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It could even be a vicious downward spiral in which they both contribute towards each other (e.g. That is, it could be that having anxious thoughts about mathematics leads to poorer performance on a mathematics test or it could be that having difficulty with mathematics in the first place will result in more anxious thoughts about mathematics. What we don’t know is which causes which. which comes first? What we know is that people with higher levels of mathematics anxiety tend to perform more poorly on assessments of mathematics skills whilst those with better performance in mathematics tend to report lower levels of mathematics anxiety 6, 7. When trying to figure out how Mathematics Anxiety relates to mathematics performance, we are faced with a problem similar to that of the chicken and the egg. It is unique in this regard, as there are not widespread anxiety conditions for other specific content areas such as reading, writing, or history.ĭoes Mathematics Anxiety Affect Mathematics Performance? That is, Mathematics Anxiety is anxiety related specifically to mathematics, not anxiety about taking tests. Mathematics Anxiety is also not to be confused with general anxiety related to assessment. It may generalise to various real world situations with the consequence that otherwise perfectly intelligent and capable persons develop a severe avoidance of situations involving any kinds of mathematics even extending to not choosing careers which include the application of mathematics 5, 6. The prevalence of extreme mathematics anxiety is estimated at between 2-6% at secondary school level in the UK 3, and other cases, whilst less severe, can still have a significant effect on the people who suffer with it 4.Īs stated above, Mathematics Anxiety is not restricted to tests or classroom settings. The severity of Mathematics Anxiety can range from a feeling of mild tension all the way to experiencing a strong fear of maths.

It has been defined as “a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in … ordinary life and academic situations 1, 2 . Mathematics Anxiety is a negative emotional reaction to mathematics that can be debilitating. One type of anxiety, Mathematics Anxiety , is of particular interest for us at the MMAD Lab. For some, though, bouts of anxiety can be so intense and occur so frequently that psychologists have come to recognise this as a clinical condition. Luckily, for many people, they are a relatively small part.

Anxious feelings are a normal part of life.

You probably can relate to this visceral reaction because at some point you’ve likely experienced anxiety.