The Chicken or the Egg? The Direction of the Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance

For many students, mathematics is regarded as a challenging subject to learn and master in class. One of the significant factors contributing to the students’ difficulties in learning mathematics is caused by a phenomenon called mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of unease and anxiety toward mathematics and it can be different from person-to-person. Understanding the effects of mathematics anxiety levels on students’ mathematics performances in class can be the key to help students’ mastery of mathematics. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between mathematics anxiety levels and students’ mathematics performances at the foundation level. A sample of 545 students from a local foundation centre was chosen for this study. Data collection via questionnaire was used where quantitative data were analysed using correlation, t-test, and descriptive analyses. The results showed that there was a weak positive correlation between students’ anxiety levels and the students’ mathematics performance in their final examination. Recommendations and future potential for this study were further discussed in this paper.

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Gender gradient in the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance

PISA - PISA 2012 Results: Ready to Learn (Volume III) ◽

10.1787/9789264201170-graph99-en ◽

2013 ◽

Keyword(s):

Mathematics Anxiety ◽

Mathematics Performance ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Relationship

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The Study of the Relationship between Mother's Studies with Study Skills and Mathematics Performance of Students

Mathematics Education Trends and Research ◽

10.5899/2015/metr-00071 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 (1) ◽

pp. 15-19

Author(s):

Behnoush Taheri ◽

Mohammad Hassan Behzadi ◽

Ahmad Shahvarani

Keyword(s):

Study Skills ◽

Mathematics Performance ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Relationship

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PISA 2012 mathematics literacy in Serbia: A multilevel analysis of students and schools

Psihologija ◽

10.2298/psi170817017l ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 413-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ljiljana Lazarevic ◽

Ana Orlic

Keyword(s):

Mathematics Anxiety ◽

Teaching Quality ◽

Mathematics Performance ◽

Math Performance ◽

School Level ◽

Direct Effects ◽

Pisa 2012 ◽

Mathematics Literacy ◽

Multi Level ◽

The Relationship

In PISA 2012 cycle, the focus was on the mathematics literacy. Data collected in PISA survey in Serbia on 4684 respondents show that students on average have significantly lower performance compared to average OECD performance. The aim of the study was to explore student (variables at the first level) and school level predictors (variables at the second level) of the PISA mathematics literacy using multi-level modelling. The most important finding is that student and school level variables are explaining variability in PISA mathematics performance almost equally. Results show that on the student level, significant predictors are gender, noncognitive characteristics (mathematics anxiety, mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics self-concept, openness for problem-solving), student perceived teaching quality and studying habits. Results also indicate that several school-level variables have direct effects on the PISA math performance and that several school-level variables moderate the relationship between student characteristics and PISA performance.

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The Relation Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance Among School-Aged Students: A Meta-Analysis

Review of Educational Research ◽

10.3102/0034654319843494 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 89 (3) ◽

pp. 459-496 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Jessica M. Namkung ◽

Peng Peng ◽

Xin Lin

Keyword(s):

Negative Correlation ◽

Mathematics Anxiety ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Mathematics Performance ◽

Mathematical Tasks ◽

Final Exam ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Student Grades

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the relation between mathematics anxiety (MA) and mathematics performance among school-aged students, and to identify potential moderators and underlying mechanisms of such relation, including grade level, temporal relations, difficulty of mathematical tasks, dimensions of MA measures, effects on student grades, and working memory. A meta-analysis of 131 studies with 478 effect sizes was conducted. The results indicated that a significant negative correlation exist between MA and mathematics performance, r = −.34. Moderation analyses indicated that dimensions of MA, difficulty of mathematical tasks, and effects on student grades differentially affected the relation between MA and mathematics performance. MA assessed with both cognitive and affective dimensions showed a stronger negative correlation with mathematics performance compared to MA assessed with either an affective dimension only or mixed/unspecified dimensions. Advanced mathematical tasks that require multistep processes showed a stronger negative correlation to MA compared to foundational mathematical tasks. Mathematics measures that affected/reflected student grades (e.g., final exam, students’ course grade, GPA) had a stronger negative correlation to MA than did other measures of mathematics performance that did not affect student grades (e.g., mathematics measures administered as part of research). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

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