Buckley and Ribordy define math anxiety as, “Irrational dread of mathematics that interferes with manipulating numbers and solving mathematical problems within the variety of everyday life and academic situations.” Math anxiety is an increasingly present, yet accepted, danger in American society. As students progress towards secondary level math classes, the anxiety they face when it comes to performing mathematical tasks can be debilitating, preventing them from demonstrating critical thinking. Upon graduation, students in the U.S are leaving high school with a far below standard level of mathematical understanding and literacy (Steen, 1999). As performance in math courses decline students begin to lose interest in pursuing careers that are even tangentially related to mathematics, ultimately preventing these students from pursuing STEM related college pathways, resulting in decreased diversity in STEM fields.
This study will identify the level of math anxiety present in Math 1 students using a modified version of the MARS (Mathematical Anxiety Rating Scale), a tool that has been used in research and clinical studies since 1972 (Suinn and Winston, 2003). After identifying the level of Math anxiety present in students a correlation between math anxiety and performance on mathematical tasks and assessments will be established. It is anticipated that there will be a negative correlation (a higher level of math anxiety results in a lower score on a performance task or assessment) indicating that high levels of math anxiety prevent students from being successful in math courses. As the study progresses innovative teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches that aim to reduce math anxiety in students will be implemented. The goal of the study is to identify a set of practices that can guide math teachers seeking to directly target their student’s math anxiety, reduce it and increase a student’s capacity to perform mathematical tasks.
1 Comment
Jona Sandau
10/28/2018 01:54:37 pm
Brandon, I always enjoy reading your blogs. I am extremely interested in what you are learning about math anxiety and how it can affect student choices in studies and careers. What a profound impact this condition can have on our society!
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