Math Anxiety: The Influence of Teaching Strategies and Teachers’ Attitude

Abstract

Math anxiety appears when people deal with math, such as when they have to manage numbers, solve mathematical problems, or are exposed to an evaluative circumstance related to math, they experience feelings of dread and elevated physiological reactions. Since math anxiety has a close relationship with teaching strategies and teachers' attitude, this study will measure the impacts of teaching strategies and teachers' attitude on students' math anxiety. While rigid curriculum and boring styles of teaching could foster math anxiety to the largest extent, Relative Performance Feedback (RPF) from teachers will reduce or even prevent the anxiety effectively, which could be taken into account by schools in order to help students get a better math performance and also cure their psychological barriers against mathematics. Apart from teaching strategies, teachers' attitude also plays an important role in students' math anxiety. Giving encouragement frequently and focusing on the achievements students have made would be a better way to reduce their math anxiety than telling students that they are hopeless and ignoring their efforts. After realizing the importance of paying more attention to students' math anxiety on campus, school should also examine whether teacher has set a positive example during students' math learning and make some changes in teaching strategies and attitudes.