The Effects Of Gender On Math Anxiety Among College Students

Formulas, factoring, derivatives: math topics make many people cringe and are viewed difficult to endure when learning these boring concepts. On the other hand,

I learned first and foremost is that the United States has more young high school graduates than any other nation and have a large population of those enrolling in post-secondary as well. I do believe that this is true because in order to succeed in the US we must have some sort of degree. Other nations teach a trade which is amazing because those are the ones who we contract to fix our homes and businesses. No, most do not have a degree but a certificate in their field of trade. Math anxiety is the feeling of nervousness towards Math and it’s problems during classes and or exams. It normally begins when we are a child and escalates throughout life. By the time we are adults and have not dealt with it, we feel dumb when approached with an issue involving possibly the simplest numbers. Due to this many of us stay within our comfort zone which is away from numbers as long as it’s in a form of a paycheck. Math anxiety is not just a problem in our heads, it can cause us to discontinue taking math classes beyond the requirements. This tends to limit our choices with regard to college or career opportunities. Because we've had a bad past experience we avoid Math at all cost, just like myself. Most people tend to leave school feeling like a failure due to Math. There were many words I came across in the reading which described me and those are:

Li, Toland & Usher (nd) examined the psychometric properties of the Mathematics Skills Self-efficacy scales (MSSE), designed specifically for evaluating middle grades (in the Southeastern United States) students’ judgments about their capabilities to successfully solved different types of mathematics problems. They found out that the MSSE can be reduced to four categories and that the meaning of each category of the modified 4 response scale is not equal to the original 6-point version. In 2013, they developed an instrument to measure mathematical self-efficacy of college students studying traditional mathematics and use of mathematics programs in UK. Their findings suggest that the multidimensional model fits the data significantly better

The researcher’s main concern was to investigate differences in math perception between those students scoring highly versus those students scoring poorly on national exams. The researcher thought that the solution would be due to cross-cultural differences in achievement.

From personal experiences, there are many different types of emotions and actions that can affect someones math skills. Since teaching, the self-esteem of seventh grade male students stood out as an important affect on how student’s perform. If a student has confidence in math, they will perform well and won’t express their previous negative attitudes. On the other hand, if a student has a low confidence in math, they will perform poorly

Many people when they look at a math problem experience levels of anxiety. If I was to ask any of you to solve this Calculus problem on the board, how many of you would experience even the slightest amount of math anxiety? All you do is plug in 3 for the value of X under the radical sign and multiply it by 3, the answer will be 9 find the square root and your answer is 3. This is called finding the Definite Integral with the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Students shouldn’t have a fear of math, instead they should enjoy it. There are numerous reasons as to why people fear math, I will go over what you should do to overcome the fear of such an amazing subject. You shouldn't let math scare you, once you get beyond your fear of math you will realize that it is one of the most beautiful subjects out there with beneficial qualities.

Math anxiety maybe unknown to many people and yet many more suffer from it. Math anxiety is defined as the feeling of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations (Curtain-Phillips). Other studies suggest that math anxiety not only causes one to feel anxious in a mathematical situation but also causes a person to completely avoid a situation because of the ones insecurities of the subject ("Math anxiety,"). What can be done about it? What do I need to know? What is relevant? These feelings and tendencies all stem from somewhere, therefore knowing where it originates and what the facts are will ultimately help one to cope and in some cases prevent math anxiety.

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.

Even in the 21st century, women are still not as confident as men.We live in a world where acceptance is all based on predetermined characteristics that one may possess; for example a child’s race, sex and culture. The gender roles associated with each sex are enforced by society and heavily influence a person’s confidence. The gender gap that exists in the field of mathematics has become embedded in our culture.

The literature discussing causes and/or contributing factors for the prevalence of math anxiety in elementary students involves various social, cognitive, and academic elements. Social factors include continued race and gender stigmas and lack of parental support in low socioeconomic (SES) households. Cognitive factors comprise dyscalculia and deficits in working memory. Academic factors encompass the traditional math curriculum used in classrooms, ineffective teaching styles, and the influence of math anxious teachers.

Math anxiety is the phenomenon that affects may people, causing them to feel anxiety or stress when faced with anything related to math. Math anxiety can potentially affect anyone with the condition at any point in their lives, but it is most prominent within the classroom, as that is when the math is the most stressful. Three of the main causes of math anxiety are: public exposure, the influence of teachers, and time deadlines (Curtain-Phillips, 2017). Once the causes are fully understood, a method to overcome them can be created.

Although having the ability to perform mathematics is an essential part of an individual’s everyday life, many people suffer from an educational emotional disorder called math anxiety. Math anxiety is the negative emotional reaction to mathematics or even just the idea of having to solve a mathematics equation. (Maloney) Despite what many people believe, math anxiety is a real, biological condition. (Math) In 1972, the first systematic instrument was created to test math anxiety. In this test, participants rated themselves on the level of anxiety that they would feel in different situations. Many individuals showed severe anxiety in math related situations. (Ashcraft) The obstacles that math anxiety comes with are serious problems for students today, especially young children in elementary school. (Geist)

In this study Mathematics anxiety determined the level in terms of cognitive factors, psychological factors, physical factors and environmental factors. In the study,there are no significant studies mainly focusing mathematics anxiety, despite the fact that Mathematics anxiety has been identified in the literature as a problem on the mathematical performance. So these factors find out which affects the math anxiety of the students (Journal of Education and Vocational Research., Volume 4, No.3,pp 77-85, Mar 2013 (ISSN

The authors highlight how the transition to university level marks an extremely difficult period for most students; according to Liston and O'Donoghue, the starting point of their research was based on the finding that service mathematics, enjoyment of math, and math self concepts were found to be the most significant variables which impacted the performance of students in math (2010). Thus, in conducting this quantitative study, the authors wanted to determine what the precise reasons or motivations were for why certain participants in the study gave the answers they did. The data collection methods involved university participants and semi-structured interviews; the interviews