Math anxiety: causes, impacts, and intervention strategies

Math Anxiety

I did not realize before that I had any feelings of anxiety related to the subject of mathematics. Math is not the most difficult subject although certainly it can be challenging. Yet, my writing indicates that I do feel math-related anxiety which therefore need to be better understood. From early on, I knew that math was not my favorite subject. For many people math is difficult, primarily because it takes a great deal of memorization and strict rules. It is not a subjective subject, but rather an objective one. When you do a math problem, you either find the correct answer or you find a wrong answer. There is little room for maneuvering between these two extremes. Perhaps this is where my anxiety with math is the most obvious, in the fear of finding the right answer and the subsequent fear of being wrong in my findings. My math anxiety is really an anxiety over being wrong, of failing, and of not living up to what I perceive is my intellectual potential.

During an interview with someone who possesses a high degree of knowledge in mathematics, the same concept seemed to appear even though this individual did not know my assumptions about the different components of math and its objectivity being a decisive factor in anxiety. This individual had never really faced difficulties with the subject. In the interview, they informed me that math had always been their best subject in school. This person attributes that to the fact that the subject does not involve writing and is objectively correct or incorrect. Their degrees are in science and education, with a major in mathematics, indicating that these types of subjects are where they excel. Yet, this person also says that they experienced a level of math anxiety while they were a student, primarily during examinations. This might not necessarily be anxiety related to math, but test anxiety which is something many students have to deal with, but it not limited to mathematics. A person can be terrified of math and feel no more pressure during tests or they might be wonderful in math but then become fearful when it comes time to take the tests.

In subjects such as mathematics where there is a definitive right or wrong response to any given question, I believe there is more pressure to be correct than anything else. In other subjects you might ultimately come to the wrong conclusion, but you can still be successful. An example of this would be English or History classes. The professor gives you a prompt and you must write about that prompt to prove a point. Your findings or analysis may be wholly different from the way that your professor sees things. Certainly in history if you have your dates or names wrong, then your work will have less potency and be worth less as a piece of academic discourse. However, you will still likely receive some credit for what you were able to do in the writing. Even if you understand the question wrongly and assert an incorrect response, you will still receive credit for your efforts. Mathematics rarely gives room for this kind of consideration. The situation is far more about black or white, true or false solutions to the math problems. Given that this is the case, it is shown that performance in the math class necessarily means that there is greater pressure on the student to be correct that there is in other subjects of academic discourse.

Extensive research has been conducted into the topic of math anxiety in both psychological and physiological avenues. Researchers assert that "Math anxiety can bring about widespread, intergenerational discomfort with the subject, which could lead to anything from fewer students pursuing math and science careers to less public interest in financial markets" (Sparks 2011,-page 1). This is a very interesting perspective. If these findings are accurate, then the anxiety an individual feels might not only be impacted by their own histories with math, but with the experience that their parents or guardians had as well. Thinking about the issue, this actually makes a lot of sense. When a child does not understand his or her homework, then the child will go to an adult who they are close to for help with the material. If that adult also does not understand the material or if they react negatively to the topic, then that will influence that child, providing the youngster with another example of a person who responds to mathematics in the same way. This can be damaging to the relationship between the child and math at a potentially exponential rate.

During the interview, the math instructor I talked with gave me their opinion about what might be the basis for math anxiety. They believe that math anxiety is largely caused by lack of confidence. If a person has been unsuccessful with math throughout their childhood, then they will more than likely have negative opinions about their abilities in the subject once they have reached adulthood. Building of self-confidence, the instructor asserts, will help with the anxiety we feel when we are dealing with mathematics. There are ways in which this confidence can be rebuilt, such as reviewing of knowledge that a person already has, building confidence that they do in fact have mathematical knowledge. Another way is by seeking out help from teachers and classmates. Admitting that you are struggling in math is the first step to gaining the knowledge you need to be successful in the subject.