Can a Pedagogical Agent Help Reduce Mathematics Anxiety?

• In Event: Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Mathematics Curriculum and Instructional Practice

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of the anxiety treatment messages presented by a pedagogical agent (an animated on-screen character) on high school students’ mathematics anxiety and learning. 128 students in the 9th grade were randomly assigned to work with either an agent presenting treatment messages (treatment group) or an agent without treatment messages (control group). Overall, the results suggested that the anxiety treatment messages did not have an effect on students’ mathematics anxiety and learning. However, the messages affected the students with high, medium, and low anxiety differently (p < .05).

Authors

• Quan Wei, Western New England University

• Yanghee Kim, Utah State University