Effects of math anxiety on student success in higher education

This study examines whether math anxiety and negative attitudes toward mathematics have an effect on university students" academic achievement in a methodological course forming part of their degree. A total of 193 students were presented with a math anxiety test and some questions about their...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Núñez Peña, María Isabel, Suárez Pellicioni, Macarena, Bono Cabré, Roser
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2013
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/48004
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/48004
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Psicometria
Ansietat
Ensenyament de la matemàtica
Educació superior
Psychometrics
Anxiety
Mathematics education
Higher education
Description
Summary:This study examines whether math anxiety and negative attitudes toward mathematics have an effect on university students" academic achievement in a methodological course forming part of their degree. A total of 193 students were presented with a math anxiety test and some questions about their enjoyment, self-confidence and motivation regarding mathematics, and their responses were assessed in relation to the grades they had obtained during continuous assessment on a course entitled"Research Design". Results showed that low performance on the course was related to math anxiety and negative attitudes toward mathematics. We suggest that these factors may affect students" performance and should therefore be taken into account in attempts to improve students" learning processes in methodological courses of this kind.