Understanding Maths Anxiety & How To Overcome It
In my experience, teaching maths ( from SATs to GCSE) over many years, fear of this ' tricky' subject is often a prevalent factor in preventing pupils/students from making effective progress and actualising their learning potential.
Maths anxiety is a phenomenon that has been around for more than 50 years, and it is something that affects many children and young people throughout primary school and beyond.
With Maths anxiety even causing some children to struggle with Maths, it is important that all parents can answer:
What is Maths anxiety?
Maths anxiety is:
A negative emotional reaction to mathematics, leading to varying degrees of helplessness, panic and mental disorganisation that arise among some people when faced with a mathematical problem. ( Tobias & Weissbrod, 1980).
A feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in ordinary life and academic situations. ( Richardson & Suin, 1972)
It is important to recognise that Maths anxiety is not the same as general anxiety, as the latter relates to continuous worrying and tension in various aspects of life. (Brown, Moras, Zinbarg & Barlow, 1993) For instance, those who suffer with general anxiety may be restless, may be irritable and may have an unrealistic view of problems. In contrast, Maths anxiety specifically relates to working with numbers and maths concepts. Therefore, a person with maths anxiety may be generally confident but may experience anxiety in Maths situations. This has been supported by Young, Wu and Menon (2012), who demonstrated that Maths anxiety has a distinct pattern of brain activity that is separate from general anxiety, intelligence, reading ability and working memory.
There are numerous symptoms associated with Maths anxiety. Firstly, there are emotional symptoms which involve feelings of helplessness; lack of confidence; fear of getting things wrong. Secondly, there are physical symptoms which include: heart racing; irregular breathing; sweatiness; shakiness; biting nails; feeling of hollowness in stomach, nausea. Furthermore, there is a feeling of frustration from attempting to do maths and not being successful. Another symptom is not knowing where to start with questions or never getting the correct answer. Next, individuals experiencing Maths anxiety often feel confused and just want to go home. They tend to be stressed before and during exams. Moreover, they begin to shut down and stop listening in class.
Effects on the brain
Recent research using brain scanners (fMRI) has revealed that Maths anxiety has measurable effects on parts of the brain which are used to understand maths. Working memory is important for solving mathematical problems. Unfortunately, Maths anxiety reduces working memory because the brain is too busy worrying about maths instead of doing it. ( Young, 2012). This means that whilst someone is in a state of anxiety, he or she will struggle to understand the maths being taught or attempt questions.
Negative Maths experiences in the past mean that the brain sometimes associates maths with pain. Consequently, the regions of the brain associated with pain processing are activated when thinking about Maths ( Lyons & Beilock, 2012). It is important to be aware that this only occurs when THINKING about maths, but doesn't occur when the brain is actually DOING Maths. The brain can also perceive Maths as a threat. Consequently, the natural response is to ' run' away from Maths in a similar way as one would run away from a vicious dog.
Maths is often presented as a rather esoteric subject, when in fact, using simple but effective teaching techniques it can be simplified considerably.
Causes and impact
Finlayson ( 2014) reported that Maths anxiety is normally connected to the kind of teaching styles experienced in the classroom, which often focus on memorisation and rote recitation. Individuals' early Maths teaching may have been delivered by teachers who were anxious themselves , and consequently over- compensated by emphasising a black-and-white, right-or- wrong approach.
Most people have had negative maths experiences. For example, they might have experienced embarrassment or humiliation from failure, teachers who are insensitive or uncaring, negative attitudes about Maths from peers or family, and traditional rote learning rather than understanding the processes. Maths can, and certainly does, trigger negative thoughts and memories. Henceforth, many Maths anxious pupils/students will avoid Maths.
Does Maths anxiety affect mathematics performance?
A 2018 Ipsos MORI poll found that 23% of parents of children aged 5-15 report that their eldest child often feels anxious when attempting to solve a Maths problem, and that Maths anxiety seems to be affecting the more recent generations.?
