About Math Anxiety

What is math anxiety?

The most commonly cited definition was published by Richardson and Suinn in 1972, stating that math anxiety involves "feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations."

Math anxiety goes beyond having trouble with completing a math problem or understanding a concept. It is a physical and emotional reaction, similar to that felt by someone with claustrophobia who is asked to step into an elevator or a person with arachnophobia when face to face with a spider.

Studies have shown a bidirectional correlation between the struggle with concepts and math anxiety: students who have difficulty in math may develop math anxiety and those with math anxiety will most likely subsequently struggle with math. The data shows that the reach of math anxiety goes beyond the mathematics classroom and can affect a student’s general working memory, causing problems in learning overall. Further, math anxiety can be transmitted from teachers and parents to students.

Where does it come from?

Math anxiety has been studied and documented in psychology for decades, yet it is not a priority in education. We believe this needs to change. The most common reasons a student might develop math anxiety are negative experiences in the mathematics classroom and exposure to negative self-talk and avoidance behaviors from parents and teachers – who may inadvertently transmit their own math anxiety. Our ultimate goal is to address math anxiety at its roots, which will allow us to respond to the achievement gap before it exists.

A study done by Jackson and Leffingwell in 1999 suggests that as little as 7% of the American population has only positive experiences in their math classes from kindergarten through college. Positive experiences in the math classroom can be encouraged through the use of hands-on activities, discussion, and cooperative learning, all of which are recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) as best practices. Unfortunately, many teachers themselves struggle with math anxiety, which manifests as a return to the less-than-ideal practices of lecture, drill, and test or an avoidance of math altogether. These experiences, in turn, lead students to become math-averse and deprive them of the development of essential skills in mathematics. This transmission of math anxiety from teacher to student is especially evident in elementary school girls.

Math anxiety can also be passed from parent to child, particularly when a parent helps their student with homework. A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (or as explained in this NPR article) has shown that changing a parent’s approach to and attitude about math can mitigate these effects without needing to fully treat and overcome a parent’s math anxiety. Normalizing discussions about problem solving and raising the perceived value of good math skills at home is what is important to create an environment where students can thrive in the math classroom.

What can we do about it?

The most basic answer is to be aware of the language and emotion behind how math is discussed. A response like "I never liked math" or "I was never good at math" communicates the attitude that math is only for those who are naturally talented and is not worth investing time or energy into learning.

Using a simple, "I don't know, let's figure it out together" communicates that math is about productive struggle and is worth understanding. As a parent or teacher it is very difficult to show that vulnerability, but it can be very empowering to a student to understand that math is not about immediately knowing everything, it is about the work to find the answer.

For more information on our specific plans to address math anxiety in our student population, please see the "Program Overview" page.