What Makes Students Nervous When Learning Mathematics: A Story From South Korea

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  In Roundtable Session: Emotions and Attitudes in Mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate in- and outside of school mathematics anxiety factors and their relationships to uncover those factors that affect students’ mathematics anxiety. A survey approach was used to explore the relationship among mathematics anxiety factors. The respondents were 330 six-grade students randomly selected from five elementary schools in South Korea. Analysis shows that a few factors may affect students’ mathematics anxiety in different ways, especially factors, such as teaching strategies, parents’ interest in student learning, and outside experiences, i.e., the number and amount of time attending mathematics private institutions.

Authors

• Rina Kim, Boston College

• Lillie R. Albert, Boston College

• Hang Gyun Sihn