The study found that 36% of younger (15-24 year-olds) people feel anxious about maths, compared to 10% of older people (65+), and some studies suggest that maths anxiety can begin very early when young children are learning basic number skills.?
A fear of Maths isn’t restricted by age, gender, or even position in school
In addition to the age based anxiety discussed above, it is also worth noting that girls are more likely to report Maths anxiety than boys.
In another fairly recent survey at two schools (a boys’ and a girls’ school), along with 25% of children in each school identifying that they suffer from Maths anxiety, 20% of the staff in one of the schools said that they too experience Maths anxiety.?
This means that not only are our students feeling apprehensive Maths, but some of their teachers are as well.
Some research shows that when teachers experience Maths anxiety they can pass it on to their pupils, particularly in the case of female teachers and female pupils.
This research indicates just how far reaching Maths anxiety is in modern day society, and illustrates why we need to pay it more attention than we currently do.
Maths often causes more anxiety than other school subjects
Many point out that we don’t treat reading the same as we do Maths. For example we don’t say:?
“Oh I was never any good at reading.”?
or
“Reading is too difficult for me.”
And yet, many of us say the very same things about Maths.?
Is this a consequence of Maths anxiety, or do these attitudes contribute to Maths anxiety?
With negative feelings about Maths being at a high,?the proportion of adults with functional Maths skills (equivalent to a GCSE grade C) has fallen from 26% in 2003 to 22% in 2011, which is a stark contrast with the 57% who achieved the equivalent in functional literacy skills.(National Numeracy, 2014).
Again, does this struggle with maths lead to maths anxiety or is it a cause of it?
What causes Maths anxiety?
There are three theories that link Maths anxiety and Maths performance:
Currently, there isn’t any significant agreement as to which of these theories, if any, is correct.?
What is known is that the two are linked: if a child suffers from Maths anxiety they are more likely to perform poorly; if a child performs poorly they are more likely to suffer from Maths anxiety.
Overcoming Maths anxiety at home
So what do we do for those children who look at a Maths problem and just perceive a swimming blur of numbers and symbols and feel a sickness in the pit of their stomach?
How do we help those who feel overwhelmed by a Maths question to the point where they just want to cry out in anguish?
Fortunately there are a number of things you can do to help your child overcome Maths anxiety at home.
Make sure you do regular practice, little and often
Parents can sometimes expect too much of children at home after a day at school, and whilst it is important that practice is done, make sure you are not pushing your child to do too much.10 minutes a day is better than a gruelling 45 minute session on a Sunday afternoon.?
This repeat, daily practice complements what we know about how we learn best: if we regularly have to recall something, drawing it out of our memory, then we are more likely to be able to remember it for longer.
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We also know that we can suffer an overload in our brains if we try to do too much – especially too many different things – so try to keep the work focused on one or two mathematical concepts at a time.
Practice only what has been taught already
Don’t try to teach new things at home, especially if you are expecting your child to do most of the work on their own.
Homework for primary-aged children works best when it is follow-up of work that they have already done at school and when it is done with a parent. Younger children do not yet have the self-regulation skills they need to sit down and complete a piece of homework themselves so it is important that if you want to help your child with their maths anxiety, that you accompany them.
Make Maths a part of everyday life
Parents have a real opportunity to make maths real – arguably even more than teachers do at school.
For example, when you are out and about, doing the shopping, doing DIY jobs, cooking in the kitchen, and so on, there are plenty of opportunities to have Maths-based discussions (you don’t always have to ask them question).?
You could help them to understand coin denominations when providing pocket money; ask them what the time is and talk about how long it will be until tea time; discuss when setting the table how, if each person has three pieces of cutlery, and there are five people eating, that there will be 15 pieces of cutlery on the table.?
When you start to look for Maths opportunities in everyday life you will start to notice them everywhere!
Make sure Maths is interesting for your child
Not only can you look for the natural opportunities, but you can also introduce chances to talk about and explore Maths. Most board games, and many computer games, feature lots of Maths opportunities. Specific websites and apps are available packed full of Maths-based games – some are free and some incur a small charge. There is some evidence that enjoyment is a good motivator and that children learn when they are happier so it is worth making maths into something that is fun.
