20th Annual Student Research Conference
Interdisciplinary
Math Anxiety in College Students: Identifying Correlates and At-Risk Populations
Kristin A. Harkins
Dr. Scott Alberts, Faculty Mentor
This study represents the culmination of findings from three years of research on mathematics anxiety at Truman State University and Moberly Area Community College. Issues addressed include gender, math performance, attitudes and self-efficacy, and background/exposure to mathematics. Our goals were to identify subpopulations of students who are at risk for high levels of math anxiety and could benefit from interventions and to identify factors correlated with math anxiety which can lead to effective interventions. Participants completed the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) and related instruments. Overall, women and community college students appear to be at risk for higher math anxiety. However, for women this is not related to lower performance, and instead is related to beliefs about their math abilities. A surprising increase was found in math anxiety in students enrolled in higher courses such as calculus, suggesting that math anxiety affects a wide population and exists in a variety of forms.
Keywords: math, anxiety, education, self-efficacy
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 3-5
Location: OP Lobby
Time: 4:15 pm