What is Math Anxiety and What Can Be Done About It? Essay

Anxiety is defined as the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation. A little bit of anxiety can actually help a person stay attentive and on track. If we did not feel a certain level of pressure at a job or school, then perhaps we wouldn’t care about it as much. We might slack or leave a few loose ends that may cause us to fall behind. A little bit is actually beneficial, but unfortunately there are people who have to deal with anxiety as part of a mental illness or disorder. There are different types of anxiety which include: general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia.

To address this phenomenon, researchers have proposed different theories of test anxiety to account for the effects of test anxiety on the deficits of academic performance. According to scholars such as Schmidt and Riniolo (1999), the cognitive aspects of test anxiety - worry and task-relevant thinking - are also present in social anxiety. Therefore, students who experience test anxiety may also suffer from other types of psychological and cognitive problems such as self-esteem, cognitive development, social skills and memory. Essentially, the students who suffer from test anxiety are individuals who are unable to cope with any types of stress. Considering the stressful nature of

Anxiety disorders are not the only people who experience anxiety; in fact, everyone feels it every day or experiences one. Anxiety is what you feel before an important test or before you get married the next day. Anxiety is the source of excitement and it is the butterflies in your stomach. Depending on how you interpret this feeling, it can be a good feeling or your worst enemy.

I will discuss what Anxiety is, how to diagnose it, and also how to treat it. It is very common and I’m pretty sure most of you know basically what it is. But just in case I will go over the main important things to know about Anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The feelings can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships. There are several different types of anxiety disorders. Examples include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. According to the American psychological association, Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and invisible changes like increased blood pressure. You can have OCD, phobias, panic attacks, and PTSD. OCD is basically anxiety that takes the form of obsessions and compulsions. I know many of you guys are scared of spiders or bees and that is

Anxiety is a very common disorder when it comes to students in school. There are various types of anxiety, one common example is test taking anxiety. Test taking anxiety is a nervous feeling that students have while taking a test, and sometimes before or after taking the exam. This makes it impossible for students to do their best and to show their knowledge. When students are under stress it causes them to have physical symptoms, such as sweating or rapid breathing. Students who aren't prepared for tests, but care about doing well are also likely to have test anxiety before taking any type of test. Supporters argue standardized tests effectively measure student achievement, and opponents argue that tests are good for measuring students’ performances.

Children enjoy moving playing games and taking every chance to playing outside. However, many school administrators do not consider physical education an essential part of the academic curriculum. According to Satcher’s article “Healthy and Ready to Learn” (2005), there are an estimated 20 percent of all elementary schools in the United States have dropped recess in favor of more classroom time, 9 million children are overweight, childhood weight problems can lead to elevated blood pressure and joint problems, these problems often continue into adulthood. At the same time, many children have such a hard time learning math which is one of three foundation classes. Children with math anxiety are so worried about doing math that it lowers

Overcoming Math Anxiety by Sheila Tobias, 1995, lays out the groundwork for addressing math related stereotypes and understanding where peoples math anxiety has come from, why it continues, and most importantly, how to start working on overcoming it. A strong theme that continues throughout the book is the issue of gender differences in relation to math anxiety and why from Tobias’s findings and opinion is either true or false. However, the message throughout the book is clear. While math anxiety is a real issue that many suffer from, because of the everyday use of math and the benefits of being competent at using it, we are limiting ourselves by avoiding the subject like the plague and therefore must find ways to move past the anxiety.

Anxiety can be a very serious (disease/disorder) it is simply defined as an abnormal fear or tension which can occur without any obvious trigger or session; a recurrence, unwelcome and intrusive thought. Anxiety can also be defined as a subjective state of fear or tension. There are two types of anxiety, anxiety can provide signals that alert the body to trigger it to improve mental and physical performance

A student walks into the exam room. She knows she covered the material and studied very well. When the teacher hands her the exam paper her heart suddenly starts beating very fast, her hands begin to shake, she starts sweating, and she can barely breathe. The time is running out and she can’t control anything or remember the answers. After that, she fails that course because of anxiety. In order to avoid this scenario and perform better, you have to overcome anxiety. Combating test anxiety is not as difficult as some people think. Students can follow these simple guidelines in order to help ease anxiety.

     Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps some one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps some one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.

The purpose of this research is to examine perceptions of student test anxiety in elementary school.

What is Anxiety? As defined by Understanding Psychology by Glencoe, Anxiety is a general state of dread or uneasiness that a person feels in response to a real or imagined danger. Anxiety affects 19 million Americans annually and anxiety disorder happens to be the most common mental illness in America. There are many different types of anxiety disorder such as: Panic Disorder, Obsessive – Compulsion Disorder, Phobias, and a few more. Although there is no cure for anxiety disorders, there are treatments to reduce symptoms.

Tet anxiety is a very common thing among American students, especially for those whore are in higher education. This type of anxiety causes psychological tension that students experience before taking test. In the moment of test anxiety students have a strong feelings of failure that is followed by panic and stress pressure. Apparently many studies have showed that test anxiety often causes students to perform worse on the exam. "Test anxiety: Why it is increasing and 3 ways to curb it" by Valerie Strauss and " Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and College Exam Grades" by Jennifer Barrows, Samantha Dunn, Carrie A. Lloyd are popular and scholarly articles that discuss test anxiety in US higher education and how it disadvantages students.

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.