Correlation between Gender and Math Anxiety

The following evaluation presents the components of the normative sample applied in the KeyMath-3 Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3 DA). For reference, a norm sample characterizes as a selected sample of test-takers from various common characteristics such as gender, age, grade, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or some combination thereof, for the purpose of creating test norms. The KeyMath-3 DA is a comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skill which is untimed and individually administered (Connolly, p. 1, 2007). Furthermore, the test consists of 372 full color test items and 10 subtests covering three general math areas: Basic Concepts (numeration, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability), Operations (mental computation and estimation; addition and subtraction; and multiplication and division), and Applications (foundations of problem solving and applied problem solving). Additionally, data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census (2004) reinforced the integrity of the normative sample to establish the target counts in age, grade and season, race/ethnicity, geographic region and socioeconomic status.

67% of girls in primary school are less confident in there maths abilities than boys. This is extremely concerning as maths is the basis for STEM subjects and careers.

The SAT is an exam taken by high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, it measures literacy, writing and math skills that are needed to succeed in college. Male students have been viewed as benefiting from the math section of the SAT. “One test that has played a particularly important role in the impression that male students possess more math ability than female students is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)” (Byrnes and Takahira., 1995). The authors focused on one question throughout their research they wanted to understand if the gender difference in the SAT were because male students perform cognitive questions more successfully than girls. Male students had the correct approach to answer math questions, they answered the questions in a specific

Mathematics anxiety has been studies for the past “50 years” (McMahon 2015), because it is a problem that affect many Americans. With all of the studies done, there is still much to be known about it and its effect on students. Mathematics anxiety has been defined by Vahedi and Farrokhi (2011) as “negative cognitions, avoidance behaviors, and feeling pressured and inadequate in performance that combined interfere with solving math

Based on the example of Juanita, there are strategies that could be used to help reduce her anxiety that she is experiencing due to having to take a math test. Test anxiety can negatively affect Juanita’s academic performance on the test so it is important for the counselor to be able to provide her with strategies that can help her to cope with the anxiety (Parsons, 2007). Different strategies to help Juanita could include teaching coping skills, study skills, and relaxation techniques (Capuzzi & Gross, 2014; Parsons, 2007). Also, to normalize the strategies the counselor can provide guidance lessons for all students using the same relaxation techniques and provide an overview for teachers and parents so that the same techniques could be used

I have experienced math anxiety in the past that had started in elementary school. I experienced the “blackboard anxiety” in the second grade. Each day we started math class with picking teams to race against one another while solving mathematical problems on the blackboard. It was extremely stressful to attempt to complete a mathematical problem on the blackboard with all of your classmates cheering you on if you completed the problem first and correctly or booing for you if you provided an incorrect answer or finished second. I also had a math teacher in middle school that my brother had previously. This teacher continued to compare me to my brother who was phenomenal and enjoyed working with numbers in math class. I recall the teacher telling me that I was nothing like my brother who completed the class without losing a point all year. I

This story begins with an 8th grader named Michael who gets very anxious and nervous about tests. Math is not Michael’s expertise, and he is in fact, very second-rate at math. What’s particularly disturbing is that his math finals are tomorrow. Because he is very unskilled at math, he is really jumpy about the test. Michael knows that if he does not study for the test and develop a understanding of his troubling subject, he is going to fail the test. Michael’s anxiety about this test stems from fears that if he fails the test, his parents will ground him for life, and worse, he will not move on to high school with his classmates and friends. No matter how hard he studies the tense feelings never go away.

Among the top five academic anxieties (Test Anxiety ~ Math Anxiety), on the average (mean) of Score, Math Anxiety had the lowest Mean score (Funk, 2009). These results are difficult to believe given Funk's previous research and mention about the majority of adults returning to having such high level of math anxiety upon returning to higher education (Funk, 2009).

•What are some things that a student can do to overcome math anxiety? Begin by breathing. Write down the problem and apply what you already know. Break down the problem by using the order of operations and go step by step until you come to the answer.

Mathematics is the "study of number, equations, functions, and geometric shapes and their relationships". Math can be enjoyable for some people and nerve-racking for some individual. As a high school student studying math was very easy for me. As time went by I didn't use the skill very much and my skills have decreased. Now I get extremely nervous when I have to take a math course.

Hembree (1990) also pointed out that females display higher levels of mathematics anxiety than males up to high school. Furthermore, poor performance and avoidance of mathematics caused lower anxiety levels among college male students compared to females. Since Hembree (1990) only focused on high school and college students’ mathematics anxiety in his meta-analysis, it will be difficult to predict about undergraduate students’ anxiety based on his findings.

     For this particular study, a survey including 39 closed questions (developed by Alan Schoenfeld in 1989) was used. All items on the survey were in the form of a seven point rating scale, with 1 being “strongly agree” and 7 being “strongly disagree”. The questionnaire was determined to be extremely consistent with an alpha of 0.8468. The survey contained questions associated to student’s perception of what mathematics is and how to do well in it, what mathematics solutions should be, how math problems can be solved, how mathematics is learned, and student motivation. For the first 33 questions, the students were asked to rate them on the seven point scale described above. The last six questions on the survey dealt with grades, gender, and perception of the children’s parent’s attitudes towards mathematics. The researcher also used a two-tail t-test to compare the mathematical perceptions of Chinese and American students. The average of each cateogry in the survey was also compared. As stated above, there were six main categories being compared: what

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics has always been a difficult subject for students. Many children have developed phobias and barriers towards mathematics, which prevail into adulthood, thus limiting their potential. This limitation implies problems of learning, resulting in the child a sense of inferiority.

The article “Mathematics Achievement: The Role of Homework and Self-Efficacy Beliefs”, explores the use of the U.S. portion of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). It examines how homework support resources, including books and having a good study environment, impact students in terms of self-efficacy and their achievement in mathematics grouped by race and gender. The article identifies two research questions: 1) To what extent do beliefs of mathematics self-efficacy, such as spending time on mathematic homework and homework support resources affect student mathematics achievement? 2) To what degree does the role of race and gender make a difference in the relationship between mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and student math achievements? (Kitsantas, Cheema, & Ware, 2011, p. 315). The author used PISA student questionnaires to do the study, which measured reading literacy, mathematics literacy and science literacy skills of 15 years old students in the U.S. The sample consisted of 5,200 students, 2,603 boys and 2,597 girls, and the ethnic breakdown was 3,097 Caucasian, 799 African American, 883 Hispanic, 169 Asian, and 252 of mixed or other ethnicity. 274 of the students were chosen from schools through a multi-age stratified random sampling. This study involved an analysis of mathematics achievement that was based on 85 test items reported as a scale of five plausible values for each student. This value was helpful in capturing the measurement