A CURRENT STUDY ON GRADE/AGE AND GENDER-RELATED CHANGE IN MATH ANXIETY

Emrullah Erdem

Abstract


The purpose of this study is to reveal how math anxiety changes according to the variables of grade/age and gender. The study was carried out with a total of 1247 individuals consisting of 10 different grades from 3rd-grade to 12th-grade students studying in schools selected from different socio-economic environments in a province of Turkey. The Math Anxiety Scale (MAS) was used as a data collection tool. As a result of the analysis, evidence was found that math anxiety is significantly higher in female students than male students. It was also determined that math anxiety was classified in ascending order for the 5th, 3rd, 6th, 4th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 7th, 9th, 10th graders, respectively. Another result is that participants’ math anxiety averages were less in comparison with the previous research results. Based on this important result, it can be said that math anxiety is decreasing over the years as a result of the constructivist education.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

DOI

Keywords


math anxiety, grade/age, gender, 3rd- through 12th-grade students

References


Abell, S. K., & Roth, M. (1992). Constraints to teaching primary science: a case study of a science enthusiast student. Science Education, 76, 581-595.

Andrews, A., & Brown, J. (2015). The Effects of math anxiety. Education, 135(3), 362-370.

Arıkan, G. (2004). The relationship between the students' math anxiety levels and math achievements levels. Master's thesis, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Faust, M. W. (1994). Mathematics anxiety and mental arithmetic performance: An exploratory investigation. Cognition and Emotion, 8, 97-125.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 243-248.

Baloğlu, M. (2001). Matematik korkusunu yenmek. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 1(1), 59-76.

Baloğlu, M., & Koçak, R. (2006). A multivariate investigation of the differences in mathematics anxiety. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(7), 1325-1335.

Bander, R. S., & Betz, N. E. (1981). The relationship of sex and sex role to trait and situational specific anxiety types. Journal of Research in Personality, 15(3), 312–322.

Baya'a, N. F. (1990). Mathematics anxiety, mathematics achievement, gender, and socio-economic status among Arab secondary students in Israel. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 21(2), 319−324.

Baydar, S. C., & Bulut, S. (2002). Importance of teachers' beliefs about nature of mathematics and teaching of mathematics in mathematics education. Hacettepe University Journal of Ecucation, 23, 62-66.

Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863.

Bekdemir, M. (2010). The pre-service teachers’ mathematics anxiety related to depth of negative experiences in mathematics classroom while they were students. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 75(3), 311-328.

Betz, N. E. (1978). Prevalence, distribution, and correlates of math anxiety in college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 25(5), 441−448.

Biaggio, M. K., & Nielsen, E. C. (1976). Anxiety correlates of sex-role identity. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 32(3), 619-623.

Bindak, R. (2005). Mathematics anxiety scale for primary school students. Science and Engineering Journal of Firat University, 17(2), 442−448.

Birgin O., Baloğlu M., Çatlıoğlu H., & Gürbüz R., (2010). An investigation of mathematics anxiety among sixth through eighth grade students in Turkey. Learning and Individual Differences 20, 654–658.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research methods in education. London and New York: Routledge Falmer.

Clute, P. S. (1984). Mathematics anxiety, instructional method and achievement in a survey course in college mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 15(1), 50-58.

Devine, A., Fawcett, K., Szucs, D., & Dowker, A. (2012). Gender differences in mathematics anxiety and the relation to mathematics performance while controlling for test anxiety. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 8(33), 2-9.

Doruk, M., & Kaplan, A. (2013). Sınıf ve ilköğretim matematik öğretmeni adaylarının matematik kaygılarının incelenmesi. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 21(4), 1505-1522.

Erickson, D. K. (1993). Middle school mathematics teachers’ views of mathematics and mathematics education, their planning and classroom instruction, and student beliefs and achievement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA.

Fitzgerald, S. M. (1997). The relationship between anxiety and statistics achievement: a meta–analysis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo.

Flessati, S. L., & Jamieson, J. (1991). Gender differences in mathematics anxiety: An artifact of response bias? Anxiety Research, 3(4), 303-312.

Frank, M. L. (1990). What myths about mathematics are held and conveyed by teachers? Arithmetic Teacher, 37(5), 10-12.

Goetz, T., Bieg, M., Lüdtke, O., Pekrun, R., & Hall, N. C. (2013). Do girls really experience more anxiety in mathematics? Psychological Science, 24(10), 2079-2087.

Gustafson, B. J., & Rowell, P. M. (1995). Primary preservice teacher: constructing conceptions about learning, teaching science and the nature of science. International Journal of Science Education, 17(5), 585-605.

Gür, B. S. (2011). Philosophy of mathematics (3rd edition). Ankara: Kadim Press.

Gürbüz, R., Erdem, E., & Gülburnu, M. (2013). An investigation on factors affecting classroom teachers’ mathematics competence. Ahi Evran University Kırsehir Journal of Faculty Education, 14(2), 255-272.

Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21(1), 33−46.

