton, 2016;Kahu, 2013;Wang, Fredricks, Ye, Hofkens, & Linn, 2016). Kahu, (2013) and Everingham, Gyuris, & Connolly (2017) commented that engagement has a poor definition and a lack of distinction from the factors that influence it and those that are caused by it. Wang et al (2016) suggested that developing measures for engagement is urgently needed.…”