Elementary Math Methods

Annotated bibliography: Math anxiety

Elisabeth Elder-Gomes
Math anxiety is an essential subject to research and consider when teaching math, as it is a
common occurrence in students. As elementary teachers, we can put an end to this anxiety at
an early age instead of allowing it to continue on to middle and high school. As someone who
has experienced math anxiety throughout my entire schooling, I want to learn how i can prevent
these experiences in my future students. Before entering my first practicum, I was extremely
nervous to teach math to grade 5 students. Had it been a younger grade, I may have felt more
confident, but looking at the textbook I quickly realized that I did not know most of the
information. However, my math anxiety did not last long as a teacher: i realized that math is a
very fun subject to teach. In fact, it became my favourite! However, i recognize that math anxiety
in teachers can very much affect their students’ interest in the subject. I chose this topic in order
to discover how teacher anxiety can affect students, and research ways to put an end to this.

Beilock, S., Gunderson, E., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. (2010). Female teachers' math anxiety
affects girls' math achievement. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 107(5),
1860-1863. doi:10.1073/pnas.0910967107

This article discusses the issues that arise from female teachers with math anxiety, and
demonstrates the negative effect on their female students that it can have. Beliock’s findings
show that the teacher’s anxiety transfers to the female students which causes negative
consequences to these students’ mathematical achievement. The study consisted of
interviewing seventeen first and second grade teachers about their math anxiety, and then
testing students at both the beginning and end of the school year. The results showed that
female students did very poorly by the end of the year due to their teacher’s anxiety’s effect on
them. The article suggests that female students fall prey to the stereotype that girls are better
with language arts and boys are better with mathematics. Thus, their already-existing belief,
combined with the female teacher’s perpetuation of this stereotype, lead to a negative effect on
their math skills.This article confirmed my belief that teachers’ personal beliefs will have a large
impact on their students, whether they directly state them or not. This is especially true with
mathematics, as math is a subject that requires abstract thinking and can be very difficult for
many students. Thus, it is unfair for teachers to make this difficulty even worse for their
students. This article is especially valuable for female elementary teachers because it shows
that they must be cautious not to encourage the belief that females cannot do math. However, it
did not offer any solutions for this problem. I believe that for the teachers who have major math
anxiety, there should be a plan in place to help them overcome that fear, in order to better the
education of their students.

Geist, E. (2010). The anti-anxiety curriculum: combating math anxiety in the classroom. Journal
of Instructional Psychology, 37(1), 24-31. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=10740394-61d0-4cbd-8b4d-
9902e840f6ab%40sessionmgr120&vid=1&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29
wZT1zaXRl#AN=50303275&db=aph

This article discusses not only the effects of math anxiety on young students, but delves into
looking at the roots of this anxiety. Geist considers two things when looking at the roots of
anxiety: that parents and teachers have a large influence on children’s math anxiety, and that
there is a correlation of math anxiety on children living in “at risk” populations. Additionally, Geist
shows which elements in the curriculum influence math anxiety most in young students.
It is clear in this article that there is a direct link between parents’ negative attitudes about math
combined with lower education levels to higher math anxiety. Research shows that
mathematical achievement is lower in students in lower SES populations. When parents show a
negative attitude towards math, their children will begin to look at mathematics in a similar
fashion. When they get to school, teachers can attempt to alleviate this anxiety, but if the
teacher has existing math anxiety, they will often accidentally perpetuate it. Math anxiety is also
higher in girls due to the stereotype and tendency to compare themselves to others.
Geist addresses the curriculum and discusses the negative influence of timed tests. In
traditional testing, which occur in a constrained time (generally, the amount of time that a typical
math class takes place in) students with math anxiety will not succeed. Students are more likely
to succeed with non-timed tests, when their anxiety is reduced. This article is useful for teachers
because it provides teachers with important statistics about math anxiety. Some of these
statistics discuss the differences in socio-economic status, gender and parental views. This
article is also useful in reminding teachers of their anxiety’s effect on students.

Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E.A., Levine, S.C., & Beilock, S. L. (2013). Math anxiety, working
memory, and math achievement in early elementary school. Journal of Cognition and
Development, 14(2), 187-202. doi: 10.1080/15248372.2012.664593

This article discusses Ramirez et al.’s findings in their research on math anxiety in young
students and its effect on their achievement in mathematics. They state that there is a lack of
research on this topic and this is the primary purpose of their investigation. The study consisted
of measuring math achievement, working memory and math anxiety in 154 first and second
grade students. The findings showed that math anxiety was directly related to academic
achievement in children with high working memories compared to low-working memories. The
article suggests that this is because students with higher-working memories often use very
complex strategies in solving problems. Whens students combine math anxiety with this, their
strategies become less effective as they are worried about their answers and can focus on
nothing else. Ramirez et al. state the importance of early identification and treatment of math
anxiety in this article. As elementary school teachers, it is essential that we identify this anxiety
in students as early as possible in order to work towards combating it. This article shows
teachers the importance of looking for this anxiety in students who may show sophisticated
understanding of the material, as they can often go unnoticed.
Griggs, M., Rimm-Kaufman, S., Merritt, E., & Patton, C. (2013). The responsive classroom
approach and fifth grade students’ math and science anxiety and self-efficacy. School
Psychology Quarterly, 28(4), 360-373. doi:10.1037/spq0000026

This article discusses the factors that can affect fifth grade students’ math anxiety and their
belief in their abilities. People often relate their anxiety to the idea that they will be unsuccessful.
This is also true with students with math anxiety. The study performed by the authors of this
article examine three questions from 5th grade students: 1) what attributes - such as gender or
anxiety - of a student contribute to their self-efficacy toward math and science, and to what
extent? 2) do students attending schools implementing more responsive classroom approach
practices report greater self-efficacy in math and science? 3) are the links between high anxiety
and low self-efficacy lower in the presence of RC practices? The approach designed - the
responsive classroom approach - was created to help teachers create a positive and safe
learning environment. The author’s research shows that schools who have adapted this
approach have students with less math anxiety and higher self-efficacy. The article also
emphasizes the importance on emotional support and emphasis on students’ efforts. These
help reduce anxiety as students feel they can express themselves in a safe classroom.

.
Ramirez, G., Chang, H., Maloney, E., Levine, S., & Beilock, S. (2016). On the relationship
between math anxiety and math achievement in early elementary school: The role of problem
solving strategies. Journal Of Experimental Child Psychology, 141, 83-100.
doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2015.07.014

This article emphasizes the importance of enabling problem-solving skills in young children, as
those who do not develop this quality have poor working memory which in turn leads to poor
math achievement, which further affects their marks. Ramirez et al. state that math anxiety
leads to a decrease in problem-solving skills.The authors accentuate the importance of teaching
children how to alleviate this anxiety using different strategies. In the research conducted for this
article, they interviewed children and 26% self- reported to have math anxiety. Personally, i find
it quite shocking that such a large number of children self-report having math anxiety when they
are so young. Teachers play a huge role in students alleviating their anxiety; sometimes all it
takes is a teacher that shows their students that they believe in their ability, sometimes it
requires some extra help. There is no reason that such a large number of young children should
self-report having math anxiety, and it makes me sad that this is currently the case.

Willis, J. (2010).
Learning to love math: Teaching strategies that change student attitudes and get results.
Alexandria, Va: ASCD

This article states clearly that mathematics is the subject causing students to become the most
anxious and emotional compared to all the other subjects taught in schools. However, as true as
this may be, Willis also states that it probably also the most necessary subject to learn: no
matter what career you pursue, having a basic understanding of fundamental mathematics is
essential to success. Additionally, Willis states that math is a crucial component to developing
critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are easily translated to other subjects and
areas of life. I found this article to be extremely useful because the author gives concrete ways
to alleviate math anxiety and make it a fun and engaging topic for students. She suggests
having a “no error math”, knowing your students’ strengths and teaching with these in mind, and
discussing mistakes so frequently that mistakes become merely a part of learning and not
something to be embarrassed by. Willis also states that teachers should set achievable
standards for math and taking small steps but still creating challenge for the students. This is to
ensure that students do not get discouraged, but are still engaged in the learning.