Mathematics Anxiety in Serbia: What Makes Mathematics so Hard?

Author(s):

Jelena Radisic(presenting / submitting)Marina Videnovic(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

09. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement

Format:

Paper

Session Information

09 SES 11 B, Findings from International Comparative Achievement Studies: Attitudes Towards Mathematics and Science

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-20

17:15-18:45

Room:

FCT - Aula 15

Chair:

Heidi Harju-Luukkainen

Contribution

Data of the PISA 2003 survey indicate high levels of mathematics anxiety of students in Serbia, accompanied with low achievement in mathematics. More than half of our students worry whether they will have difficulties in mathematics class or whether they will earn poor marks. In only eight countries participating in the 2003 PISA survey the level of mathematics anxiety was higher.
Mathematics anxiety is defined as state in which a student experiences negative reactions when encountering mathematical concepts (e.g. numbers) or procedures evaluating mathematical knowledge (Richardson & Woolfolk, 1980; Cates & Rhymer, 2003). Concept is observed as a multidimensional psychological construct comprising of sense of pressure, inadequacy and anxiety when solving problems that include number manipulation or solving mathematical problems both in academia and everyday context (Bai et al., 2009; Newstead, 1998). Mathematics anxiety is most often operationalized with scales assessing level of worrying about grades or feeling helpless and nervous in solving mathematical problems (Bai et al., 2009; Kesici & Erdogan, 2010). Results of number of studies indicate that mathematics achievement and mathematics anxiety are negatively correlated (Ma, 1999).
Cates and Rhymer (2003) suggest that anxious students make more mistakes and are slower in solving basic mathematical operations, leading to poor test achievement. If a student has had bad experiences in both primary and secondary education, mathematics related anxiety will continue in future education (Jackson and Leffingwell, 1999), influencing career choice (Ashcraft, 2002). Mathematics anxiety is also associated with other variables posing as mediating factors. Meece et al. (1990) believe how mathematics anxiety is directly negatively correlated with student’s perception of their ability in this domain as well as with their expectations of achievement in mathematics. Studies have also shown existence of individual differences in anxiety level of students (Kesici & Erdogan, 2010), as well as that anxiety may be influenced by gender, SES, parents’ educational attainment and school system (Furner & Duffy,2002). Aims of this study therefore are: examining relationship between math anxiety and achievement at mathematics literacy scale; establishing possible predictors of math anxiety and identification of students’ groups in relations to their relationship towards mathematics as a subject.

Method

Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. A quantitative analysis of PISA 2003 results was done in the first stage. Based on these results a qualitative analysis was performed. Sample was formed by students involved in PISA cycles in 2003 and 2009. Variable in focus was math anxiety, a composite comprised of five items relating to various aspects of mathematics anxiety. High anxiety is measured agreeing with items related to worrying or feeling helpless or nervous in solving math problems. Students’ achievement was operationalized through achievement score in qualification exam in math and score at PISA math literacy scale. As predictors of math anxiety three groups of variables were used: (a) demographic variables (gender, student’s expected educational level and index of economic, social and cultural status); (b) atmosphere in school and classroom (teacher support, disciplinary climate, student-teacher relations at school, sense of belonging at school, attitudes towards school) and (c) motivational cognitive aspects in learning mathematics (interest in mathematics, instrumental motivation, mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics self-concept, learning strategies). Predictive power of each variable was examined. Based on mathematics anxiety and cognitive-motivational aspects in learning mathematics groups of student differing in their relationship towards mathematics and achievement were identified.

Expected Outcomes

Mathematics anxiety is statistically negatively correlated with school achievement and achievement at mathematics literacy scale. Socio-demographic factors, motivational and cognitive aspects related to learning mathematics, perception of school and classroom climate explain 40% variance of mathematics anxiety. Based on students’ relationship towards mathematics they can be divided into three groups; while dimensions that set them apart are uninterested-interested in mathematics and presence-absence of anxiety. Following groups were extracted: 1) anxious in mastering and applying mathematics, 2) uninterested and non-anxious and 3) interested in the content of mathematics. Students from the first group achieve the lowest scores both in qualification exam in mathematics (F=115.298 df=2 p=0.00) and at mathematics literacy scale (F=215.316 df=2 p=0.000). Applying qualitative analysis, students’ and teachers’ attitudes on specific issues related to teaching and learning mathematics was examined. Results showed that most interviewed teachers and students were not aware that anxiety negatively influenced achievement, even more than lack of motivation. Some of the reasons why mathematics is the “bogeyman” are seen in extensive and unenforceable curriculum, bad learning strategies, student’s character traits, lack of students’ working habits and uncertainty that students experience in class.

References

Ashcraft, M. A. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(5), pp. 181-185. Bai, H.; Wang, L.S.; Pan, W. and Frey, M (2009). Measuring mathematics anxiety: psychometric analysis of a bidimensional affective scale. Journal of Instructional psychology, 36(3), pp. 185-193. Cates, G. L., & Rhymer, K. N. (2003). Examining the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance: An instructional hierarchy perspective. Journal of Behavioral Education, 12 , pp. 23-34. Furner, J.M., & Duffy, M.L. (2002). Equity for all students in the new millennium: Disabling math anxiety. Intervention in School & Clinic, 38(2), pp. 67-74. Ho, H., Senturk, D., Lam, A., Zimmer, J., Hong, S., Okamoto, Y. (2000). The Affective and Cognitive Dimensions of Math Anxiety: A Cross-National Study. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 362-379. Jackson, C., & Leffingwell, R. (1999). The role of instructors in creating math anxiety in students from kindergarten through college. Mathematics Teacher, 92(7), pp. 583-587 Kesici, S. and Erdogan, A. (2010). Mathematics anxiety according to middle school students’ achieve motivation and social, comparison. Education, 131(1), pp. 54-63. Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety and toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30, pp. 502–540. Meece, J.L., Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J.S. (1990). Predictors of math anxiety and its influence on young adolescents' course enrollment intentions and performance in mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), pp. 60-70. Newstead, K. (1998). Aspects of children's mathematics anxiety. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 36(1), pp. 53-71. OECD (2010). Mathematics Teaching and Learning Strategies in PISA, Paris. OECD. Richardson, F. C., &Woolfolk, R. L. (1980).Mathematics anxiety. In I. G. Sarason (Ed.), Test anxiety:Theory, research, and application.Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum , pp. 271–288

Author Information

Jelena Radisic (presenting / submitting)

Institute for Educational Research, Belgrade

Belgrade

Marina Videnovic (presenting)

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy

Institute of Psychology