The Responsive Classroom approach and fifth grade students’ math and science anxiety and self-efficacy.

Abstract

Self-efficacy forecasts student persistence and achievement in challenging subjects. Thus, it is important to understand factors that contribute to students' self-efficacy, a key factor in their success in math and science. The current cross-sectional study examined the contribution of students' gender and math and science anxiety as well as schools' use of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) practices to students' math and science self-efficacy. Fifth graders (n = 1,561) completed questionnaires regarding their feelings about math and science. Approximately half of the students attended schools implementing the Responsive Classroom® (RC) approach, an SEL intervention, as part of a randomized controlled trial. Results suggested no difference in math and science self-efficacy between boys and girls. Students who self-reported higher math and science anxiety also reported less self-efficacy toward these subjects. However, the negative association between students' anxiety and self-efficacy was attenuated in schools using more RC practices compared with those using fewer RC practices. RC practices were associated with higher science self-efficacy. Results highlight anxiety as contributing to poor self-efficacy in math and science and suggest that RC practices create classroom conditions in which students' anxiety is less strongly associated with negative beliefs about their ability to be successful in math and science.

Development, validation, and implementation of the elementary mathematics motivation inventory (EMMI): examining motivational constructs in elementary mathematics

“…The correlation existing between math anxiety and achievement in mathematics has been well documented in the research literature [3,11]. The results from this study also provide continuing evidence of the possible correlation between mathematics anxiety and reduced self-efficacy in mathematics in young children as is consistent with other research (e.g., [21,25]). …”

Personal and Contextual Contributors to Young Children's Activity-Based Perceived Self-Efficacy

“…In particular, the elementary school years represent a formative period for the development of SE (Bandura, 1997;Griggs, Rimm-Kaufman, Merritt, & Patton, 2013). Previous studies have demonstrated that even children in kindergarten and the first grade have distinct competence beliefs for various subject areas (Chapman & Tunmer, 1997;Harter, 1982;Valeski & Stipek, 2001) and can accurately judge their own competence (Tirosh et al, 2013;Wilson & Trainin, 2007).…”

“By the Numbers:” Language-based and Competency Enhancing Math Instruction to Alleviate Older Women’s Math Stereotype Threat Reactions

“…This idea has been extended to the use of language in math instruction for the present study. Past research suggests that more "responsive" instructional environments can help younger girls (and boys) make more positive associations between math and personal capabilities (Griggs, Rimm-Kaufman, Merritt, & Patton, 2013), and the association between literacy skills and math performance has already showed some beneficial associations for adolescent girls learning math (e.g., Kyttala & Bjorn, 2014).…”