The Association Between Math Anxiety on Math Engagement: A Multi-Dimensional Examination

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Math anxiety (MA) is characterized by feelings of helplessness, apprehension, and worry in mathematical situations (Hembree, 1990). Three dimensions of MA have been identified: 1) learning MA (e.g., anxiety when learning math in the classroom), 2) test MA (e.g., anxiety prior to or during an exam), and 3) application MA (e.g., anxiety when doing math calculations) and are often combined to create an overall construct of MA (Lukowski et al., 2019). Students with higher MA tend to have lower math achievement (Namkung et al, 2019). One mechanism that has been proposed to explain the negative association between MA and math achievement is that high MA leads to disengagement in math learning (Hembree, 1990). However, this proposal has yet to be empirically tested. The present study aims to examine whether and how the three dimensions of MA predict students’ engagement in math class.
Math engagement consists of the cognitive (e.g., engagement in deep learning strategies), behavioral (e.g., active participation in class activities), emotional (e.g., positive emotional experiences during learning), and social (e.g., productive classroom interactions) dimensions in which a child engages during math situations (Jansen, 2019; Jimerson et al., 2003). It is possible that different dimensions of MA may be differentially related to engagement in the math classroom. For example, we would expect an association between classroom engagement and MA experienced in learning situations, while we would expect a minimal association between classroom engagement and MA experienced in testing situations.
Participants consisted of 153 students from 4th through 6th grade that are part of an ongoing longitudinal study examining the roles of affective factors in math learning. MA and math engagement were self-reported using the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; Chiu & Henry, 1990) and Math and Science Engagement Scale (Wang et al., 2016), respectively.
A path analysis was conducted to assess how different dimensions of MA predict the different types of math engagement in the classroom (Figure 1). After controlling for child sex and grade, we found that learning MA positively predicted cognitive engagement. Additionally, application MA positively predicted social engagement. Test MA was not associated with math engagement.
Our findings do not support the hypothesis that MA universally hinders math achievement through impairing learning engagement. Rather, the associations between MA and math engagement vary as a function of the dimensions of MA and engagement. For example, higher application MA was associated with more social engagement. It is possible that students who experience anxiety solving math problems may be more eager to work with and seek help from others in the classroom who demonstrate a better understanding of applying mathematical concepts. In conclusion, these findings suggest that examining dimensions of MA separately may bring us new insights into the complex engagement patterns in students with different types of MA.

Authors

• Michaela Quintero, Texas Tech University
  Presenting Author

• Leslie Monique Hasty, Texas Tech University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tianyu Li, Austin Peay State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Zhe Wang, Texas A&M University - College Station
  Non-Presenting Author