Don’t pass on your own anxiety
Don’t tell your children that you were bad at Maths.
This will only make them think that it is a legitimate thing to think and say.
You want them to feel like they can be good at Maths, and that there are no reasons as to why they shouldn’t be. Ensure that they know this and help them to maintain a positive attitude, even when the going gets tough!?
Try developing some affirmations:
“I CAN learn my times tables.”?
“I WILL be able to find fractions of amounts.”?
“There is NO reason why I can’t be excellent at Maths!”?
and get them to practice saying them aloud – positive self-talk may help here.
Allow your child to talk about their anxieties
It’s always a good idea to get those thoughts and feelings out in the open via engaging discussion.
It actually seems that, for children who suffer Maths anxiety, it is beneficial to do this directly before they attempt any Maths – some research has shown that doing this helps people to go on to be more successful in the maths task at hand.?
Children should be allowed to verbalise their feelings –?often this can make them feel less like they are the only one who struggles.?
Simply trying to reject any anxieties around Maths is not a healthy way to deal with these feelings.
Furthermore, remember, if it is indeed good to talk, it is also good to listen when children share these anxieties. Ensure that they know and feel that they have been heard. Active listening, which alas is increasingly rare these days, is important.
If your child mentions any Maths terminology you are not sure of it is important to look it up possibly on the Internet. It is also important to simplify any confusing terms, as in my experience, they can easily put a child off. Older children ( prior to doing their Maths GCSE) are often put off by Maths terminology such as: 'Trigonometry', ' Pythagoras', ' Simultaneous Equations' etc. By carefully explaining what they mean in a way that a pupil/student can understand, some of the fear associated with them will be removed. Indeed, often the actual Maths work, under the various esoteric titles, is actually not that difficult in practice. It just looks scary initially!
Teach your child to ask questions when they don’t understand
This is crucial in the classroom and it is equally as important at home.?
The struggling mathematician can often find it easy to hide their difficulties, finding ways to cope which don’t ever result in their better understanding.?
In order to help children not to resort to these, foster the idea that it is OK to ask for help and that it is OK to make mistakes – reinforce the idea that we learn when we make mistakes and we learn when we ask for help.
Communicate with your child’s teacher
If you know that your child is suffering from Maths anxiety then let their teacher know. Discuss with them potential strategies for both home and school and work in a partnership.
You may be able to help them to understand something that you know about your child that perhaps they don’t.
The teacher may be able to show you how you can help your child with a particular aspect of Maths that they are struggling with. By working together, you will have the best chance of helping your child to deal with, and overcome, maths anxiety.
Remain calm when it comes to Maths anxiety?
The most important thing to remember is to keep your cool if your child is showing signs of Maths anxiety. At some point during their primary school life, most children will come up against a challenging area of Mathematics and seem to struggle.?
All you need to do in this situation is remain calm, and use the tips you have learnt in this article to steer them through their troubles and help them come out the other side as, hopefully, confident mathematicians!
Reference List:
Brown, T. A., Moras, K., Zinbarg, R. E. & Barlow, D. H. (1993). Diagnostic and symptom distinguishability of generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Therapy, 24, 227-240.
Finlayson, M. (2014). Addressing maths anxiety in the classroom. Improving Schools, 17(1), 99-115.
Lyons IM, Beilock SL (2012) When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math. PLoS ONE 7(10): e48076.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048076
National Numeracy ( 2014). In Understanding Mathematics Anxiety Investigating the experiences of UK primary and secondary school students. Centre for neuroscience in education: University of Cambridge.
Richardson, F. C. & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric data. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 19, 551-554.
Tobias, S., & Weissbrod, C. (1980). Anxiety and mathematics: an update. Harvard Educational Review, 50(1), 63-70.
Young, C., Wu, S. & Menon, V. (2012). The neurodevelopmental basis of math anxiety. Association for Psychological Science, 1(10), 1-10.