Stress, Coping, and Resilience in Postsecondary Math

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Stress and Coping in Late Adolescence and Higher Education

Abstract

Anxiety relating to the learning of mathematical concepts is a common occurrence in students in post-secondary contexts. Known as math anxiety, it is linked to poor performance in mathematics, in school and in life. To counter this issue, a pilot program, called Mindful Math, was created to support self-reported math anxious students on a bi-weekly basis with their challenging feelings and emotions about math across an academic semester. Mindful Math incorporated contemplative practices, including mindfulness techniques, into the lives of participating Business Math students enrolled at the post-secondary level. A pre and post mindfulness questionnaire, practice logs, and a semi-structured interview were used to gauge the utility of the program and to set the stage for future endeavors.

Authors

• Leslie P Shayer, UBC Okanagan

• Karen Ragoonaden, The University of British Columbia