Examining Early Predictors of Math Anxiety Among Children From Different Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Backgrounds

• In Event: Identifying, Understanding, and Addressing Elementary Students' Negative STEM Emotions and Beliefs

Abstract

Objectives & Perspective
Math anxiety plays a critical role in math achievement, math course-taking, and pursuing math-related careers (Ganley & McGraw, 2016; Rubinsten et al., 2018). Potential precursors to the development of math anxiety include math interest, confidence, and achievement (Ahmed et al., 2012; Gunderson et al., 2018; Meece et al., 1990). Lower confidence, interest, and skills might lead young children to connect math with negative feelings and experiences, and to become anxious about math (Carey et al., 2016). Research shows differences in math achievement across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups (Cheema & Galluzzo, 2013; Jordan et al., 2006), however, less work has examined relations between math attitudes and achievement across these groups. In this study, we investigate if past math achievement, interest, and confidence predict later math anxiety in elementary school and whether these relationships are moderated by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods
Participants were 1,598 K-3 students in the United States (4% Asian, 20% Black, 12% Hispanic, 47% White, 12% multirace). At the beginning of the school year, students completed the Elementary Mathematics Student Assessment (Schoen et al., 2021) and adapted versions of the Fredricks & Eccles' (2002) Math Competence and Math Interest measures. Near the end of the year, they completed a newer version of the Math Anxiety Scale for Young Children-Revised (Ganley & McGraw, 2016). Parents reported their child’s gender (0=girl, 1=boy), race/ethnicity, and free or reduced-price lunch status (0=not eligible, 1=eligible).

Results
Descriptive statistics and correlations are reported in Table 1. Regression results are reported in Table 2. We examined the relations between our predictors and later math anxiety with gender, race/ethnicity, SES, and grade level included. There were no differences in math anxiety between other racial/ethnic groups and Black students (the reference group). Gender, past math confidence, and past math achievement were significant predictors of math anxiety, such that girls and those with lower math confidence and achievement had higher math anxiety. When we included interactions between interest and race/ethnicity and SES, simple slopes showed that for Asian students the math interest-anxiety relation was significant (b=-.35, p=.01), but it was not for Black students (b=-.01, p=.76). When we included interactions with confidence, simple slopes showed that the relation between past math confidence and later anxiety was significant for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (b=-.14, p=.05), but not for those who do not qualify (b=.02, p=.73). There were no significant interactions between math achievement and race/ethnicity or SES.

Significance
Consistent with existing literature, we find that past math confidence and achievement predict later math anxiety. However, confidence was only significant for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. We also found that interest plays a role in the development of math anxiety for Asian students, but not Black students. This study contributes to the gap in the literature on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status differences in predictors of math anxiety and can help inform educators of students from different backgrounds on the importance of particular early math attitudes and achievement.

Authors

• Nandrea Burrell, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Colleen M. Ganley, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author