Ho, Hsiu-Zu, Senturk, Lam, A. G., Zimmer, J. M., Hong, S., Okamoto, Y., et al. (2000). The affective and cognitive dimensions of math anxiety: A cross-national study. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 31(3), 362−379.

Jain, S., & Dowson, M. (2009). Mathematics anxiety as a function of multidimensional self-regulation and self-efficacy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 34(3), 240-249.

Jansen, B. J., Louwerse, J., Straatemeier, M., Van der Ven, S. G., Klinkenberg, S., & Van der Maas, H. J. (2013). The influence of experiencing success in math on math anxiety, perceived math competence, and math performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 24, 190-194.

Lazarus, M. (1974). Mathophobia: some personal speculations. National Elementary Principal, 53(2), 16-22.

Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(5), 520−540.

Ma, X., & Xu, J. (2004). Determining the causal ordering between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. American Journal of Education, 110(3), 256-280.

Meece, J. L., Parsons, J. E., Kaczala, C. M., & Goff, S. B. (1982). Sex differences in math achievement: Toward a model of academic choice. Psychological Bulletin, 91(2), 324-348.

Ministry of National Education (MNE) (2013). Middle school mathematics 5-8. classes teaching program. Ankara: Head Council of Education and Morality.

Mutodi, P., & Ngirande, H. (2014). Exploring mathematics anxiety: mathematics students' experiences. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1), 283-294.

Newstead, K. (1998). Aspects of children's mathematics anxiety. Educational Studies in mathematics, 36(1), 53-71.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1987). Sex differences in unipolar depression: evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 259-282.

Pajares, F. (2005). Gender differences in mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. In Gender differences in mathematics: An integrative psychological approach. Edited by Gallagher A.M., Kaufmann J.C. New York: Cambridge University Press; 294-315.

Perry, A. B. (2004). Decreasing mathematics anxiety in college students. College Student Journal, 38(2), 321-324.

Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of educational psychology, 82(1), 33-40.

Primi, C., Busdraghi, C., Tomasetto, C., Morsanyi, K., & Chiesi, F. (2014). Measuring math anxiety in Italian college and high school students: validity, reliability and gender invariance of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS). Learning and Individual Differences, 34, 51-56.

Ramirez, G.,Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2013). Math anxiety, working memory and math achievement in early elementary school. Journal of Cognition and Development, 14(2), 187-202.

Randolph, T. D. (1997). An assessment of mathematics anxiety in students from grades four through eight. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, United States-Illinois.

Rubinsten, O., Bialik, N., & Solar, Y. (2012). Exploring the relationship between math anxiety and gender through implicit measurement. Frontiers in Human Neurosciences, 6, 279.

Sherman, J., & Fennema, E. (1977). The study of mathematics by high school girls and boys: Related variables. American Educational Research Journal, 14(2), 159-168.

Sherman, J. (1980). Mathematics, spatial visualization, and related factors: Changes in girls and boys, Grades 8-11. Journal of Educational Psychology,72(4), 476-482.

Shodahl, S. A., & Diers, C. (1984). Math anxiety in college students: sources and solutions. Community College Review, 12(2), 32–36.

Şengül, S., & Dereli, M. (2010). Does instruction of “Integers” subject with cartoons effect students’ mathematics anxiety? Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 2176-2180.

Tapia, M., & Marsh, G. E. (2004). The relationship of math anxiety and gender. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 8(2), 130-134.

Uğurel, I., & Moralı, S. (2006). Karikatürler ve matematik öğretiminde kullanımı. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 170, 32-47.

Wahid, S. N. S., Yusof, Y., & Razak M. R., (2014). Math anxiety among students in higher education level. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 123, 232-237

White, P. J. (1997). The effects of teaching techniques and teacher attitudes on math anxiety in secondary level students. Eric Document Dissertation, ED 411 151.

Wigfield, A., & Meece, J. L. (1988). Math anxiety in elementary and secondary school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(2), 210-216.

Wigfield, A., Eccles, J. S., Mac Iver, D., Reuman, D. A., & Midgley, C. (1991). Transitions during early adolescence: Changes in children's domain-specific self-perceptions and general self-esteem across the transition to junior high school. Developmental Psychology, 27(4), 552-565.

Williams, W. V. (1988). Answers to questions about math anxiety. School science and mathematics, 88(2), 95-104.

Yıldırım, C. (2011). Mathematical thinking (7th edition). İstanbul: Remzi Press.

Yüksel Şahin, F. (2008). Mathematics anxiety among 4th and 5th grade Turkish elementary school students. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 3(3), 179−192.

Zakaria, E., & Nordin, N. M. (2008). The effects of mathematics anxiety on matriculation students as related to motivation and achievement. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 4(1), 27-30.

Zakaria, E., Zain, N. M., Ahmad, N. A., & Erlina, A. (2012). Mathematics anxiety and achievement among secondary school students. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(11),1828-1832.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.760

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2018 Emrullah Erdem

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015-2023. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.


This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).