Math Anxiety in Kindergarten: Associations With Child and Classroom Context Variables

• In Event: 64.032 - Identity, Motivation, and Emotion in Mathematics Education

Abstract

The focus of this study is to investigate how kindergarten children’s math anxiety is related to teachers’ practices during mathematics instruction and young children’s characteristics (gender, socioeconomic status) as well as mathematics achievement and motivation. The sample comprised 355 children from 24 classrooms and their teachers. We documented children’s and teachers’ reports on child-level variables and classroom observations during mathematics instruction. Multilevel analyses indicated that approximately 5% of the total variance in math anxiety was explained by the between classrooms differences, while 95% of the variance was attributed to student differences. Children’s motivation for math and teachers’ instructional support as well as emotional support during mathematics instruction significantly contributed to children’s math anxiety.

Authors

• Qian Li, Purdue University

• Yaheng Lu, Purdue University

• Panayota Y. Mantzicopoulos, Purdue University

• Helen Patrick, Purdue University