What is Math Anxiety?
Many students claim not to like math. However, for some, the issue with math is more than simply disliking algebra or fractions.
For some students, doing math can cause negative emotions like fear of failure. This harms their ability to perform.
This is known as “math anxiety.”
Effects of Math Anxiety in Elementary and Secondary School Students
Math anxiety impacts students as early as the first grade by affecting their working memory. Working memory is like a ‘mental scratchpad’. It is important when we need to keep track of numbers. However, this working memory can be disrupted by math anxiety in both elementary and secondary school students. This can lead students with math anxiety to be as much as half a school year behind their peers in math. Even for students who don’t struggle with math anxiety, it’s important to develop positive study habits that will help them as math becomes more complex.
What Causes Math Anxiety?
Major causes of math anxiety include:
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The pressure caused by time limits on tests
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The deadlines that timed tests impose on students lead them to feel anxious. This leads them to forget concepts that they have no problem remembering at home. Since tests can have a negative impact on grades, students’ fear of failure is confirmed. This creates a vicious circle that can be difficult to break.
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The fear of public embarrassment
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Math anxiety has also been linked to negative emotions from the past. If a student has been scolded for getting an answer wrong, it can make his or her anxiety worse. The same is true if he or she has been embarrassed in front of others.
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Influence of teachers
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Students can also pick up on their teacher’s feelings about math. If a teacher is excited and positive about math, the students will be as well. However, it can have the opposite effect if educators are negative about it.
Symptoms of Math Anxiety
If your child seems to be struggling with their math grades, look for the following symptoms of math anxiety:
1. Unusual nervousness when doing or thinking about math
Even thinking about math is enough to cause stress to the student.
2. Passive behaviour
Students are either too afraid of failure or simply thinking about math, which brings so many negative emotions that they are unwilling to even try.
3. A feeling of being alone
They feel that they are the only ones incapable of finding the solutions, even if the math is extremely complicated.
4. A feeling of permanency
The student begins to believe that he or she is naturally bad at math and always will be, so he or she gives up trying to improve.
5. Lack of confidence
Students expect never to know the answers to math questions, so they depend on other people to do math for them. Example: expecting parents to help with homework.
6. Panic during tests or when called on to answer questions
The classroom becomes a major source of stress for students, especially when they are taking a test or expected to contribute in class.
How to Prevent Math Anxiety
If your child struggles with these challenges, you’ve probably found yourself wondering how to handle math anxiety. It can affect any student, and the best way to prevent it is to build positive study habits.
Check out these math anxiety strategies to find out how to improve your child’s performance in the classroom.
4 Math Anxiety Tips:
1. Positive Reinforcement
Students coping with math anxiety need to feel that they can excel at math.
Review homework with your child and point out all the questions they got right. Put an emphasis on correct answers rather than mistakes. If possible, surround the student with positive teachers and students.
2. Get a Tutor
Teachers can greatly impact a student’s feelings toward math. Even if the teacher is enthusiastic about math, supplement teaching with a qualified tutor. Tutors can provide personal attention that is hard to get at school. They can help students work through their problems in a low-pressure environment. Tutoring can also improve students’ self-confidence.
3. Reframe Anxiety
Reframing anxiety can improve mathematics performance. Have a student write down their worries about math before doing it. By having to think critically, students can realize their fears are unfounded.
Young children can draw pictures as a substitute for writing. Assist reframing by having students see tests and assignments as challenges instead of threats.
4. Make Math Fun!
Try to create positive emotions by making math fun. One way to do this is to connect math to the child’s interests. For example, if the student likes sports, use sport-related word problems.
For more tips on how to boost math confidence, check out our video below.
Struggling With Math?
If you know a student who struggles with math anxiety, Oxford Learning can help. View our math tutoring page for more details, and find an Oxford Learning location near you!
Note: Originally published 2017. Edited and updated 2024
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